Question
We have several stela dora in container that we planted this past spring & had on our deck. They did really well with the full sun they got. Now that we are preparing for winter here in Massachusetts we need to store them. We have an unheated garage & also a shed. What is the best way to winter over these plants? Thank you

Answer
The best way to winter them over is actually outside in the ground, but since you are not able to do that now.  Storing them outside in there pots is the next best thing, so that they receive the moisture from the rain/snow.  You will want to gather your pots together and put them in a protected area, and what I mean by protected is from the severe wind chill.  I gather my pots and store them under a deciduous tree that has lost its leaves and gather them around the base of the tree, now this tree is in the back corner of my lot, next to several shrubs.  You want to either tuck your pots up against the house or up against some shrubs or a under a tree.  And then cover the pots with Hay to help insulate the root system.  Make sure to clip your Stella's down to 3 inches. And then you can forget about them until Spring.  Hopefully your pots can take hard frosts.