Question
I live in the southern part of Virginia and have a corn plant that is big and beautiful that I've had since spring on my screen porch that faces south. It has done great since I bought it and it has new growth. My question is: Is there any way to wrap it (the trunks) for winter so it will last until spring next year?  The last one I had, I brought it in the house for the winter and had it in indirect light and it quickly died. This is the prettiest one I've had and would love to keep it. Any ideas? Thank you!

Answer
Hi Kathy, the problem is tht it is not a plant that goes dormant in the winter, therefore it will not survive the below freezing temps, even on your porch; even though you could wrap the container with a heavy blanket to insulate the root system, the tissue in the crown will freeze, thereby killing the plant. I am afraid that it is necessary to bring it in if you want it to survive, otherwise you would have to fabricate some sort of mini green house around it out on the porch, which could be expensive and not very attractive. I have seen people build a square, plastic enclosure around plants in this situation with a heat lamp inside to keep the crown from freezing, but again, not practical with a rather inexpensive plant like a corn plant, not to mention a safety hazard. Nick