Domakihub How to Overwinter Plants and Keep Them Thriving
Protect your garden, terrace, and rental property plants before the cold sets in.
Reviewed by Domakihub garden pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Greek winters are milder than northern Europe but can still surprise with frost, cold winds, and prolonged wet spells that damage tender plants — especially on exposed terraces, balconies, or in unheated outbuildings of holiday rentals and hotels. The video above by chartered horticulturist David Domoney shows the core principles at a glance; this article breaks them down into five practical steps you can apply to any property. Whether you manage a single garden bed or a portfolio of rental villas, getting overwintering right means less plant loss, lower replacement costs, and a garden that looks full and healthy the moment spring arrives.
Why overwintering matters in Greece
Most people think of Greece as frost-free, but northern mainland areas, mountain villages, and even Athens suburbs can dip below zero for stretches in January and February. Coastal properties face salt-laden cold winds that desiccate leaves and damage root systems in terracotta pots. For holiday rentals, whose gardens are often unmaintained between guest stays over winter, this can mean returning in spring to a terrace of dead or badly stressed plants that need expensive replacement before the season opens.
Overwintering is not just about surviving frost. It also covers managing waterlogged soil, preventing pots from cracking, stopping fungal disease from spreading in damp still air, and giving bulbs and tubers the right dormancy conditions so they flower abundantly the following year.
Which plants need protection in a Greek climate
Hardy Mediterranean shrubs such as rosemary, lavender, and cistus need almost no help — they are built for the climate. The plants that need attention are tropicals and sub-tropicals grown for their large leaves or exotic flowers: bougainvillea, hibiscus, plumbago, bird-of-paradise, canna, elephant ear, and banana. Container-grown specimens of any species are more vulnerable than the same plant in the ground, because the pot exposes roots to air temperature from all sides rather than insulating them in the earth.
Potted citrus — olives, lemons, and kumquats — are popular on Greek terraces and can suffer when temperatures drop below -4 °C for more than a day or two. Dahlias and summer bulbs left in the ground over a wet winter in heavy soil are also a frequent casualty.
5 steps to overwinter your plants successfully
- 1
Audit your plants and sort them by hardiness
Before the first cold spell (October to November in most of Greece), walk around every bed, pot, and container and sort plants into three groups: fully hardy and needing no action; borderline and needing light protection; tender and needing to be moved indoors or have their roots lifted and stored. This triage saves time and focuses effort where it actually matters.
- 2
Cut back and clean up
Remove spent flowers, dead stems, and diseased foliage before you protect or move any plant. Leaving decaying plant material in place over winter is an open invitation to fungal disease, slugs, and pests. For herbaceous perennials, cut back to about 10 cm above ground level. For shrubs, a light trim to tidy the shape is enough — avoid heavy pruning in autumn, as fresh growth is vulnerable to cold.
- 3
Insulate pots and exposed root zones
Wrap terracotta and ceramic pots in hessian, bubble wrap, or old fleece to stop the pot wall freezing and cracking. Place pot feet or tiles under containers so drainage holes do not sit on cold stone. For plants staying in the ground, apply a 10 to 15 cm layer of straw, bark mulch, or dried leaves over the root zone to insulate the soil and prevent repeated freeze-thaw cycles from heaving roots.
- 4
Move tender plants to shelter
Tropical and sub-tropical container plants should be moved into an unheated or lightly heated space: a garage, storage room, covered terrace, or greenhouse. The goal is frost protection and dry air, not warmth — most of these plants want to rest, not grow. Reduce watering to a minimum and do not feed until spring. For rental properties, a designated storage area for pots is worth setting up once so the process takes minutes each autumn.
- 5
Store lifted bulbs and tubers correctly
Dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, and similar plants can have their tubers dug up after the first frost blackens their foliage, allowed to dry for a few days, then packed in dry compost, vermiculite, or newspaper in a cool dark place above 5 °C. Label everything clearly — it is easy to forget what is what by March. Check stored tubers once a month and remove any that show rot before it spreads to the rest.
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FAQ
- Does bougainvillea need to be overwintered in Greece?
- In most coastal areas of Greece, established bougainvillea in the ground survives winter without help. Container-grown plants and specimens in colder inland or elevated areas benefit from being moved to a sheltered spot and having their watering almost stopped from November to February, which mimics their natural dry-season dormancy and actually encourages heavier flowering in spring.
- Can I leave citrus trees outside all winter?
- Mature citrus planted in the ground can tolerate brief dips to around -4 °C, but potted citrus should be moved to a sheltered spot — an unheated garage or covered terrace — when temperatures are consistently below 5 °C at night. Keep the soil barely moist, not wet, and avoid positioning the pot near a radiator, as the dry heat will stress the plant.
- When should I start overwintering preparations in Greece?
- Aim to have tender plants moved and pots insulated by mid-October in northern Greece and mountainous areas, and by mid-November on the coast and in the south. It is better to act a couple of weeks early than to catch a sudden cold snap with plants still unprotected.