Protect those precious plants.

Byline: Gardening by Sarah Robertson For The Register-Guard

COLDER WEATHER is on the way, bringing with it seasonal complications for container-grown plants, outdoor water features and tender tropicals.

Our terrific autumn weather tends to lull gardeners into a state of false security. I certainly am guilty of ignoring autumn's obvious cooling trend in the vain hope that a few more weeks of enjoyment can be squeezed from tender tropicals, perennials and tomatoes.

Which explains why I'm invariably outside in mid- to late November yanking gooey, blackened tomato stems from the ground when all of my gardening friends have sensibly completed this task weeks earlier - before the vines turned sloppy.

I'm still kicking myself over loosing an especially beautiful variegated Brugmansia (angel's trumpet) last winter. This lush, tender tropical had grown almost 6 feet tall in a single season. The dramatic foliage proved to be a lovely foil for the fragrant, apricot-hued flowers.

The show began in late July and continued for months. The 6-inch-long blossoms, looking like ridiculously oversized earrings, dangled from almost every branch. I knew this plant needed to be dug and moved into the shed at some point, but I kept procrastinating. Heck, we were in a drought, the sun was shining almost every day and temperatures seemed positively balmy.

Well, yes. Until winter snarled briefly in late November. Temperatures in our neighborhood plummeted to the low 20s the night before I was set to dig several tender favorites (including the Brugmansia) from the ground.

None survived. I, of course, swore never to let such a thing happen again. Ha!

I am determined, however, to do a better job this season. And probably not a moment too soon. The last several winters have been, with brief exceptions, downright mild. Our garden overflows with hebe cultivars that are now 4 years old, plantings of rue approaching the 5-year mark and several not-normally-hardy shrub fuchsias growing and thriving in the same outdoor location for six years - with nary a scrap of additional winter protection.

Given the odds, they're living on borrowed time. And so are certain plants in your garden. So it only makes sense for all of us to get out there and protect the plants we love.

We'll focus today on how best to protect plants already well established in the ground.

There are a number of options when it comes to wintering over tender plants. The method with the highest success rate is also the most labor intensive (naturally!): digging and then storing in a frost-free location.

Tender perennials are the easiest type of plant to dig and store, primarily because they die down to nothing but rootball. Lifting and moving is pretty much a cakewalk when you're not fussing with branches and height issues.

It's those darn tender shrubs that require a bit more time and effort on our part. A bit of trimming, perhaps, and consideration of their temporary winter home with regard to light and warmth.

Both types, if moved, need to spend the next few months in a frost-free greenhouse, garage, basement, spare bedroom or storage shed.

Our house didn't come with a greenhouse, garage or basement (good grief, what on Earth prompted us to buy this place?), but it is blessed with some stately, mature trees that do a fine job of protecting much of the garden from winter's worst.

Over the years, I've learned which areas retain the most warmth and try to plant accordingly.

Since moving these plants to a temporary, frost-free location for the winter isn't an option in my case, I've learned to be creative. The results aren't always the most esthetically pleasing, but they usually work. And that's all you can ask.

One easy solution for larger plants uses chicken wire and straw. There are two options. With the first, you cut two lengths of chicken wire that are slightly taller than the plant and wide enough to fully enclose it.

Lay one piece flat. Hold the edges down with rocks. Lay a thick (4-inch) layer of straw on top of the chicken wire, then place the second section on top. Join the edges together at the corners, and at various points along the top and bottom edges - a pair of pliers makes fast work of this task.

You now have a chicken-wire straw sandwich! Enclose the plant, using pliers to secure the edges. Make a lid, using the same construction method, to fit on top. It now looks as though a straw trash can has sprouted in your garden bed, but hey - at least your plant is likely to survive the cold snap.

The second option is faster, but messier. Cut a length of chicken wire to the correct width and height. Circle the plant, using pliers to secure the edges. Stuff the interior loosely with straw, being careful to work straw around both trunk and branches of plant.

This works well, but the straw is more difficult to corral when you're ready to dismantle the protective circle. The first method takes a bit longer to construct, but you'll be able to take it apart and reuse it several times (if necessary) during the course of a winter.

This brings us to an important point: These are temporary shelters. Use them only when cold weather threatens. Remove them when the threat has gone.

Cardboard boxes are another handy winter plant shelter. If the forecast isn't too severe, sometimes just throwing a box over a plant before dinner and removing it the next day is sufficient. If temperatures are expected to be quite low, adding a bit of protection before throwing the box on top makes sense. This can be straw or even plastic garbage bags filled with crumpled paper balls or packaging peanuts.

Sarah Robertson of Eugene writes a weekly gardening column for The Register-Guard.