The few plants that should not be forgotten are those that are sheltered from the rain by eaves or lanais, even though they need less water because cool damp weather limits evapotranspiration (evaporation from foliar surfaces) and evaporation from soil. Most species are more or less dormant anyway, so vascular activity (uptake of moisture and nutrients) is minimal. Deciduous plants that drop their leaves in winter need the least water, since they are completely dormant and have no leaves to lose water. It is nonetheless important to check sheltered plants, and water as needed to prevent them from getting too dry.

Other factors influence how much water sheltered plants need. Because the sun is lower in the sky, northern exposures are disproportionately darker. Plants with southern exposures that are normally shaded by deciduous trees can be exposed to more sunlight during winter because the trees are bare, and the sunlight, coming in at a lower angle, reaches farther under southern eaves. Sunlight affects both temperature and vascular activity.

Houseplants may need more watering during winter because the interior of the home can be less humid than during summer. It is ironic that the home is drier when the garden is wetter, but that is one of the unfortunate effects of home heating. Newer homes with modern insulation, weatherproofing and heating systems, and perhaps even humidifiers, are not nearly as adversely affected as older homes. Some of the houseplants in my "cozy" older home currently want about four times the water they get in summer.

During mild storms, I do not bother watering them at all. Instead, I move them out to an area of the garden protected from the wind but not the rain. The rain rinses dust off the foliage, and slowly leaches out salts that have been accumulating in the soil. (Houseplants accumulate more salts than exterior plants because dissolved fertilizer precipitates from evaporating water instead of being rinsed through.) A few of the palms that have scale like getting rinsed to remove some of the insects and their "honeydew" secretions. Time in the garden also exposes the scale to their natural predators, from which they are protected indoors.

Tougher houseplants can be left in the garden until the weather gets too cold for them. They only need to be protected from wind and sun exposure, as they are adapted to domestic life, where they were sheltered from both. Wind can break tender stems and leaf stalks. The sun can quickly "bleach out" exposed foliage, even on a cool day.

Tree of the Week: Weeping fig

Despite the glossy three-inch long leaves and lack of edible fruit, weeping fig, Ficus benjamina, really is related to the more coarsely foliated fruiting fig tree. However, it is not always sad. "Weeping" refers to the drooping limber new growth on large trees. Although weeping figs can grow to 50 feet tall and wide in tropical climates, they are too sensitive to frost to be grown in local gardens. They are instead popular as houseplants and large potted specimens on protected porches. They like bright indirect light, rich soil and regular watering. They will be even happier and, ironically, weep more if occasionally fertilized.

Weeping fig has a bad habit of replacing leaves when moved to a sunnier or shadier location. Hopefully, older leaves will drop as new ones develop. Sometimes, however, all the old leaves fall off before the first new leaf appears. Even a bare tree should recover, but should be watered less because there is less or no foliage to use the moisture. Overwatering can also cause leaf drop, but the leaves turn yellow instead of brown, and recovery is not as easy.

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.