Watering potted plants? I live in South Central PA. On my covered porches I enjoy...
I live in South Central PA. On my covered porches I enjoy some Roses, herbs (lavender), shrubs and some other plants. I don't know if I should hose down them through the winter. We do have some thoroughly cold winters, but these plants don't get the snow resembling other outside plants. Also, I have a totally large evergreen potted that does attain outside water, do I stipulation to suppliment this as well since it is surrounded by a pot?
Answers: With the weird weather and unreliable season we experience in the hot zones immediately, it's difficult to come up with strict rules of thumb for these things. You inevitability to watch conditions and construct allowances for them. I'm guessing your plants are in pots, so I'll tailor my tips for this sort of situation.
I will make available you one good tip though, and that is to say to mulch heavily. Lay a few to several inches of a mulch around and over your plants.
If the plants are dormant (no leaf or flower production), as I would expect within your part of the world (I grew up surrounded by Western PA), you should not water your plants unless the soil is bone-dry 3 or 4 inches beneath the soil surface, which I doubt will be the defence. If things are that dry, add no more than a pint of river to the pot before mulching. Mulch will retain anything moisture there is within the ground now.
Now to be more specific. Roses should be cut posterior to 12" to 18" above ground. You need to protect them from fungus as capably as freezing, so you can apply some sort of overwintering antifungal substance. These are often call "dormant oil mixtures." You might know how to spray/sprinkle with sulfur too.
There are so oodles varieties of lavender next to differing stiffness levels that it's frozen to know what you have. I would cut stern the lavender to the surface of the soil and cover with mulch.
Since PA have so many different zone (because of mountains especially), I would visit a local power nursery and have a friendly chat going on for what to do with your plants within your specific locale. This time of year they're probably bored and tired of Christmas trees anyway.
since they are inside on your porches, and mulching is not an option, I would sea them sparingly through the winter. I have much alike situation, and they don't require as much water surrounded by the winter when they are not producing active growth. I don't allow them to completely dry out, but marine them just adequate to keep them alive within their semi-dormant state. Be sure and start a regular watering program as soon as they show any signs of new growth within the spring, maybe as rash as February or early March. I own a bay tree that demands a right supply of water starting surrounded by January,when it comes out of dormancy, or it will start to die back.
Your outside evergreen will probably be fine, but if you don't bring rain or snow, I would be checking it to formulate sure the soil is moist and if it needs watered.