In this part of Wisconsin we can have winter temps ranging down to -20 Fahrenheit, interspersed with warm spells that might go up to +30 or more [zone 5b]. I have a handful of tropicals [Natal plum, bucida, a couple of different ficus] which are no problem. I already have fluorescent grow lights from the Great Heirloom-tomato-from-seed Project from the winter before last, and a nice bench with a couple of fans for air movement.
My problem is the azaleas, and I am stumped. I live in a historic neighborhood, in a house built in 1904--no garage, no breezeway or the like. Tiny back yard, so no place to build a shed or even add one of those plastic ones from Home Depot or wherever. I can't believe that a cold frame or plastic hoop house will be sufficient when the temps go below -15 or -20 degrees. I thought of getting an older, used refrigerator--the kind that do not have a dehumidifier--and then I read Mr. Harrington's admonition on bonsai4me. He is emphatic that azaleas are not deciduous, and that they need access to light. Being in the UK, he identifies rain as the biggest winter danger for azaleas. I try reading through the care guides the different purveyors have on their websites, and pretty soon I feel like a dog chasing its own tail. One says keep them outdoors, one says a cool windowsill is just fine, another says they can be summer outside/winter inside....
Unless someone with experience can tell me definitively why not to, I'm thinking that the azaleas will stay out until there is a danger of hard frost, and then come inside under the lights. I'll adjust feeding and watering accordingly, and ease them back outside in the spring.
This just adds one more to the list of reasons why I drink.
