Question
Hi there. Can you give me some info on trimming ericas? I have a potted erica, and very little experience with house plants. It seems to be done blooming and the flowers look dead, as do the stalks they are on. However, there are some green, flowerless shoots just coming out now. I'm wondering if I should trim off the dead looking stalks? I'm hesitant to do so, since that would mean cutting off quite a lot of the plant, but the green shoots do look a bit choked. Hope you can help. Thanks!

Answer
Eva,

Most houseplants are tropical plants that can survive well in the home during the winter. Erica is not. It is a perennial plant hardy to zone 5. This means that it is normally planted in the ground and will survive as long as the temperatures do not get below -30 degrees centigrade. If it does not get colder than that in your area you need to plant it in the ground immediately so it will be able to go through it's normal winter dormancy. If it does get colder than that it needs to be left in a pot and put in an unheated attached garage or a cool greenhouse where it will get a partial dormancy during the winter. It needs to be kept lightly moist, not wet, never standing in water. It needs lots of light if at all possible. The pruning should wait until early spring when threat of freezing is past. Then you should cut off the dead flowers just below the dead flowers. The plant can be repotted at that time and needs to be kept outside in a sunny location on a patio or porch.  If you decide to repot it then it should be moved to a pot 1 size larger. If it is in a pot with a diameter of 15 cm. it should moved to another pot with a diameter no larger than 20 cm. If you really feel you need to trim out a few of the dead shoots now go ahead but no more than you absolutely have to and the plant must be kept cool for the winter. It will die if kept indoors. Good luck!

Darlene