I have a gorgeous Abutilon that I would like to overwinter indoors. It is currently in a pot that is bigger than what it needs, because I have annuals planted along with it. Can I repot it into a smaller pot, or will that upset it? How do I determine the size I need? It's approx 2 ft tall, and almost as wide.

Yes you can. I always cut mine down to about 3 inches from the soil line, trim the roots and repot for the winter. They do just fine. I also root a few cuttings for 'insurance'. I've been doing this for years now and they respond well to this treatment. The spend the winter in a greenhouse where the heat goes on at 40 degrees.

The only Abutilon that doesn't doesn't come back nice and bushy is the A. megapotamicum, but it's hardy in my zone so it stays outside.

Oh, that's good to know, Anne. I need to trim mine. Maybe I'll try a couple of cuttings, too. Glad you asked, Deb.

Thanks so much for the info, Anne. So, if I trim it down to about 3" it's just going to look like a stick with roots, do I want to trim it that much?

If you're wanting it to be blooming and looking like a plant during winter, then trim down as much as you need to for that scenario .. If you're looking to have it go somewhat dormant then go shorter. But whatever you do, always root cuttings for insurance when you cut back a plant in a pot.

For all the plants I cut down like that for winter, I trim the roots about as much as I trim the top part .. as in, cut the plant down by a half then trim the roots by a half etc.

Since I had some abutilon that needed the 'winter' treatment I took some pictures .. please keep in mind that these plants are in a "holding pattern" meaning I'm just keeping them going from year to year until I'm ready to use them so they don't really look so hot. These 2 have been on 'hold' for 3 years now going on 4. When I am ready for them I'll pay more attention to them and get them looking better.

Here are the two victims uh ... candidates



Here is a close up before I cut them back .. you can see where last years cuts were and this years growth. The 2nd stem in one pot on the right was a cutting I rooted.



In this picture you can see how far I've cut them back and how big the root ball is



After cutting the root balls using my beloved bread knife.



Potted back up in the same pots they were in .. I reused the soil I cut away from the root balls and stuck the cuttings in the newly potted plants.



It's kinda scary the first time you do something like this to a plant. I also do this to plants that have outgrown their pots but don't want to put them in a bigger pot.

Thank you so much, Anne. The pictures are great and really clarify the how to.

You're welcome!