Wait, Cora your profile says S. Florida. You should not have to protect them from cold! Wait (again) you have a basement? In S. Florida??
Mine are outdoors all year 'round, and I occasionally throw a sheet or piece of frost cloth over them if it's getting down into the 30's. They stop blooming in winter for a while but never lose their leaves.
If I'm really energetic I'll move some of the smaller ones to the south side of the house where they actually keep blooming sometimes, too. I use a mover's dolly to move the big pots.
