Like I said in my post about the orchids, you do not have to worry about winter care of bonsai if you live in the tropics, but if you don't maybe you find this information useful for you.
You must become familiar with the specific varieties of bonsai you have to determine if protection (or how much protection) is required. For example the tropical bonsai candidates, such as the desert rose (Adenium obesum), can be treated as houseplants, but the vast majority of bonsai are temperate plants (not tropical) and they definitely need to be left outdoors. The most familiar bonsai specimens are hardy trees — either evergreen or deciduous. These rarely should be treated as houseplants in the winter--and then only in areas where the winters are extremely severe — because they have the same growing requirements as their full-size counterparts, and they need the same seasonal growth cycles. So leave them outside. Heel them in by burying their pots in the ground in an area where they are protected from snow cover and covered with a protective layer of mulch. If the temperatures drop well below that which the plants are hardy to, move them into an unheated garage for two or three days or into the house for up to a week or two, provided they receive adequate light and temperatures are cool (60 to 65 degrees).
The concept of wintering over a bonsai is not too much different from wintering over what is already planted in your yard. Most temperate climate trees grown as bonsai are capable of handling the severe weather as long as a few simple conditions are met.
It's better to allow them to go through a couple of light frosts at least - junipers can take anything down to 15-20 Fahr., and need to get cold to go dormant.
Remember that winter winds combined with temperatures below the mid twenties Fahrenheit (or below -5 Celsius) will freeze dry almost any bonsai.
But ting to keep temperate plants warm by placing them in the sun is a mistake. The added warmth from exposure to too much direct sun can cause a tree to wake up from dormancy too early. If this is followed by temperatures once again plunging down very low, the water in the sap can freeze within the cambium layer and kill the tree. So, please do not put an outdoor bonsai in a heated house for the winter.
Usually it is usually not necessary to take trees out of their pots. Good pots are capable of handling the temperature changes. One exception would be Trident Maple. This particular tree should be removed from its pot and the soil ball buried in the ground or a large box. If it is wintered in the pot the roots will turn to mush.
All other temperate plants can be kept in a sheltered area out of direct sun and wind. The pots should be mulched or buried to the top of the rim in the earth. Burlap barriers work well as a wind break. You can also make a wall using bales of straw.
If there is not much snow or the weather warms it is possible you will have to water your trees from time to time. Here is a good tip: once the soil freezes, don't water If the soil ball thaws and starts to dry you must water. The soil should not get saturated with water that freezing and expansion could break the pot. Be careful not to overwater in winter, especially deciduous trees as a tree with no winter foliage uses very little water.
(For more information, Please refer to my post from last year regarding Bonsai care during winter HERE)
If you grow orchids outside (temperature around 32 F., 0 C.) basically your orchids unfortunately will be. Most orchids are tropical type plants. Some orchids can survive freezing temperatures somewhat (Cymbidiums being a good example). But freezing temperatures over a continued period of time can really damage them as well.
So, If you think your orchids will freeze try to protect them. Bring them inside in a hallway, or perhaps behind a window (they look great in a kitchen window). The structure will give them some protection. If you can not bring them inside, snuggle them up close to the side of a house. Houses can give the plants the extra couple of degrees to help them through the coldest time. Move them into a greenhouse if you have one.
Most Southern areas do not need to take special precautions for winter care of orchids except when a frost alert is in place. (For example here in Miami, we are still in the 80's or low 70's).
Orchids need a certain amount of light and temperature to grow normally and the winter season can change that. A significant number of plants will have this as a normal period of dormancy or rest needed to get ready for the next budding period.
Some orchid plants like Cattleya, Epidendrum, Dendrobium and Oncidium may possibly need some artificial light. The high intensity orchids need about 12 to 14 hours of light during their growing season and less than that puts them at a disadvantage for generating buds and blooms.
It is only in the extreme northern US latitudes that we don't find at least 14 hours of daylight. The intensity of the light may be diminished because the sun is lower in the atmosphere during the winter. So if your plant needs more light you may need to move them from an area of where they used to get bright diffused light to a sunnier area of the home. The use of grow lights is not out of the question either especially for those plants requiring high light intensity like Oncidums and Cattleys. Lighting is an important aspect of winter care of orchid plants and if the plants do not get enough they will not bud.
The winter care of orchid plants usually means less watering because there is a needed period of rest. Instead of watering twice a week try watering once a week or instead of watering once a week we need to do it every 10 to 14 days. Now this changes if your home has low humidity, in this case you will need to water more often. The normal humidity that orchid plants love is between 40 - 80%. Most homes have about 40 -50 % humidity. If your home does not you may need to use humidity trays. These are metal or plastic trays that are filled with pebbles and then about 1/2 with water.
Since most orchids need temperatures between 55 - 80 degrees F, the plants in the middle and northern US need to come indoors. There are certain things we need to bear in mind. Normal home temperatures are usually good for orchid plants but we need to consider that if we keep our home temperatures low due to the high heating bills we may need to add some warmth during the day to the plants. It is not good to keep them at a constant 60 -65 degrees, they do need times with temperatures higher.
Be careful of the setting as well, a window sill in the day time may be wonderful for the plants but at night it may get too cool. In order to protect the plants use a curtain as a barrier to the cold. On the other hand the window sill can also burn plants if it gets too hot. By the way this damage also occurs with lack of water and over heating of the orchid plant.
The most common signs of cold injury include injury to the plant leaf which can be seen as pitting marks, large sunken areas or the eventual discoloration which can lead to a brown leaf. The amount of damage varies considerably with the cold injury. If a plant is frozen you will notice this rather fast after thawing. The dead spots on the leaves as well as the flowers and buds is easily noticeable.
This period is usually one of resting the need for fertilizer diminishes as well. You should stretch out the fertilizing to be twice as long as you would during the summer. For example if your routine for fertilizing was once a week in the summer than the winter care of orchid plants says that it now should be once every two to three weeks.
Agardening care guide for the fuchsia plant, known as a difficult flower to grow, is provided for you by gardening experts. The romantic, vibrant colored fuchsia plant has blossoms that dangle beautifully from flower pots, hanging baskets, or over the soil in a flower garden. If your not familiar with the fuchsia plant, let me teach you all you need to know about this beautiful plant. The fuchsia flower is a prolific bloomer all summer long and can be grown indoors with proper care. Learn how to grow and care for an interesting addition to your garden or home, the fuchsia plant.
The fuchsia plant is named after Leonhard Fuchs, a German doctor who lived in the early 1500's. Almost all the fuchsia varieties we know of today come from South and Central America, New Zealand, and Tahit.
Originally, nearly 100 varieties of fuchsia were known, but they have been hybridized so much that today there are countless varieties.
Fuchsias are low growing, bush or sometimes tree-like plants. We still cultivate many varieties as indoor plants, and one of them is so hardy that it can winter in the open in the south. Most of the cultivated Fuchsia varieties are hybrids which may be low, rather droopy flowering plants, semi-tall trees or shrub-like plants. People often prop them up to allow the beautiful flowers to hang freely from the leaf crown that radiates from a slender stem.
Fuchsia is rich in color. The eye catching colorfulness of the fuchsia flower is due to the fact that the sepals, leaf lobes and petals, are all richly colored. Fuchsias are the most beautiful when kept in rather cool conditions in half-shade. Too much warmth and sunshine leads to rapid flower loss and severe evaporation from leaves and stems. Always make sure that the fuchsia plant gets the water it needs in the growth period. All varieties of fuchsia require special care, but they will reward all your efforts by forming lovely new flower buds on the tips of their stems.
A gardening care guide for the fuchsia plant, known as a difficult flower to grow, is provided for you by gardening experts. The romantic, vibrant colored fuchsia plant has blossoms that dangle beautifully from flower pots, hanging baskets, or over the soil in a flower garden. If your not familiar with the fuchsia plant, let me teach you all you need to know about this beautiful plant. The fuchsia flower is a prolific bloomer all summer long and can be grown indoors with proper care. Learn how to grow and care for an interesting addition to your garden or home, the fuchsia plant.
Fuchsias are like children, though: each one requires a lifetime of care, or else…well, they won’t be much fun. Before I learned to take care of fuchsias, my well-intentioned gifts were crispy, drowned, or diseased by the Fourth of July. It turns out, though, that—unlike children—fuchsias are easy to care for, if you know a little bit about their needs.
Fuchsia is a genus comprising over 100 species of flowering shrubs and trees. The dangling habit and teardrop shape of the flowers gave rise to the popular name ladies’ eardrop. Most fuchsia are native to South America, where they grow in the understory of tropical or subtropical forests. There are a few interesting exceptions, however: Fuchsia excorticata is a tree from New Zealand that can reach 15 meters in height.
The plants you see at local flower shops are selected clones (cultivars), propagated by cuttings, not from seed. Over 10,000 cultivars have been described, and up to 2,000 are commonly grown. Nearly all of these cultivars, however, share the requirements of their South American ancestors: plenty of shade, frequent but not constant watering, and rich (read: fertilized) soil. To look their best, many fuchsia also need to be pruned at least yearly. If you can meet these needs, your fuchsia plant will remain lovely for many years.
Sun
Morning sun or sun-dappled shade is ideal for most fuchsia. Fuchsia can thrive in the sun, but the root system must be kept moist. Unless you are prepared for eternal vigilance, shelter your fuchsia from the hottest sun.
The flower symbolism associated with the fuchsia is confiding love. Fuchsia flowers are a very decorative pendulous "eardrop" shape, borne in profusion throughout the summer and autumn, and all year in tropical species. In many species, the sepals are bright red and the petals purple, a combination of colors that attract hummingbirds.
Water
Fuchsia should be watered in the morning, frequently enough to keep the soil moist but not soaked. In hot weather, you will need to water every day, while in cooler weather, twice a week will suffice. To decide whether to water your plant, look at and feel the soil. If the soil remains quite wet, right to the surface, then the plant doesn’t need more water. If the topmost layer has started to dry, then give water. Remember: fuchsia is more commonly killed by overwatering than by underwatering.
Fuchsia has a tendency to wilt on hot afternoons. It will perk up if misted with water or moved into the shade. You should avoid watering in the late afternoon or evening, however. Fuchsia has stomata (pores) in their leaves that close in the evening, preventing it from shedding excess water.
Fertilizer
Fuchsia is known as “gross feeders” and need access to plenty of fertilizer. When the plants are flowering, especially in late summer and fall, use water-soluble fertilizer formulated for tomatoes (higher in potash, or “K”). You can apply full-strength fertilizer every 1-2 weeks or quarter-strength fertilizer at every watering. I find the latter approach simpler.
If you plan to keep your fuchsia for years, you will need to overwinter the plant (see below) and then feed through the spring and summer. During the first month of spring, when the fuchsia starts to put out new growth, use high-nitrogen feed. Through late spring and summer, switch to a balanced feed (such as NPK 20-20-20). Then, as the plant starts to flower heavily, use tomato feed as suggested above.
Pruning
Fuchsia only develop flowers on new growth. This means that you need to encourage a nice distribution of new growth each year in order to have a concentrated show of flowers.
Fuchsia should be cut back by one-half to two-thirds in late autumn, as the temperatures cool and growth starts to slow down. Fuchsia in pots can be cut back to 4-8” above soil level. The remaining stems will form the skeleton of next year’s growth. Without this pruning, the plants become long-stemmed over time, with flowers only showing on the newer, outside growth.In the spring, as the fuchsia starts to grow vigorously again, begin applying high-nitrogen fertilizer as mentioned above. When the stems have at least three pairs of leaves, you can “stop” the plant to encourage a bushy shape with more branches and, as a result, more flowers. Simply remove the growing tip from stems after they have acquired several pairs of leaves. Do not remove the growing tip before this point, as new branches will only form at the junctions between leaves and stems. Be sure not to damage these critical areas (the leaf axils). You can stop the plant again after the new branches have several pairs of leaves.
Stopping can be difficult for the novice to stomach. The process may seem to threaten your plant. Remember this, however: the more stops you put in, the more flowers you will get out.
Overwintering
Even a single, light frost can kill some types of fuchsia. Therefore, the plants must be kept above freezing throughout the winter. If the temperature is likely to drop below 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit, then the plants will likely lose their leaves and go dormant. When the plants are defoliated, they can be lightly watered and placed under a table, covered in peat, or wrapped in bubble wrap or newspaper. Note that the fuchsia must not be allowed to dry out over the course of the winter. They will need to be checked and watered occasionally. If the plants dehydrate, they will die. In the spring, when all chance of frost has passed, the plants can be brought out of storage and into a shady spot, then watered. When new growth appears, begin applying fertilizer.
In warmer areas, or if you have access to a heated greenhouse that will keep the temperature above 45 degrees, fuchsia can be kept in green leaf throughout the winter. They will grow slowly throughout the winter, giving them an excellent start in the spring. Keep watering to a minimum so that the potting medium is just moist.
Fuchsia is easy to care for if you remember their sub-tropical origins. Keep them moist but not wet, give plenty of fertilizer, and prune in the autumn to encourage new growth next year.
Rosemary (botanical name Rosmarinus officinalis), also known as Garden Rosemary, is native to the Mediterranean area. A member of the mint family, it is an evergreen shrub also related to basil, marjoram, and oregano. It is usually found growing by the ocean, and its latin name equates to "dew of the sea."
Some rosemary plants grow up to 6 feet tall or more, but standard varieties are usually around 3 feet and bushy. The small, gray-green leaves look similar to small pine needles and have a bittersweet, lemony, slightly piney flavor. Small flowers range from white to pale blue to dark blue, usually flowering in late spring.
Usage of rosemary dates back to 500 b.c., when it was used as a culinary and medicinal herb by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is still a popular medicinal herb today.
Most commercially-used, dried rosemary comes to us from Spain, France, and Morocco. However, it is easy to grow your own in temperate climates.
In 1987, researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey patented a food preservative derived from rosemary. The chemical, called rosmaridiphenol, is a very stable antioxidant useful in cosmetics and plastic food packaging.
Rosemary is indeed a versatile, aromatic herb. It is used in a wide variety of dishes, including fruit salads, soups, vegetables, meats (especially lamb), fish, eggs, stuffings, dressings, and even desserts. It is also used to scent cosmetics and perfumes, in insect repellants, and has medicinal uses. You will find rosemary a delightful herb in both savory and sweet recipes.
Rosmarinus means dew of the sea in Latin. It is found in rocky sites and woodland and scrub in the Mediterranean region, Portugal, and northwestern Spain. It is an aromatic, perennial shrub that is now widely cultivated for its aromatic leaves and flowers. Some of the legends connected with this herb are very curious. It is associated with the Virgin Mary. It is said that it used to flower white until Mary hung her cloak on a bush while fleeing Herod's soldiers. It is supposed to be one of the herbs, along with lavender, thyme, pennyroyal, lady's bedstraw, and costmary, found in the manger. For a long time, people believed the reason it would not grow over 6' in 33 years was so as not to stand taller than Christ.
It is found traditionally in wedding bouquets as a reminder to the couple of their wedding vows. In the language of flowers it means remembrance and love. Greek students believed it improved the memory, and so they wore it in their hair when studying for exams. Another tale says that if a rosemary plant grows vigorously in a family's garden that it is the woman who wears the pants in the family. In Egypt, it was found in the wrappings of mummies. In Australia, it is worn on Anzac Day, a day set aside to commemorate the dead. In France, during the Middle Ages, it was combined with juniper and burned in bunches in hospitals to kill bacteria. Modern research shows that it does have antibacterial properties. In Hungary, in 1235, Queen Izabella was stricken with a paralyzing illness. A hermit came to court with a preparation of rosemary soaked in wine, which cured her. Since then, this combination, known as Queen Hungary's Water has been used to treat gout and baldness.
Harvest and Use: Rosemary has many uses besides culinary. It is used as a medicinal, an aromatic, an ornamental in the landscape, as a dye, in cosmetics, and as a houseplant. Rosemary essential oil adds a piney scent to soaps, creams, lotions, perfumes, and toilet water. It is a stimulating herb and makes a wonderful herbal bath when you feel worn out and want to get your blood flowing under your skin again. Just put some in a muslin bag and get in the tub with it. You can also treat yourself to a cleansing and pick-me-up facial steam with a stronginfusion. Blend it in potpourri. It can be woven into wreaths and garlands. Rosemary sachets are very nice for scenting drawers. Dry needles can be added to other herbs and made into closet sachets to repel moths. These smell a lot better than mothballs and are not toxic. It yields a green dye.
Add a handful of sprigs to the coals before grilling for extra aromatics. Throw the stems into the wood stove for scent. Combine rosemary with lavender, santolina, tansy, and lemongrass into a tulle sachet and hang in the closet with woolens as a moth repellent.
Medicinally, a warm tea is good for colds, flu, rheumatic pain, indigestion, and as a stimulating drink for headache and fatigue. It is antiseptic and promotes sweating and the flow of bile. It acts as an antidepressant, a circulatory stimulant, and a tonic for the nervous system and the heart. It is a rich source of vitamin A and vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc. It also has antioxidant properties. A strong infusion makes an antiseptic mouthwash and gargle. The essential oil can be used externally as an ingredient in salves for arthritis and to soothe aching muscles. Extracts are found in shampoos. A hair rinse of a strong infusion can help dandruff and is good for dark hair. Do not use the pure oil internally. Like all medicinal plants, be cautious when using as a healing herb. The essential oil should not be used internally and when used externally, it should be diluted as is true for all essential oils except lavender. It should not be used in pregnancy, as it is a uterine stimulant. Large doses are irritating to the kidneys and stomach, but used in lesser amounts as a seasoning, it is perfectly safe.
The flavor of rosemary harmonizes with those of poultry, fish, lamb, beef, veal, pork, and game, especially roasts. It also goes well with tomatoes, spinach, peas, mushrooms, squash, cheese, eggs, lentils, and complements chives, chervil, chives, thyme, parsley, and bay. Commercially, an antioxidant prepared from both sage and rosemary improves the stability of soy oil and potato chips. Rosemary adds character to mild soups, marinades, salad dressings, and bouquets garni. Include fresh rosemary in all your Italian sauces. Stud roast pork generously with garlic and rosemary sprigs by making a hole in the meat and pressing the garlic and rosemary into it. Try an herb butter by combining 2 teaspoons rosemary to ½ cup butter. Add it to fruit salad to enhance sweetness without adding sugar. Make a rosemary jelly for roast meats and poultry.
Harvest anytime by snipping the ends of the stems. This will cause your plant to bush out. If you do not want it to bush, pull off a few leaves or sprays. Never take more than 20% of the plant. Rosemary is so much better fresh because it dries into tough little sticks that stick in your teeth or ruin the consistency of culinary dishes. If you are cooking with dry rosemary, wrap it in a bundle tied to the pot handle for easy removal. Besides drying, you can freeze whole sprigs. When you need some, remove from the stem. Frozen rosemary is stronger than fresh.
Cultivation and Propagation: Who can walk by a rosemary plant without passing their hand across it in order to get a whiff of its exquisite fragrance? I can't. It makes the work of repotting every fall to bring it in worthwhile. It makes a fine perennial border or a beautiful hedgerow. It is bold yet graceful and is handsome alone or as an accent plant on a patio or terrace. Prostrate varieties can be set so as to creep along a wall. They look great in hanging baskets or window boxes. The flowers attract bees and a delicious honey is made from the nectar. You also can create the spokes of an herb wheel with rosemary. Except for the cultivar 'Arp' which is hardy to zone 6, you can only leave rosemary out all year long if you live in a zone 8 to 10. The two reasons people lose their rosemary in the winter are incorrect watering and too heavy a soil. Judicious watering is imperative. It hates wet feet and will surely die if left un-watered for too long. It doesn't like being near a hot sunny window in summer where it will burn. If you are growing it in a container, consider taking it out of the pot and putting it in the garden for the summer where it can wiggle its toes. You will get much more vigorous growth and a healthier plant to survive the winter indoors. When you do repot it, nice, loose soil mixed with perlite, sand, and vermiculite is a must.
Rosemary can be grown from seed, but since the germination rate is 30% at best, buy plants from a reputable nursery. Once you have a well-established plant, you can increase your supply by taking cuttings. It can also be propagated by layering.
Pests: Indoors, rosemary is susceptible to powdery mildew. Inside winter air is often dry and stagnant, which promotes the disease. A fan for better air circulation helps, as does misting your rosemary.
Creeping Rosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus Group is a tender perennial that only reaches 6 to 12 inches in height, but can spread to 3 feet. Plant creeping rosemary in full sun in the garden border, cascading over walls, trailing down banks, and in window boxes and hanging baskets. It's especially pretty when the lavender flowers are blooming and its long, twisting, curling, re-curving branches spill over the edges of a terra cotta pot.General cultivation information above.
Rosemary 'Arp':Rosmarinus officinalis 'Arp'is a perennial that grows 3 to 5 feet tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet. It prefers full sun, and is the best rosemary for colder climates (survives to -10°F with protection of mulch and/or burlap wrap). It has an open, bushy habit, gray-green, lemony-scented leaves and blue flowers. Grow in ordinary, well-drained soil. Never let it dry out and never let it sit in water. General cultivation information above.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): is widely used as a spice when cooking, especially in Mediterranean dishes. It is also used for its fragrance in soaps and other cosmetics. Traditionally, rosemary has been used medicinally to improve memory, relieve muscle pain and spasm, stimulate hair growth, and support the circulatory and nervous systems. It is also believed to increase menstrual flow, act as an abortifacient (causing miscarriage), increase urine flow, and treat indigestion. Almost none of these uses have been studied scientifically in humans. However, one study in humans found that long term daily intake of rosemary prevents thrombosis.
In the lab, rosemary has been shown to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can neutralize harmful particles in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death. Also in the lab, rosemary oil appears to have antimicrobial properties (killing some bacteria and fungi in test tubes). It isn't known whether rosemary would have the same effect in humans.
Indigestion
Rosemary leaf is used in Europe for indigestion (dyspepsia) and is approved by the German Commission E, which examines the safety and efficacy of herbs.
Muscle and Joint Pain
Applied topically (to the skin), rosemary oil is sometimes used to treat muscle pain and arthritis and to improve circulation. It is approved by the German Commission E for this purpose. However, there is no scientific evidence that it works.
Alopecia
Historically, rosemary has been used to stimulate hair growth. Rosemary was used in one study of 84 people with alopecia areata (a disease in which hair falls out, generally in patches). Those who massaged their scalps with rosemary and other essential oils (including lavender, thyme, and cedarwood) every day for 7 months experienced significant hair regrowth compared to those who massaged their scalps without the essential oils. But the study was not well designed, and it is impossible to say whether rosemary caused the hair growth.
Neutralize Foodborne Pathogens
Several studies show that rosemary inhibits foodborne pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, B. cereus, and S. aureus.
Improve Memory or Concentration
Rosemary is often used in aromatherapy to increase concentration and memory, and to relieve stress. One study suggests that rosemary, combined with other pleasant smelling oils, may lower cortisol levels and help reduce anxiety. Another study found that the use of lavender and rosemary essential oil sachets reduced test taking stress in graduate nursing students.
How to Take It:
Pediatric: Because rosemary has not been studied in children, it is not recommended for medicinal use in those under age 18. It is safe to eat as a spice in food, however.
Adult: Rosemary can be used as a tea made from the dry herb, a tincture, fluid extract, decoction for a bath, or as an essential oil mixed with other oils for topical use. Speak to your health care provider to find the right dose for your condition. Total daily intake should not exceed 4 - 6 grams of the dried herb. Do not take rosemary oil orally.
Precautions: The use of herbs is a time honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider.
Rosemary is generally considered safe when taken in recommended doses. However, there have been occasional reports of allergic reactions. Large quantities of rosemary leaves, because of their volatile oil content, can cause serious side effects, including vomiting, spasms, coma and, in some cases, pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs).
Because higher doses of rosemary may cause miscarriage, pregnant and nursing women should not take rosemary as a supplement. It is safe to eat as a spice in food, however.
People with high blood pressure, ulcers, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis should not take rosemary.
Rosemary oil can be toxic if ingested and should never be taken orally.
Possible Interactions:
Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners) -- Rosemary may affect the blood's ability to clot. It could interfere with any blood thinning drugs you are taking, including: Warfarin (Coumadin), Clopidogrel (Plavix), aspirin
ACE inhibitors -- Rosemary may interfere with the action of ACE inhibitors taken for high blood pressure, including: Captpril (Capoten), Enalapril (Vasotec), Lisinopril (Zestril), Fosinopril (Monopril)
Diuretics (water pills) -- Because rosemary can act as a diuretic, it can increase the effects of these drugs. That can raise your risk of dehydration. (Furosemide (Lasix), Hydrocholorothiazide)
Lithium -- Because of its diuretic effects, rosemary might cause the body to lose too much water and the amount of lithium in the body to build up to toxic levels.
Diabetes -- Rosemary may alter blood sugar levels and could interfere with any drugs taken to control diabetes.
You must become familiar with the specific varieties of bonsai you have to determine if protection (or how much protection) is required. For example the tropical bonsai candidates, such as the desert rose (Adenium obesum), can be treated as houseplants, but the vast majority of bonsai are temperate plants (not tropical) and they definitely need to be left outdoors. The most familiar bonsai specimens are hardy trees — either evergreen or deciduous. These rarely should be treated as houseplants in the winter--and then only in areas where the winters are extremely severe — because they have the same growing requirements as their full-size counterparts, and they need the same seasonal growth cycles. So leave them outside. Heel them in by burying their pots in the ground in an area where they are protected from snow cover and covered with a protective layer of mulch. If the temperatures drop well below that which the plants are hardy to, move them into an unheated garage for two or three days or into the house for up to a week or two, provided they receive adequate light and temperatures are cool (60 to 65 degrees).
