i tend to put all my hosta in the ground....

actually.. pots in winter can be very tricky ... heal it in ..

and perhaps.. try the shrub forum ....

ken

i put all my CONIFERs ... and hosta .. in the ground..

ma earth is much better at tempering the vagaries of winter ...

ken

pot and all ? or take out of pot ? What shall be done with watering schedule then? (w/ regards to in and out of the pot)

there are 3 problems with overwintering in z5-6 ....

the key is.. GET IT DORMANT>> AND KEEP IT DORMANT ....

if you put them in a structure.. there is a chance they will come out of dormancy and start actively growing weeks or months before proper .... so that is problematic ... also.. they can get too dry ... its hard to water in winter in our zones ...

if you do NOT protect them.. then you have issues of water build up in the pots.. and freezing the root mass solid ...

and also.. winter sun on black pots ... can freeze/thaw the root mass too often ...

all that said.. rather perfunctorily ... the best tempering device you have.. is mother earth ....

she will hide the pot.. and she will provide water on those warmer days ...

i dont really understand why you cant plant them now .... even.. as noted above.. if you just dig a hole.. and sink the pot and all in the veggie garden ... they can be moved and planted properly as soon as the soil thaws in spring .... IF YOUR SOIL HAS PROPER DRAINAGE... if you have horrible clay ... well .... figure out how not to sink it into a cauldron that does not drain ...

if all else fails .... set them on the north side of a structure .... absolutely no sun .... let them go dormant .... and then around 1/1 ... lay them flat on the ground.. so that water can not accumulate in the pot ...

to put a sharp end on it...

just planting them.. 95% success rate
healing them in ... with or w/o pot [no clay] .. 90%
north side, tipped over .... 89%
unheated structure .. in my experience .. 80%

good luck

ken

what is meant by "healing" of the tree??

in my world.. 'healing in' means sticking the roots in mother earth ... so that she may care for them like she is supposed too ... it also means a temporary location .... like i said about putting them in the inactive veggie garden for winter.... and then permanently placing them next spring.. as soon as the ground thaws ...

i googled it.. and boy it was hard .... link below is pretty good.. and on the second page.. in the right margin is a description ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Dig a hole next to the east side foundation of your home (close to the house) and drop just the rootball in the ground. Keep as much soil on the roots as possible, this time of the year. Mulch it heavily and be sure it's kept moist until the ground freezes. Just normal moisture.

That's the best you can do, right there. In theory you could drop the pot in the ground but it's not as good of an idea due to lack of drainage below the pot (a foot of gravel/sand, then yes you could bury pots all day long).

You can also get a few metal stakes for extra protection and create a shield using burlap/shade cloth/other for wind & sun protection, although, that's mainly for plants that are being zone pushed and where establishment for the first tough years is being tempered.

Dax

I'd really try to get them in the ground if at all possible. You are located at the lower end of this plant's hardiness zone so it might pose to be problematic even with normal planting methods. As an alternative, I'd dig a hole and sink the plants, pot and all. There is little concern about drainage issues doing this, unless good drainage IS a concern in your garden as a whole. The surrounding soil is a great insulator but will also tend to wick moisture from the pots, so be attentive if the weather is dry.

Creating a shield is also a good idea, or at the very least, site where the plants will be out of any prevailing winds.

Wow - I appreciate the responses.

I know where these are to be planted and have everything I need to get them in the ground. The family is getting over H1N1 and the weather has not at all been conducive for working outside. I just wasn't sure that I'd be able to do it in time.

I now see that it is important to get these into the ground so I'm planning on that for Sunday afternoon.

Thank goodness for the extra hour of sleep this weekend!

Again, thanks for all the responses.