Can you keep potted hostas outside in winter? zone 5

9 years ago

I posted a question in the landscape forum. I have issues with half of my front yard. It's all shade, mostly from the shade of a very large maple tree. The tree's thirst and its roots have caused issues with growing almost anything. There are some hosta that have survived, but they are barely hanging on. There are two evergreen bushes that have barely grown in the 8 years we've lived here.

So, I posted a question about landscaping with pots. Someone suggested digging a hole in the bed and burying the pot up to the rim in order to make the bed look more conventional, but protecting the roots from the tree. That sounds like a great idea to me.

I live in the Chicagoland area and was wondering if I could plant some hosta in buried pots and leave them in the ground through winter like regular hosta.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

3 years ago

roots need air as much as water.. even when dormant ...

in ground freeze places.. pots freeze solid ... if mid winter thaw.. or early spring rain hits the upright pots... you can create a potted ice cube.. and often the plant will root rot ... weeks later ...

so you tip them on their sides ...

black pots.. in winter can accumulate heat in the media ... possibly forcing a break in dormancy.. and then they refreeze ... and again ... root rot is possible ....

snow cover is insulation ... and if your tipped over pots are covered by snow until spring.. it is the best possible situation.. as they wont break dormancy early ....

success is defined by getting them dormant.. and keeping them dormant .. and the later they come out of dormancy the better.. to avoid late spring frosts and freezes ....

ken

ps: never kick a pot frozen to the ground unless you have steel toe boots on ... trust me an that ...

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