skip to main content

Standard (tree-form) in a pot?

15 years ago

I may have to move my Limelight standard to a pot, as I'm having my front walkway re-done and the front-bed landscape shaped up, not sure if the Limelight will fit into the plan.

If I do decide to grow it in a pot, how big of a pot do I need? Also, since this is not a grafted standard, will I need to over-winter it in the garage (like I would a tree rose) or can I just leave it outside in the pot over winter, since panniculatas are perfectly hardy up here?

Thanks for any tips!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

brian_zn_5_ks
15 years ago
mxk, you've waited long enuff for an answer, so here's one, but remember, i am not a michigan gardener!

I retail many hydrangea standards in pots, #7's or 10's, and it's no big deal to grow them in such containers, but you do need to water nearly every day in summer, here in the lower midwest.

If I have to overwinter them, I usually shift up one pot size - just like any container plant. My paniculata standards just get mulched in heavily in the back 40 until spring. I don't worry about dieback, because I will cut them hard anyway -customers seem to like a nice dense ball of foliage and flowers. In your area - well, I bet they die back pretty good! You probably don't want to take the chance that they would die back all the way to the stem, so perhaps garage storage is the way to go.

brian
luis_pr
15 years ago
I was thinking along the lines of what Brian said; I also do not have potted experience in Zone 5. My concern with leaving the pots outside is the effect the wind and temperatures could have. While in the ground, the soil and snow will help protect the roots but in a pot, the sides of the pot are not protected so I wonder how they would do.
Related Discussions
Ninebark standard (tree form)
Q
Comments (4)
How small a tree are you looking for? A crab would get much taller than 8-10 feet, but if you're looking for something in the 20-25 foot range, you'd have a lot of choices. A tree I often recommend for a patio is the Sweetbay Magnolia, M. virginiana--open, airy, and with a fabulous, soft fragrance when in bloom. I prefer multi-stemmed ones to the single. It's also possible to prune some Viburnums into somewhat tree-like shapes. V. lantana 'Mohican' and V. 'Allegheny' would be multi-stemmed, and could be 'limbed up' to make a 10-12 foot small tree. Some of the V. dilatatums might work this way too--'Erie' and 'Michael Dodge' for example.
...See More
I would like to train my butterfly bush into a standard (tree form)
Q
Comments (1)
I tried it 2 years ago taking one strong stem and train it as standard form by stripping off all other stems on that main stem and staked it. It was in in 10 inch pot. I grew very well and bloomed all summer in zone 7. By end of summer I planted the plant in ground because maintaining butterfly bush in pot does not do well more than a season as it grows fast. It did go dormant in winter and did come out very good in 2014 but this year, the main stalk died and nothing grew on top of standard, I saw new growth from ground. Somehow the standard forms do not take harsh winter well and do not survive however the plant is hard to kill. I do not have room to overwinter perennials indoors so someone with that experience may respond better.
...See More
best varieties to train to standard or tree form that don't flop
Q
Comments (30)
Interesting. OK - P TW,,I wonder if there isn't a good deal more to pruning hydrangeas in general to maintain upright strong stems. Maybe others have something to add to this too. I remember having a bit of a chat about Bobo hydrangeas on another thread last year and someone saying they wanted to prune to "create a supportive framework". I had noticed some regular Bobos at some stores stood upright, while at other stores they flopped. It seemed to me that those that had been pruned while young, had branched into twice as many stems, and were far more self supporting. The overall look was a much more upright plant. I purchased two that were more branched on the bottom 1/3 of the plant and left the floppy ones at the store last year. This year I purchased my third bobo and it was a floppy mess, but judging by what I'd seen with the two I have purchased the year before I wasn't put off. The nicely branched ones from last year are perfectly self supporting now, and any stems that were not pre-branched low I had cut back to encourage branching and they have grown stronger. I figured I'd just cut these floppy stems of my new one back to half and that would encourage them to grow into twice or three times as many stems next spring. Perhaps this sort of post purchase surgery is necessary even if we buy a "pre-trained, pre-pruned" standard as well.
...See More
creating standard "tree" form for Charles Grimaldi
Q
Comments (17)
I used to live in 7a. I always cut mine back to about 2 feet tall, piled about 3 feet of pine straw or hay on them, and they came back every year. I'd stick the cuttings into buckets on the back screened porch and they rooted over the winter. Here I cut them way back and pile leaves around the bottom. People on the Brugmansia exchange forum here look forward to fall when they can get our cuttings for postage.
...See More
mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, guys!
ostrich
15 years ago
mxk3, for what it's worth, I bought my friends a Snow Mountain hydrangea tree in a pot a couple of years ago. They didn't have their landscaping done yet, so they left it in a pot in the garage over the winter. The tree did just fine. The next spring, it came back without problems. Please understand that these folks really did not take care of their tree and they even left it in the growers' pot!!! So, I guess it can be done with some overwintering... oh and we are in zone 5/6a.
starina
15 years ago
mxk3, How did your hydrangea fare? I thought of you when I moved mine yesterday. It looks good!

Related Stories

TREES 11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

With such a wide range to choose from, there’s a beautiful Japanese maple to suit almost any setting

LIFE You Said It: ‘Lower Your Standards’ and Other Quotables

By Becky Harris

Advice, tips and other comments that struck a chord in the run-up to the holidays

TREES How to Buy Healthy Trees and Shrubs

By Falon Mihalic

A healthy young plant with a strong form is more likely to do well in your yard. Here’s what to look for at the nursery

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Osmorhiza Longistylis Provides Texture and Form

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant longstyle sweetroot in midwestern and eastern U.S. woodland gardens for its fern-like foliage and crisp white flowers

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Tree-Hugging Interiors That Work Around Nature

By Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Bursting up through the floor, planted in an indoor patio or potted in any room you choose, trees bring an elegance that's organic

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Great Design Tree: Japanese Maple

By Annie Thornton

Lacy form and fiery fall color make Japanese maple a welcome tree for garden or patio

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Tree: Australian Tea Tree

By Annie Thornton

A living sculpture with an unmistakable appearance, this coastal native creates an intriguing landscape scene

CHRISTMAS TREES Guest Picks: Christmas Tree Skirts for Every Style

By At The Picket Fence

Let's not skirt the issue: Christmas trees look more polished when the base is dressed

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Pretty Trees for Patios, Paths and Other Tight Spots

Choose trees for their size, shape and rate of growth — or shape them to fit your space. Here's how to get started

Sponsored

More Discussions

Too many to list anymore

11

Is there another name for a Hydrangea named "Sarena Blue"?

2

How to clean the fence -hydrangeas planted

3

Looking for white hygrengea in 6b

1

What are your favorite companion plants for hydrangeas?

0