I use black nursery pots, or sometimes the Monrovia green ones. Makes the hostas easy to move around. For special displays, you plop the pot into a slightly larger pottery/ terra cotta pot. I have a bunch of smaller hostas that are planted in terra cotta bowls, and they stay in there until they get cut in 1/2. But before they got there they were in smaller plastic pots until the roots filled them.

Potted hostas, especially those that don't freeze over Winter and just get chilled, do need to be in a pot that just contains the roots. They will rot otherwise. I have a whole book of about 50 "RIP" (Rest in Peace) hosta photos that lasted two or 3 years then rotted, when I allowed them to get wet during our Winter rainy time. YMMV, and I can only speak from my own experiences that go back to about the late '90's.

Keep good records and discover what works for you in your area, under your own growing conditions.

-Babka

My favorites are the terra cotta clay, but have a problem with them being very heavy, possibly susceptible to frost damage, and limitations in shape.

===>>> should not be an issue in your zone..

and the concern is freeze.. NOT frost ... the media and the attendant water.. upon freezing.. expand.. and can crack a raw clay pot... and i doubt that will be an issue in z9 ...

the easiest solution.. is to do pot in pot ... do as babka says.. and then stick the nursery pot in your decorative pot ... adjusting for height ... [and i bet frank will have pics of this]

most nurseries have a recycle bin.. and you can find all sizes ... and in winter.. you can take out the plant.. and store the pot is you wish .... and w/o the plant in there.. the pot is never heavier than when you hoiked it into the car at purchase.. so you should be able to move it around at will .. lol.. presuming you can lift the plant. ..

as she noted.. size is important ... putting a tiny plant.. in a giant pot.. alone.. will usually lead to failure ...

for the cold zone peeps ... ceramic.. pots.. those fired and glazed ... do NOT absorb water.. and USUALLY do better in winter ... its the adobe pots.. that they themselves suck up water.. that gratuitously crack when the water in the pot material itself expands ... and that is why.. with pot in pot.. you can take the plant out in late fall .. and store the adobe ... so it can dry for a long while.. before it freezes ...

ken

I think the container is less important than the mix IN the container. I would recommend staying far away from those moisture holding commercial mixes. I made Al's Gritty Mix this year and so far it has been great for the various plants I've put in it. No problems with over watering, and you can control the fert schedule.

Alexa

Here is a link that might be useful: Al's Gritty Mix

For mobility of the very large ones, you can always get the round platform things with wheels. (and a couple of draft horses) I've never seen a jumbo hosta in a pot. That would be impressive. Mocassin, you have started me thinking...
Christine

I use terra cotta colored plastic pots. I once read a gardening article that suggested you use the same color pots for a more pleasing effect. I've been happy with the result. If a pot has a water reservoir, I drill several holes in it. I water small pots daily anyway and I don't want any rot problems (which is primarily a winter problem for me.) I try not to get the pots with a water reservoir, but they seem to be everywhere these days, so I end up buying them anyway. I use pot feet for drainage and I also have the notion that the elevation eliminates slug problems.

Terra Cotta doesn't last long and ends up with that ugly white coating here. Then, if you don't spray them regularly with water seal, freezing when wet will break them up.

bkay

BKay, I had several terra cotta pots up in zone 5B that overwintered outdoors. The next spring/summer, I noticed the top edges were slivering off, like in layers of sandstone. It was about my first experience with that problem, for my other terra cotta pots in Mobile never did that. Just as Ken said, it was not as much an issue here.

This month I discovered Arizona Pottery online, and ordered a few special pots from them, for my very special hosta--the ones I'd like to feature, you know. They also sell the sealer for pots, and I ordered one container of it, what the hey, I will try it. Maybe I could use the sealer that waterproofs sail covers and canvas awnings, but anyway it's coming today. When I pot up the special hosta pots, I'll have Show & Tell.

Well, we are in a different zone but your question is on my mind also as I changed all of my pots over to the rolled edge terra cotta. Lord yes, they are heavy! I like the the white stuff that leaches and clings to a nicely aged pot. I have had my first pair about 20 years now and zero cracks or flaking but was considering a waterproof tarp to put them under for the winter to halt them being waterlogged. I don't know why that wouldn't work. I like the look of a nice pot for my favs too.

But one of the features of terra cotta is that it breathes, which I like for some things. It is the quality of the pot (how it was fired) that makes it disintegrate over time. Some do, some don't. You can use that black tree tar stuff and paint in on the inside of the pot, at least two coats works well, but eventually all those coatings fail...from my experiences.

Cindy, the waterproof tarp works for me over Winter very well, just make sure air can circulate around the pots.

-Babka

When there is moisture in the terra cotta and it freezes it can cause the pot to flake off in sheets. My sister has a bad habit of leaving her pots out over winter and they do this a lot. Potting mix that is wet and it freezes in a pot will crack the pot of knock the bottom off of it.

My neighbor was getting rid of two pedestal pots and asked if I wanted them. The thing is that they are made of concrete. Talk abut heavy! But I liked the look and since he brought them over I had him place them at places in the garden where I would not have to move them.

I planted a medium hosta in each and for the third year, they have come back better than some in the ground! So I can recommend concrete. :)

chris

Frank- I have quite a few pots I bought locally at a place called Pottery Mart and also at Home Depot. We have NO freezes here and they be a flakin'. It is the quality of the firing...out here where we be cool, but not freezin'.

-Babka

My dear friend and EXPERT hosta grower told me how she overwinters her hosta in pots. When I saw her garden about six years ago, it was 'layered'. The hostas were all enormous. I learned how to overwinter mine by doing what Ken is suggesting - use the black nursery pots. They're made from a soft plastic that looks like rubber. Gloria has the layered effect because she has such big hostas and so many that you can't see the pots. So the ones that she doesn't bring inside her garage to overwinter, she tips. I started tipping mine after I saw her garden and have never lost a 'tipped' hosta! The water runs out, and of course they don't fall apart. I tip them onto a 2 x 4 so they're a tad higher than the ground, and then cover them with leaves and some straw. As soon as possible in the Spring, they go back upright. I was a little late doing it this year because I was in Colorado for a couple of months so the eyes got ahead of me and were a little slanted. But they straightened out fast and they're gorgeous once again. Where ARE you Gloria!? Post some pics!

Oh Westy your funny!
Yes I do have them in very large 30+ black landscaper pots. You can also spray paint them to become more decorative. Many years we would drag these huge pots into the garage but our backs were weakening and I just started tipping them in place (lazy). As long as they are at least slanted more than 45 degrees they will be fine. You only start to put back on their feet when the pot is UNFROZEN...very important! This is because if tipped up and frozen the sun may defrost some of the soil it could rain and the crown could rot! I would suggest very loose good gritty soil. I use a mixture of mulch, soil, soiless mix...NEVER, like Caliloo said, moisture control...plants could rot! Then you can layer your yard. The reason we do this is because we have a suburban lot and had to be creative to include the giants that my husband loves.

If your not sure just take a smaller common plant and put it in a pot...plastic works best but I do have(like Ken said) glazed terra cotta that I have never tipped or brought in and they are fine. Italian pots are made stronger than Mexican just a FYI. Just experiment!

Sorry no pics but you can e-mail me and I'll send some.
Westy...your so funny! See ya Thursday! For our annual Sunrise Greenhouse adventure! lol

PS...I sent without re-reading. The pot size varies from 5 gallon to large tree sizes...some are 30" in diameter. We have near 75 pots. The black pots get lost in the foliage.

It's great to have you two posting, because urban/suburban is where I am gardening, and mostly pots.

I do not have huge plants by any means, and only one potential biggy (so far) which is S&S. I've tried to find the big tree size pots locally, but the nursery I deal with says they won't part with any of theirs--the cost of pots has gone up with the price of oil. And, I have yet to find a different way to get some big pots.

Definitely Italian pottery is more durable, and the price reflects it! Some of the garden pots I saw in Tuscany & Umbria several years ago were obviously quite old and still serving their purpose. But the Chinese and Mexican terra cotta tend to slither/sliver away from the top down in two years.

Hope to see you, Hostared and Westy, around more often. You have experience(s) that newcomers like myself can benefit by hearing.

Hi Moccasinlanding,
We check in once in awhile. lol
You can also go to a K-mart, Target or Walmart and purchase large plastic ones. If the color isn't right spray paint them. You can also use barrels the foam like containers (can't remember what they are called) but what ever you find you can use. As long as you have good drainage. Look for sales and discounts at the end of the season. You can repurpose all kind of things so look at garage sales, Flea Markets and garbage day...people throw out the craziest stuff! You'll find the right combination. Isn't that part of gardening? Have fun!