I think that thought paints with too broad of a brush. For instance, I have never tipped my plants on their sides and have never lost one to crown rot. In fact, I have 3 plantings that over-winter outside I'll describe. 1 is in a shallow (4" deep) solid granite trough that just sits on the ground under a very old HL walking stick, the other 2 are in dish gardens planted in collection saucers less than 3" deep. I think we all know that shallow containers like these significantly increase the likelihood of problems associated with perched water in the soil, so the fact that these plantings survive year after year speaks to something other than me tempting fate and just being lucky. So, given that I don't tip my plants on their sides and don't have problems, can I logically say it's necessary to follow this practice? NO. Can I logically say it's unnecessary (for me?) YES, I can. If a mix is partially frozen, it can still partially drain. If the center of a pot is frozen, or the part farthest from an extraneous heat source is frozen, any rain falling on the pot will drain through the unfrozen soil. The problem arises when the soil being used is inappropriately water retentive. Soils that naturally hold little perched water will drain as soon as the soil thaws. The soil in contact with the container walls will thaw first, and by that pathway the water in the upper few inches of soil will exit the pot. Finally, hydrologically speaking, water in a nursery container resting on the ground acts the same way it would if it was in a raised bed that used the same soil as what is in the pot, because establishing continuity between the soil in the container and the earth technically turns the pot into a mini raised bed. I'm not saying that tipping the pot on its side can't be helpful, but I think some qualification of the statement, sop it's not so broad, should be added: In some cases, when using highly water-retentive soils where freeze/thaw cycles are common, tipping the pot on its side during periods of winter rain can sometimes help reduce the potential for ill effects due to over-saturation and the crown rot that can accompany those conditions. Al

Jel48, the kind of wintering over in pots that you describe gives the hostas a constant and unrelenting frozen period. In south Alabama, we had up to 2 weeks last winter when temps were below freezing. But the last time we had MEASURABLE snow was at Christmas 1997, when it laid down a "powdering." There was no snow under the big oak trees, just enough to hide the brown grass on our lawns. So it seems to me that the best thing I can do for my hostas will be to try to keep fluctuating temps from doing too MUCH of a thaw, and thus to just keep them as cold and as dry as possible. They will break dormancy pretty early anyway, but I don't want to lose them. A lot of pine straw mulching can keep new eyes breaking the soil from freezing, because they will undoubtedly emerge before the last frost. Today, I up potted all the hosta from the garden into their travel pots. Now they sit in the shade and perhaps they will get rained on the next few days. But only a little bit. I had a hellashus time getting a few of these jewels into pots, because in two years of growing in great soil, they really got a big root system on them. And, they do look great in pots. My 'Sum & Substance' is nothing like the mature specimens I saw at Seawrights garden in Carlisle MA the other day. However, it barely fit a 5 gallon bucket. Massive roots. I was careful to bring up the whole root ball. With so many plants needing a ride home, I might have DH take a plane so the SUV won't be crowded!!!! :) I bet THAT goes over big. hehehehehehe

i will yell ... THIS IS VERY ZONE DEPENDENT ... i have lived my whole life in z5 MICHIGAN ... and that is NOT NC ... read ... learn.. contemplate ... but then figure out how it works in your climate ... for me.. small pots ... can go in and out of dormancy.. if we get that typical 3 to 5 day period in february ... where we hit 60 degrees for the period ... and then return to near zero until mid march .... a hosta that goes in and out of dormancy.. in winter .. IN MI ... will eventually rot/die .. ESPECIALLY ... if it come in and out of dormancy ... the mild winter we had 2 winters ago was a nightmare ... anyway ... take 10 little quart pots... which would thaw in 20 minutes.. and instead .. pot and all pot. them into a short 5 or 10 gallon pot... and all of a sudden you have a large wad of soil.. that will stay frozen until the ground starts to thaw ... so what i was talking about.. FOR MI ... anywhere north of the MI-OH border ... is to create a mass of potting media.. that will retain the cold ... though i enjoy being the be all.. and end all .... of THEORY ... i want you to insure that you then think about how.. where you are.. is different than where i am.. and fine tune the IDEAS i provide ... one other IDEA ... with small pots.. is how to water a dormant hosta.. in a small pot ... in MI ... if i watered with a watering can ... i could freeze the whole root mass.. into an ice cube.. because it would freeze.. before it drained ... so the suggestion is to put some snow.. or an ice cube on the media.. and if a warm day rolls around.. a day where the media might thaw a bit... the frozen material.. will keep the soil cooler.. but more importantly ... will melt according to the warmth ... providing water.. when the media can use the water ... so no matter where you are.. watering in winter is something you need think about .... but the bottom line.. no matter where you are is : GET THEM DORMANT; AND KEEP THEM DORMANT ... and you will win ... i thought i had another suggestion .... but the coffee buzz just kicked in ..... and my hair is sweating .. lol ... i will come back when i think of it ... ken

Thanks for your input all. I'll have all winter to plan. Ken, I use a light Sunshine mix of bark fines, peat moss and perlite. Hence my concern about the potted hostas rotting or popping out of pots in winter, because the surrounding clay soil drains much more slowly. Denny, I think IÂll try your method on some medium sized hostas near my arborvitaes. The arborvitae roots form a dense mat. I expect IÂll need to turn the pots or repot periodically. IÂve been thinking of trying some Spinout bags there. Butch, I use constant watering on my seedlings and minis in 3.5" pots using trays. But, for larger pots IÂve partially sunk them in soil and surrounded with wood chips for a more decorative look during the growing season. Unless I double pot the plants I donÂt see a way to supply constant water. With the record rainfalls we had here in summer there were times I had to remove some water in the trays to avoid having the little one standing in too much water. Mark