With this wacky weather we are having, there is no telling what kind of weather we will get this winter.
Here are some tips for protecting your planted garden containers the colder climates, or for areas where the weather might dip into the single digits unexpectedly.
When a plant is in a container, subtract up to 15 degrees off the hardiness of that plant, tree or shrub.
A potted plant is a contained micro-environment, and the roots only have the walls of the pot to protect them.
It's this difference that we forget about, and lose our marginally hardy plants to the winter weather.
Here are some more tips to help your containers through the winter: ~> Keep an eye on the weather reports and stockpile what you need ahead of time so you can react quickly, without hassle.
~> Plant in the biggest pot you can.
Big pots don't freeze as fast and the extra soil insulates the roots.
This may be late news, but keep it in mind for future reference.
~> Plant the whole pot right in the ground for the winter, with the foliage above the earth of course, and let Mother Earth insulate the pot.
~> Wrap the whole pot in bubble wrap with a thick layer of fallen leaves between the plastic and the pot.
The leaves will insulate it and the plastic will keep the leaves intact for the season.
Cover this with wrapping of burlap to hide it - and add another layer of insulation - and you can have fun decorating it with eyeballs and arms for Halloween, leaf garland for Thanksgiving and twinkly lights for the winter holidays.
Use the leaves as compost in your veggie bed in the springtime.
~> Move the pot beside the house or under a covered porch.
This can be a temporary fix to get through a cold spell.
If it is something you would like to do for the winter season, make sure the light requirements are close to what the plant needs (Full sun plants will get leggy in the shade, shade plants will burn when that sun decides to come out.
) and make sure it gets enough water throughout the winter too.
~> Cover the whole container garden with evergreen boughs or fallen leaves from your lawn - it is nature's insulation.
Wait until the weather is cold enough though, you don't want it to rot - only to protect.
And be sure to take them off promptly in the spring for the same reason.
~> Choose the high-fired pots instead of the terracotta pots.
The pots from Vietnam or China are normally high fired, fairly freeze proof, and don't absorb the moisture as much as the terracotta ones do.
It is the moisture in the walls of the pot that freezes, expands and breaks the pot.
Leave your terracotta for your annuals, empty them out now, and put them away dry for the winter.
~> Keep watering that pot! Even if it is freezing outside the contained environment will need moisture - and the cold will dry it out.
This also applies for your in-ground evergreens too - check them during the dry spells to make sure the soil stays at least damp.
~> For more temperate zones with occasional freezing, get the pot up on pot feet, bricks or stones, so the water can drain and there is nothing to really freeze and expand when the temperatures dip unexpectedly for too long.
But, if all else fails and you do loose some plants, there is an upside: you get to try something new next spring!
Here are some tips for protecting your planted garden containers the colder climates, or for areas where the weather might dip into the single digits unexpectedly.
When a plant is in a container, subtract up to 15 degrees off the hardiness of that plant, tree or shrub.
A potted plant is a contained micro-environment, and the roots only have the walls of the pot to protect them.
It's this difference that we forget about, and lose our marginally hardy plants to the winter weather.
Here are some more tips to help your containers through the winter: ~> Keep an eye on the weather reports and stockpile what you need ahead of time so you can react quickly, without hassle.
~> Plant in the biggest pot you can.
Big pots don't freeze as fast and the extra soil insulates the roots.
This may be late news, but keep it in mind for future reference.
~> Plant the whole pot right in the ground for the winter, with the foliage above the earth of course, and let Mother Earth insulate the pot.
~> Wrap the whole pot in bubble wrap with a thick layer of fallen leaves between the plastic and the pot.
The leaves will insulate it and the plastic will keep the leaves intact for the season.
Cover this with wrapping of burlap to hide it - and add another layer of insulation - and you can have fun decorating it with eyeballs and arms for Halloween, leaf garland for Thanksgiving and twinkly lights for the winter holidays.
Use the leaves as compost in your veggie bed in the springtime.
~> Move the pot beside the house or under a covered porch.
This can be a temporary fix to get through a cold spell.
If it is something you would like to do for the winter season, make sure the light requirements are close to what the plant needs (Full sun plants will get leggy in the shade, shade plants will burn when that sun decides to come out.
) and make sure it gets enough water throughout the winter too.
~> Cover the whole container garden with evergreen boughs or fallen leaves from your lawn - it is nature's insulation.
Wait until the weather is cold enough though, you don't want it to rot - only to protect.
And be sure to take them off promptly in the spring for the same reason.
~> Choose the high-fired pots instead of the terracotta pots.
The pots from Vietnam or China are normally high fired, fairly freeze proof, and don't absorb the moisture as much as the terracotta ones do.
It is the moisture in the walls of the pot that freezes, expands and breaks the pot.
Leave your terracotta for your annuals, empty them out now, and put them away dry for the winter.
~> Keep watering that pot! Even if it is freezing outside the contained environment will need moisture - and the cold will dry it out.
This also applies for your in-ground evergreens too - check them during the dry spells to make sure the soil stays at least damp.
~> For more temperate zones with occasional freezing, get the pot up on pot feet, bricks or stones, so the water can drain and there is nothing to really freeze and expand when the temperatures dip unexpectedly for too long.
But, if all else fails and you do loose some plants, there is an upside: you get to try something new next spring!
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