Re: TB: Overwintering in pots

Greetings.

I haven't chimed in on this thread because I am in a mild zone, and also 
because I said a lot here in the past about overwintering in pots, and all that 
stuff is in the archives, but maybe I should pipe up in some small measure.

My experience overwintering in Richmond Virginia, Sone 7 has been positive: I 
have never lost a thing in a pot, whether TB, beardless, or evansia. 
Everything had become established in its pot before late autumn, and everything was 
planted at exactly the same level that I would have planted it in the ground. 

For success I find that one needs 1) a friable, well-draining mixture of some 
sort, I prefer an all organic mix since I can't abide perlite; 2) a decent 
sized pot for the plant, because if the pot is too small, the plant cannot 
become well established and will be stressed, winter or summer; 3) some shelter for 
the pots that will mitigate freeze/thaw and such. 4) a place to rest the pots 
that does not collect moisture or condensation around their bases 

I have always tucked my pots up under the limbs of my big Magnolia 
grandiflora, which is a very warm tree. You can tell this by how fast the snow melts 
around it as compared to the surrounding areas. Placing the pots there means I 
must put something over them to temper the force of rain drips from the branches 
and leaves. I cluster the pots together, then I cover the whole group with a 
double layer of remay cloth--that spun polyester landscape fabric-- and if 
there are evergreen boughs to be had after the holidays. I'll put them over the 
lot. This helps keep everything in place. My tree is limbed up to about nine 
feet, so in positioning everything I am not crawling around in dead leaves and 
unspeakables under some ground-sweeping branches.

I do not put the pots under the tree until that final day of battening down 
of the hatches before the arrival of winter weather. Typically this is the 
second week in December here.This is also the day I put the lid down on the little 
PVC and ratwire cold frame for the winter, not to lift it again until March. 
I do not winter Irises in the frame.They don't like it and try to get moldy. 
Not enough ventilation, I think. 

Just in case this is of use to someone.

Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA USDA Zone 7: Urban 

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