Re: perennials in containers - experiences ?

Marg Talt wrote:


 Most perennials will do well in pots.
Given the right soil and conditions (mostly appropriate water, nutrition and light) you can grow any perennial in a pot. Alpine enthusiasts go to the greatest lengths to grow little gems but the herbaceous collectors simply use larger pots. :-) I myself keep my lavender collection in 16 inch clay pots. In the winter in our zone 4 garden, they simply go onto the unheated entrance porch to my house. No heat but out of the wind; and while it freezes out there, there's enough "leakage" from the house that the outside temps are moderated enough. I stack them to save space and check every month or so to see if they require water. I've been doing this for many years and seldom lose any. I keep tender corydalis in the same way along with a few other tender plants.

Marg makes some good points about wintering - the key is to try to keep the root zone temperature above 5F. Below that temp and you start to get root death. The other key that insulation provides is a constant temp. Again, as Marg pointed out and numerous VA nurseries experience - alternate freezing and thawing temperatures are harder on plants than being frozen and allowed to stay frozen all winter. Roller-coaster temperatures are hard so insulation prevents this by helping keep the plants cold during warm spells.

My .02

Doug

You can plunge even large pots in mulch or wood chips for winter;
surround pots with straw bales and put mulch around the pots; make a
temporary plunge bed of concrete blocks and do the same.  You can
cover any temporary plunge beds with black plastic once the weather
gets really bitter; throw on a few old rugs and leave them until
spring.

Doug Green
Author of the award winning "Gardening Wisdom"
See gardening articles at http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com

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