skip to main content

Ozarks Gardening

Overwintering Hostas in pots

13 years ago

I did a GW search on this subject, and they all seemed to be in different growing zones. I have young hostas in 3 large pots. Every year I overwinter my reblooming potted daylillies in a sunny spot and have no trouble. I don't mulch them.

What are the chances of keeping this hosta over winter outside? What have you done to keep yours alive? Mulch them? Totally cover with shredded leaf mulch or what? What side of house to put the pots - part sun? shade? How do they get enough water to stay alive? No room for them in the GH.

I'd like to try it this year because I don't have any room for them in beds until I take some too-shady iris out of a former sunny bed--

Thanks for your help!

Sunny

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

beerhog
13 years ago
i have found that hostas are pretty forgiving. I think you can kill them with love before the cold will kill them.
helenh
13 years ago
I have an August Moon that has been in a 24 inch plastic pot for several years; it does better than the ones in the ground. I have had a June in a smaller foam pot for a couple of winters. I did not mulch either. I think I read the risk is too much water standing in the pot. Mine were out in the weather so they got rain. If you put them in a garage or out building you would have to remember to water.
mosswitch
13 years ago
I have overwintered them just by putting the pots close to my garden shed where they would be protected, and covering them with a good thick mulch of leaves. They've all come thru fine.
swmogardens
13 years ago
I overwinter about 100 hosta in pots. I wait until the pot is frozen solid, then lay it on it's side on the north side of a building. Forget about them until April 1. I stack them several high. You can put some rat poison behind them if needed to control voles.

Related Stories

WINTER GARDENING Winter Gardening: Ideas for a Dream Potting Room

By Becky Harris

Check out potting rooms that get indoor gardening right — and learn tips for creating your own

STUDIOS AND WORKSHOPS Room of the Day: Potting and Puttering in Toasty Warmth

By Becky Harris

Minnesota winters are no match for this heated potting room, mudroom and changing room, which even has a dog shower

SPRING GARDENING How to Grow a Rose Garden in Pots

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Everything can come up roses, even without a plot of soil in sight. This step-by-step guide to growing roses in containers shows you how

GARDENING GUIDES Grow a Beautiful Fall Garden in a Pot

Welcome autumn with 7 gorgeous plants that thrive in containers and enliven your porch or patio throughout the cooler season

GARDENING GUIDES 11 Perfect Plants for a Moonlit Garden — in Pots

Create an alluring after-dark aura on a patio or deck with container plants that glow white under the stars

CONTAINER GARDENS Solve Your Garden Border Dilemmas With Planted Pots

Set your containers free from the patio — placed among plantings in the ground, they fill unsightly gaps, let you experiment and more

CONTAINER GARDENS 10 Ways to Take Containers Beyond the Patio

By Olander Garden Design

Enliven your landscape with pots and containers

EDIBLE GARDENS 12 Essential Herbs for Your Edible Garden

By Annie Thornton

Make home cooking and drinks even better with herbs plucked from your own backyard or windowsill pot

FLOWERS Great Design Plant: Dahlias

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Pick this flamboyant stunner for its amazing array of colors and faces, fast growth and sizes that can fill a pot or a whole garden

PLANTING IDEAS Stretch the Budget, Seasons and Style: Add Conifers to Your Containers

Small, low-maintenance conifers are a boon for mixed containers — and you can transplant them to your garden when they’ve outgrown the pot

Get a Free Quote

More Discussions

verbena (glandularia) canadensis blooming already

6

DNA used to resolve tree theft case

1