Did you know that you can grow hostas in containers in Wisconsin? Well you can. I have successfully grown hostas in containers for many years. The key to keeping hostas in containers is how you store them over the winter. The most important thing is keeping moisture out of the pots. You want to prevent freezing, thawing, and frozen, wet roots which will result in the roots turning to mush ultimately killing the hosta. Here are my steps I follow:
- I wait until a hard frost has killed off all of the hosta foliage.
- Then I move the containers to the north side/ or a protected area outside where they will not receive a lot of light or precipitation.
- I then push the containers together as an extra way to prevent moisture from finding it's way inside the container.
- If you feel they still need further protection, you can cover the containers with leaves or straw.
- Then it's time to wait until spring to move them. I usually wait to move them until I start to see some sign of life.
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| These are on the north side of the house, where the least amount of moisture and sunlight will get to them. I push them together to help prevent moisture from getting in and freezing. You can also cover these pots with leaves or straw for additional protection. |
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| This one is not quite ready for storage. I like to have all of the leaves die off before storing them for the winter. |
2 comments:
I too grow hosta in containers. Hypertufas and terracotta pots seem to do well in my zone 5b garden. Due to the loss of 4 big trees this past year, I have hosta and ferns in larger plastic pots - we'll see.... I have moved them to a dry spot or have covered them with plastic wrap. I'll be really upset if I lose them....
It's great that you shared your tips on how to overwinter hostas in containers.
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