Wintering over hostas in containers

Reposted from last year.  Since we received our first snowfall today (just a dusting) it's time for me to put my hostas in containers to bed for the winter.  Here's how:

Storing Hosta in Containers for Winter

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:

1. I wait until a hard frost has killed off all of the hosta foliage.
2. 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.
3. I then push the containers together as an extra way to prevent moisture from finding it's way inside the container.
4. If you feel they still need further protection, you can cover the containers with leaves or straw.
5. 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.  

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.

This one is not quite ready for storage.  I like to have all of the leaves die off before storing them for the winter.

Hosta of the Day - 'Ginsu Knife'

I promised I would still present you with at least one hosta this week.  Today's hosta has great twisting leaves.  Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' has a mounding habit with twisting leaves of green with white borders.  Some say it has fragrant flowers, but for some reason the flowers on mine seem to have no smell to them whatsoever.  I thought that mine was not showing off it's true beauty being planted in the ground.  It just seemed to lay on top of itself too much.  So this past summer I decided to find a container to plant it in.  I wanted something so that the leaves could cascade over the sides.  In fall I move the container to the north side of my house where it will receive the least amount on sun.  I then lay the container on it's side and face the opening towards my house, so that the least amount of moisture can get into the container.  This helps protect it from the freezing and thawing that often happens over a Midwest winter.  Then in spring I move the container back out into the sun and enjoy it all summer long.

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' 2009

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' 2011

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' right after being replanted into a container

Hostas in Containers

In Wisconsin there are few plants that you can winter over in containers without bringing them inside.  This is not because of the cold weather, but because freezing and thawing is very common.  Since weather is Wisconsin is very unpredictable, we could have rain, snow, sleet, etc at any time in the winter months.  As snow melts or it warms enough to rain the soil collects the moisture.  Then as Wisconsin weather often does, it freezes causing the soil and the roots to freeze.  Since the bottom of the containers often stay frozen, not allowing the moisture to drain, more ice will collect in the containers killing the plants.

There is a solution for keeping hostas in containers all season long.  I wait until after the leaves have been killed by a hard frost.  Then I move my hostas to the north (or shadiest side) of my house.  I tip the pots on their sides to keep moisture from collecting in them.  I then cover them with leaves, and leave them alone until my hostas in the ground start showing signs of coming up.  This past winter I also buried pots halfway into the ground and covered them with leaves, and these hostas also came back fine in spring.

In the summer months remember to keep your hostas in container well watered.  Most plants require one inch of water, but hostas are water loving plants so they will do better with more than one inch of water per week.  Some hostas actually prefer to be root bound in pots, such as the hosta 'Tattoo'.