Does anyone do this? I have some hibiscus that I do not want to put directly into the ground as they will be too small, and the weather is harsh and I want to bring them in in the winter.
I want to "sink" or "bury" their pots in my garden. That way I can take the pots back up and overwinter them indoors.
Does anyone do this? Does that make sense? Tips, hints ideas?
Thanks, Jennifer
Sinking or Buried Pots - Pots in ground that can be removed
Jennifer, I just today posted on the lily forum how I do this with my lilies and dahlias because they can't over-winter in the ground up here. I said...
At the beginning of the season, when we prep the beds, I commit to several spots in each bed by digging a hole the size of most of my pots, then I just switch lilies and/or dahlias in as they bloom, out once they've gone by. I made the investment over two years of a cabillion identical black plastic pots, so I just drop the ready to bloom lily in the hole and it blends with the annnuals because they are at the same ground level. Then they go back to the pending bed so they can do their energy storing till they get pulled and stored inside for the winter...I also do a lot of larger mixed containers and use the same concept. I put an empty pot in the container or barrel to act as a space saver. Then I plant around it with annuals or climbers, switching a lily or dahlia in or out all summer.
I also did it this past fall for the opposite reason as you. I had perennial bushes I started last spring that grew all summer but I'm not sure where I want them permanently. So I just sank the pots in the ground before it snowed and mulched them so they could sleep outside all winter.
You could use exactly the same concept!
Jennifer, I do not grow hibiscus. However, I do grow a lot of plants in pots and regularly sink the pots in the ground. Some are left there for years, over time they end up sending roots through the bottom of the pot and eventually become permanent as they get larger. So if you want them to be portable, you do need to take them up periodically. How often depends on how fast the plants grow roots. Most of my potted plants that are in pots, get sunk in the ground for the winter months. During the summer, many remain above ground and get moved from time to time.
One technique that some use is to sink a larger pot into the ground to hold a smaller, more portable pot which contains the plant. I have not found this to be necessary for what I do. Among other things, I like the closer contact with the ground environment that the single pot provides.
Another technique is to just sink part of the pot in the ground. This could be done to keep roots a bit warmer (by exposure to the air), for aesthetics or to make lifting easier down the road.
It can be helpful to put fiberglass screen in the bottom of the pot to slow down the growth of roots through the bottom and to help keep the dirt in the pots.
A plant in a pot in the ground is still very fragile. In other words, the pot itself does not provide much protection, but does provide convenience when you want to move the plant or take it inside - no or limited transplant shock, but there can still be shock from the changing of the environment.
Wow, thanks that is very helpful! I guess I could put a little "retaining pot" where I will place the pots, then pop the pots with the plants in and out of those. I also have a "cabillion" pots and can do the same thing. Thanks so much!
Krowten, thanks for the post, I must have just missed yours. The roots were another thing I was going to ask about, and I think you answered that question. I think I will try the screen in the bottom to keep the roots in the pot. Thanks : )