Hi Lady,

You should tuck your potted plant in a place outdoors burying the pot and all or simply take it out of the pot and plant it. Now is fine.

Chamaecyparis pisifera is a zone 5 hardy conifer. You will have no problems with any "pisifera" during winter.

Dax

Dax's comment: "You will have no problems with "pisifera" during winter" is dead on.

I have a Cham. p. 'Squarossa Aurea' that has seen -8 F.
Same for the Cham. o. 'Gracilis'.

As for the potted Berckman Arb. I would do it a favor and find a permanent place for it to grow naturally. Also zone 5 conifer.

Dave

Yes, my Chamaecyparis pisifera cultivars have seen -26°F with no damage. Remember, however, that a plants' root system is not as hardy as the above-ground portion of the plant. A plant in a pot is a whole 'nother ball game.

I'd take Dax and Dave's suggestion and find the Arb. a permanent spot in your landscape.
Good luck,
Mike

pots are problematic .... not from the cold days.. but from the warm days... if you get that week of 60's in Feb .... then a pot can thaw .. and that is REALLY BAD .... so the idea of planting the pot and all ... keeps that pot as cold as mother earth all winter ...

the key to any plants survival in the ground freeze zone is >>>>> GET IT DORMANT.. >>>> KEEP IT DORMANT ...

repeated freeze thaw is not good ...

burying the pots also keeps BLACK pots out of the sun .. for the same reasons above ...

i would plant them on the side of a building to avoid winter wind ... and winter sun ... with my prevailing winter winds coming from the NW .... the east side would be best .... sun on the south ... and warmest winter sun on the west .... and blistering winds on the north ... and good pine tree can solve that issue ... since it retains its needles ...

CONIFERS DO NOT GROW IN THE HOUSE.. so forget that ...

some peeps put them in barns and garages... but i do NOT recommend that unless you are prepared for total loss ... and attached garages can be 2 or 3 zones higher ... leading to breaking of dormancy way ahead of schedule ... when your learning curve increases .. maybe you will want to fool around with it.. but i don't recommend such at this point ...

the breckmans .... once in the ground.. if you can kill it... let me know .... just gets bigger and better every year ... but for your pot complications ...

pisifera ... with white tissue... tend to burn until well established.. but never die ...

i have lost about half of all the obtusa i have tried over the years ... so that's a carp shoot always ...

if you have small stock .. consider planting them.. and buying a couple rose cones ....

MY BEST ADVICE: ... determine the area ... dig holes.. pull them out of the pots... stick into the soil .. water well and properly.. mulch well ... and repot or plan permanent placement in spring.. when the soil thaws ... mother earth is just so fool proof as compared to pot care ... join her.. instead of fighting her ....

if you have clay soil.. please advise .. and someone who deals with such can alter my best advice taking that into account... the worst thing you can do .. is freeze the roots into a cauldron of water.. roots need air ...

refer to the post at the link below for other options regarding winter care ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: i THINK i typed basically the same thing here

Dax, Dave, Mike, and Ken,
Thank you so much for the conifer advice. I feel so much better and the Breckman arborvitae will have a spot in the ground after this rain system passes.

Ken,
"if you have clay soil.." "the worst thing you can do .. is freeze the roots into a cauldron of water.. roots need air ..."

I have the worst clay imaginable. It's like modeling clay in some spots. My plan is to amend, amend, amend and plant up a few inches for the Berkman unless you have better advice. The others are in a nicely amended raised bed that ended up too crowded for the Berkman.

My Obtusa is about 4 feet tall. I'll look into rose cones and if they are too small, maybe I can create something similar to cover her.

Thank you all!
Squirrel Girl

i have seen peeps in OH plant as far as 1 to 2 feet above grade ... quite startling .... to us sand people

tractor supply ... wire fence posts.. bammed into the ground.. with burlap around it ... or 1 X 2 ... only way i know to cover 4 feet ...

ken