First off, what kind of "dirt" are you talking about? Because container plants - even large ones - don't normally survive well planted in containers of regular garden soil - particularly the heavy clay that seems to be common in MD & VA. It's heavy, doesn't drain well, & dries to the consistency of cement. While you might get away with filling a tub partially with your dug-out porch soil, the rest should be a bagged mix specifically for ornamentals.

As far as tree choices, you might be able to get away with some type of Japanese Maple. Check out these folks in Washington, VA - they're extremely knowledgeable & answer e-mail queries promptly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eastwood Nurseries

Hello breezyb--

The soil is actually surprisingly good. It makes me wonder if the previous owners skimmed it off the rest of the yard last year when they decided to put the house on the market & resodded the yard and just dumped the dirt under the porch. It was a couple inches thick over a layer of brick. (The turf is coming along, but the clay soil in the yard is a challenge.) But still, yes, I was planning to only fill each tub partially with the soil, & top it off with amended potting soil.

Thanks for the suggestion re: Japanese maples. I was wondering if they'd work. I'll be sure to e-mail Eastwood Nurseries & ask about varieties/cultivars if I decide that's the way to go. I guess I'd like something evergreen, but I'm a bit tired of Alberta spruces in containers & am trolling for other possibilities.

Jean

Alberta Spruce in that space would be a waste of money- can you say 'Invasion of the Spider Mites'? Thay need good sun and EXCELLENT airflow to avoid death by sucking spider mites.

Your 'dirt' from the sound of it is likely leaf mold. If it's bricked under the porch, perhaps the leaves blew there and decomposed, that is nice 'dirt' but I'd still mix it with soiless potting mix (note: NOT potting 'soil').

Maybe a shrub would work better than a tree if you want to winter it over directly in the pot. Boxwood would work. Grows slowly and takes a good deal of cold. The pot will be at least one zone colder than the ground. Though if you're in Baltimore City you probably have a really warm microclimate going on with all the asphalt and brick.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Cynthia, I bought potting mix rather than potting soil after seeing the really sad-looking and very large angular chunks coming out of a broken bag labeled "potting soil" at Lowe's.

Don't boxwoods stay pretty small? I'd *like* (maybe not possible) to put something in the pots that would grow at least 5' tall, as the windows that look onto the lightwell begin at about 4-5' above the ground. I know, mitigations, mitigations ...if boxwood would work best, I guess I'll work around that. I know that the soil in the pots isn't exactly what you'd call prime real estate.

I would love to believe that it is, in fact, leaf mold ... but it doesn't look quite that rich to me. We shall see. It's certainly not as clay-ey as the rest of the soil in the yard. However, I keep reminding myself that this is basically a dirt reclamation project in order to keep my expectations low. Yes, this is in Baltimore City (downtown), so it is much warmer here in the winter than in surrounding areas--thanks for the rule of thumb, though re: climate zones.

Go Orioles (despite a number of excruciating losses in the past few weeks)!

Jean