in my MI ... with ground FREEZE.. they would crack in a MI minute ...

dealing with pots in winter.. was your prior issue ... i dont think the pretty pot changed much of that.. how its done in Nc is beyond me ... but i would NOT have left it in the bigger pot ... too much retained heat.. maybe

i think you should continue pot in pot ... and pull the plant pot in fall .. and treat it accordingly for your area ...

and i would dump the media out of the ceramic.. and store it away ...

i am not sure that what you call freeze thaw cycles.. is the right words for NC ... it might be more of a frost/thaw ... and frost and freeze a a million miles apart ... could you define winter a bit better for us.. in your micro climate?

ken

We had two bad winters back to back last year and previous. The low was 9F. A lot of days are above 32F, most nights are below. I think you're right and I'll just have to find the right plastic pot for each ceramic container. They are tall and slim. I'd like to have hosta roots have access to all of the area in the ceramic pot. Plus the my garden is a southwest facing slope and there's a good amount of sun when the leaves are gone.

kathy

pic please... pot not slope.. lol ...

it was minus 20 for a week last winter.. pshaw on 9 ... lol ...

are they movable ... bet a buck.. an attached garage would be good enough if you can hoik the pot in there ... one of the things at the links never hurts ...

i am sure the things below are way over the top ... but what the heck ...

ken

some variation on the theme ... check out tractor supply or some such ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=garden+cart&biw=935&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMImuCljPS_xwIVhj4-Ch13zAWP&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=upright+dolly

look for one.. with a wider bottom .. it really matters

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/hand-trucks-dollies

wide like this one... put a board across it ..

http://images.uscargocontrol.com/28243-stair-climber-aluminum-hand-truck-w-foam-fill-tires_1_640.jpg

Kathy, are your pots glazed on the inside...and/or on the top rim?

We have no garage. Two unheated sheds, one way down the hill and one way up the hill.

Is anyone else having trouble posting pictures? Did anyone read the new terms and conditions Houzz sent to your email a few weeks ago?

sorry, cannot post a pic.

Kathy, if the pot is glazed inside and out, it should not crack. What makes them crack (terra cotta especially) is that they are porous. It rains (or you water the plant), the pot gets wet and soaks up the water. The water freezes, expands and cracks the pot. If it's glazed, the water should not be able to enter the pot. So, it should not crack if it's fully glazed.

If you have any pots are unglazed or that have unglazed areas, just spray them with Thompson's water seal each fall when they are dry and they usually won't crack.

Yes, ken I understand there is a big difference in a 9f freeze overnight and a -9 degree week. I understand also that we in the Southern states are total wimps about freezing weather. However, technically, if it's 32f or lower for an extended period of time, it's a freeze. A frost is mid-thirties with a short period below 32f. That is according to NOAA. I also understand they didn't consult with you before issuing their definitions, so you're just going to have to straighten them out.

Kathy, I know this doesn't seem logical, but in 2013, almost all the hosta I lost was 2 or 3 feet off the ground. The hosta that were just slightly off the ground, as on pot feet or on a bottom shelf fared much better.

bk

it would have to be.. cold enough.. long enough.. for the heat sink otherwise knows as the media.. to get below 32 degrees... long enough for the pot to get that cold ...

we arent just talking about an empty pot ...

regardless ... all you can do.. is wing it ...

if you looked at my links.. moving it to either shed would not be an issue ...

ken

bk....that last paragraph has me scratching my head, but in a fascinated sort of way. I have a few on stands this year for the first time. I never even thought about this before, but it seems to me that getting them off of the ground and away from that heat source would actually make the chilling affect greater.

ken, my pots regularly freeze, as in, knock on them and the dirt is hard. They don't stay that way, but they freeze all the time.

Of course, with the terrible losses I've had the last couple of years, I can't make any recommendations to anyone.

bk

Glosgarden,The rims of the pots are glazed and down the inside an inch or two.

ken, I'm thinking I could just let them dry out a bit then cover them. That would be if I put media directly into the pot and planted in it. Or I could get creative and find an inside pot that uses most of the space. It'll make more sense when I can post a picture, but that's not happening.

bk, Thompson's Waterseal, thanks.

kathy

bkay .. i am addressing variables.. not really arguing with you .. you are clear on that.. yes???

covering it ... can also lead to problems.. again .. just listing variables ... it will trap day time heat ... and potentially allow for the plants to come in and out of dormancy .. i like to say.. get them dormant.. keep them dormant and you usually win ...

full coverage all winter can lead to them becoming too dry ...

but you want to cover them so they dont get too wet ... and too wet is usually.. up here in MI.. late late fall ... or snow thaw/spring rain time ... during most of MY winter.. it doesnt matter... the key is.. not freezing the roots into a ball of ice.. no air in that situation ...

ken

A comment toward the 2-3' off the ground senario... I heard the weather person say that temps are actually taken and reported at 5' off the ground. Don't know how that plays out with bkay's losses...
As to Kathy's delema, the problem is with expansion. Concrete planters can crack too, of course that is in extremes. Sounds strange, but what abt something with an umbrella effect, shed the rain/snow to control moisture as best you can, allowing ambient temps to be normal?

I'm going to find Esther's post about how she covered her pots. No one will steal or remove them here.

kathy

Houzz and Apple are making nice now so I can post some pics.

this is the biggest pot. It took two big guys to get it off the truck, probably weighs close to 200lbs empty. I'm thinking Thompsons water seal on the inside and put a pot in it and bury the pot in the winter.

This pic is taken from about 1/3 of the way up my hill.

Proud Sentry is going to live in this one. I'll find a pot that uses most of the space inside. It's smaller than the red one.

Permanent Wave will live in this one.

thanks for the suggestions. Pot in pot and water seal is how it's going to be.

kathy