winter pot protection

Pete, sorry I am late getting back to you with this information. I guess the winter overnight lows are about minus 6 or 7.

 

Hi! I'm new to the forum and would love some advice on this issue.
I have some pots which are as yet unplanted. I have a dwarf conifer, some winter pansies, a bella daisy, an hosta and a forget-me-not to put in them.
Would I be wise to give the pots some kind of protection for winter? They are right next to the house, but in complete shade.
If so, because the plants in them are for winter interest/colour, how can I protect them without it being unsightly?

 

Welcome Daisybelle!
The conifer and pansies will be fine, but the hosta will die down for the winter, and you won't wee it for a bit, the daisy won't survive the winter, and the forget-me-nots aren't likely to keep flowering through the winter either, although they'll come back again next year..

If you put the pot near the house, it should be fine, just make sure it gets some water, as it can be dry under the eaves, and stand the pot on some pot feet or some bricks, to stop it being prone to cracking in the frost.

 

Thanks dendrobium
The hosta has gone a sickly yellow recently, is that just what they do in the winter then?
The pots are zinc, I forgot to mention that, so I don't think they'll need any protection themselves?
The daisy, I really hope will survive the winter- I bought it as something that will flower all year round! Have I been had? Ha ha! I'll try and take a pic tomorrow.
The forget-me-not isn't in flower yet, I have bought it ready for the spring, will it die down and then come back again?

 

Here is a pic of the daisy http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.kirk/daisy.jpg
I also have some herbs in zinc troughs http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.kirk/herbs.jpg It will be a bit of a pain to dismantle this, what would be the best way of protecting them, if they need it? There's rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, sage, parsley, basil, mint and coriander.
Thanks for any help anyone can give me

 

Hi, DB!
If you bought the daisy as a perennial, it'll be ok - I was assuming it was an annual one. I can't see your link to the icture of it, firefox gave a message saying it wasn't found - but then I got the same message about the gremlins....
Hostas do exactly what you describe. Just tug gently on the leaves and when they're ready they'll come off. You'll find little pointy buds sticking out of the ground, and it'll come back next year.

Re the herbs, some of them are hardy, and some aren't. If they're all in the same trough, I'd put them agains the wall of the house, and protect them with fleece, if you don't have a suitable greenhouse, conservatory or window ledge. If the rosemary is separate, it's tough, and can be planted in the gorund, and will do well there.

Forget-me-not is biennial - it flowers in its second year, but it seeds like mad, so although you won't keep the origina plants, you'll still have forget-me-nots - many people see them as weeds!

Hope that helps.

 

Yes it does, thanks very much