I had a faux pot crack last year, so I would look for some sort of guarantee that they can survive very cold temps when filled with soil.
New blooms
Thanks for the info. I have some different kinds of faux pots. They have held up well over the years. Hope you don't mind if you borrow your idea. It will be a good solution for some troublesome areas. OFF WITH THEIR BOTTOMS!
Julia, was it the Garden-Lite type? I've also got some of those faux pots that are black on the inside and say they are durable, but I had one of those crack on me in the heat. Those type are springing up at a lot of the stores recently, and it's so frustrating because they are often quite lovely and tempting! But, after I had one crack so quickly on me, I steer clear of them now. Was yours constructed with thick walls that had more of a foam feel or of thinner walls that were black on the interior?
Banana, borrow away! That's why we share ideas here... so that others can benefit!
the issues in northern climates with repeated freezing and a hard winter cause even thick walled pots to crack over successive winters especially.
I'm surprised, as I gave several of the Garden-Lites to my sister-in-law in Hudson, Ohio, and she has had great luck with hers over three years, even remaining outdoors all year long. They get the lake effect and mega snow, so I would think her home is a great testing ground for things. That's why I was asking Julia about her experience regarding thick-walled foam or something else.
Thick-walled or thin-walled, actual clay is going to degrade more quickly... particularly some of the Mexican clay that is frequently marketed. The Italian holds up better over the long haul.
it's a roll of the dice depending on winter and location but i have had thick walled faux, very costly crack over a winter. i had four, three are still in use in the summers (not for clems). i have also had plants die in them over the winter (not clems).
so i use the remaining ones seasonally for some casual plants.
i really do not get mega snow in my area , snow is a good insultaor and can actually be warmer than no snow in terms of things (plants and things) surviving the winter.
Bliss, Hudson is the next town over from me. She does have fun with the snow like I.... I've only had any luck up here with the plastic pots using them to hold some of my perennials everything else has only last 2 seasons at most for me. Small world.
This year I have 6 clems in very large plastic pots that will be brought into my garage to over winder as I'm not about to dig and plant pot and plant in ground for the winter... besides I put them in the pots as me might be moving and I didn't want to plant in the ground to then have to dig them up in less than a year, cause she we be moving I'm not leaving my clems behind...LOL
Janet
Janet, then you indeed live in a BEAUTIFUL place! Every time I visit Beth and Allen, I'm blown away by the beauty up there, and by the wonderful climate you have in summer! Of course, y'all have quite a tradeoff for those ideal summers in the wintertime. Brrrr!!!!
Bliss, I don't know if it was a Garden Lite pot. The walls were thick, it was foam like, not the thinner type that is painted black on the inside.
I haven't been looking at pots much, but I think I remember seeing some at Lowes that could survive being left outdoors in over winter in extreme climates. I don't remember the manufacture's name.
I saw a pot at Costco that was very large that would accommodate a clem. It was black, however, and double insulated for about $20. I thought it was a good buy, but don't have a membership. I think the black would hold too much heat in our climate.
thanks for that tip Sharkey, as I'm going tomorrow to join Costco. Those planters are well worth a 20-30 dollar membership.
We have SAMs, BJ's and Costco up here and all within a close drive to them. I've got a Sam's but have wanted a Costco, so now I'm gonna go get one...LOL
Janet
Boy, listening to some of your extreme high and low temps makes me grateful that I live in (what some would say) is boring temps. As a rule never very hot, never very cold, lots of clouds and rain. This year we got a little glimpse of non-boring weather. Record breaking cold and snow last winter and record breaking heat and no rain this summer. I really do like boring!!!
Janet, I am not sure that costco will have the pots now. That is a very seasonal item. Our costco's in WA only carry the pots in Spring (they are great pots for the price and they seem to have them every year). Now our costco's have Christmas merchandise, no more fun garden stuff.
Janet, I was tempted to join that day I saw the pots, but the membership is $50 and I'm already paying a $40 membership to Sam's. Besides, the only Cotsco in this area is in Tallahassee. We have 3 Sam's located here within an hrs drive. Didn't want to pay two memberships. Let me know if they have those pots I'm referring to.
I didn't notice that much difference in the inventory of the two stores.