Martin’s Garden Notes
For containers that will stand up in the winter, choose wood, plastic, stoneware or cement. These will not fail from the frost. Terra-cotta is quite porous and will fracture after getting wet then freezing. Stoneware containers are fired at a much higher temperature and are so hard that they will not absorb moisture and therefore will not crack. Make sure your containers are enough off the ground so the drain hole is not plugged up.
You can rely on needled evergreens to be hardy enough to survive the winter cold. These include pine, spruce, hinoki cypress, juniper, yew, arborvite, and fir.
Broad -leaved evergreens like boxwood or holly have tender roots and will not likely survive the winter if not planted in the ground.
Soon we will have cut greens that will stay nice and green right through the winter. We will have lots of types to choose from to create wonderfully festive containers and window boxes.
Island Garden Shop, Inc. 54 Bristol Ferry Rd. Portsmouth, RI 02871