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I have several larger potted plants and trees i usually bury in my garden box for the winter.

I root a few clipping from a Japanese maple, got about 6 plants in 6 inch pots. The 2 biggest are near 8 inch tall. Smaller ones are still struggling to grow new stems, but made it thru the summer temps. So they are trying to take hold.

but now fall approaches, with the first freeze coming soon, mid-atlantic.

Should i bring them in for the winter, maybe place near the window with my house plants? Or bury them in the garden box for the winter? Or any other ideas?

Thanks

user27171
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You can't bring them inside, they will not do well with that, they need winter chill and to drop their leaves as usual. They probably will need some protection though if your winters are cold, so in the absence of a cool/cold greenhouse, they'd stand a better chance of coming through winter if they are buried in your garden box.

The only risk is if your winters are cold enough for the soil in the box to freeze solid; this can happen if the day time temperature falls below zero degrees centigrade and stays there for longer than about 10 days. There's not much you can do about that, other than maybe provide some insulation beneath the box to try to prevent that from happening. You don't say how far off the ground the box is, but something like a bale of hay beneath it if there's room would help to keep it insulated.

Bamboo
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  • You _can_ bring them inside, but don’t do it every year. One year indoors will affect the trees as if they had an very mild winter, but they will not flower nor produce seed the following spring. If you repeat this every year then the tree will eventually die. The best thing you can do is put them in a cold frame and cover the pots with straw. – Escoce Oct 11 '19 at 21:42
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    The box actually on the ground. So far had not froze over. I originally made to put my larger potted deck trees in it for the winter, and gets used in the summer a pepper garden. – user27171 Oct 12 '19 at 04:42
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    Once they're big enough, they would stay outside, they are small and fragile right now. Really would only be this year. – user27171 Oct 12 '19 at 04:43
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    Well if the box is on the ground, fine, bury them in there. – Bamboo Oct 12 '19 at 11:28