Q: I just bought 5 of the D.A.Spruce.

I will plant 3 in the ground and would like to use the other 2 in container pots. I live in Michigan and we have cold winters.

Can I leave the D.A. Spruce's in the pots over the winter outside or will the roots freeze ?

My neighbor did this last year, and hers look fine. They did not freeze. She left them in the pot they came in and just sat that pot into a nice flower pot.

Thanks CJ

A: Your neighbor may have just been lucky in not having the plants damaged.

It may be too early to tell, and they may not grow this spring. Not to be a harbinger of doom, I would wait before proclaiming this, though.

I would be reluctant to leave any dwarf Alberta spruce exposed in a pot over winter without protecting the roots from freezing.

You can accomplish this by partially burying the pot in the ground and mulching the top, or placing some other type of barrier against the cold around the sides.