Do terra cotta pots freeze & crack if left outside in the winter?

I live in the northeastern United States, where the weather can drop to about zero degrees Farenheit. I plan on placing terra cotta pots in a flower bed in our backyard where the soil is particularly rocky. (The pots will be mostly in the ground with the top of the pots at the surface level.) So, knowing this, will the pots hold up year after year if kept outside all year long? Thanks in advance!

Do terra cotta pots freeze %26amp; crack if left outside in the winter?
We are in zone 4 and it can get to 30 below zero but we like the look of terra cotta pots in the garden. We simply bring them in for the winter.


If you like the look of terra cotta there are a number of plastic pots that look so much like terra cotta that you would have to pick them up to tell the difference.


As for plants we keep a large number of perennials in gallon sized plastic pots and they winter over perfectly well and we keep our bonsai trees buried in plastic pots for the winter and re-pot them in terra cotta for the summer.


All terra cotta is not created equal. We make terra cotta bird feeders and houses and they have never broken and some of them are more than 10 years old. The secrete is a drain hole in the bottom. Plus they are fired a bit higher than most terra cotta to make them less porous.


Good luck.
Reply:I have found that it is hit and miss and they can crack at freezing or below. Sometimes they crack and sometimes they don't. I think it has to do with the temperature at which they are fired. I think you would have to protect them when a hard frosy was due or simply go for imitation plastic terra cotta. I know it is not the same but you can get good pots that look the part. Standard sized terra otta pots are really quite cheap anyway (well they are over here in the UK) so why not give it a go and see how they do for a year.
Reply:It depends on whether the terracotta clay mixture had a flexible additive at manufacture. Most that will tolerate frost are marked as such. If not, then you can assume that they will crack when water freezes. However, if you sink them under insulation (i.e. weed membrane and a good organic top mulch) they may be OK and besides, even if they crack, (providing you don't plan on lifting them) they will still form a root barrier and will remain in place year after year as you have planned. Even if cracked they will continue to contain the good planting soil /environment if left undisturbed. Good luck :-)
Reply:Yeah, terra cotts pots will crack, break or even shatter into lots of little bits. I think you can buy pots that are frost resistant. If temperatures are 0 Fahrenheit (-17 C) I doubt if even they would last long though, even if they were to be mostly submerged.
Reply:yes they sometimes do, you can get frost freeones which here - hope this helps, try searching on frost resistant terra cotta on Google and there is a variety of online shops selling them. http://www.topiarygardens.co.uk/Terracot...
Reply:Chances are pretty good the pots will crack. Terra cotta is not waterproof, so the water will freeze, expand and crack your pots.
Reply:They will crack if left in an upright state. I turn mine upside down because I dont have the room to store them. They have made it through the last three winters. I am in zone 6.
Reply:I dump the soil in mine and store them under a tarp along with a lot of my other yard decor.
Reply:yes

What do you think of a tattoo on the lower back of a guy?

Ok, firstly let me just state that this tattoo in no way resembles one of those 'tramp stamps' girls get with a tribal design and flowers etc... Its a banner with the edges slightyly curving upwards (away from the ***) and text inside. Now 1 thing id like to say...i think the lower back on a guy is a completely different spot than the lower back of a girl. i plsn to get it not just above my crack but on my lower back.





any comments? just curios?

What do you think of a tattoo on the lower back of a guy?
I think its fine, your body your tattoo. Bah to what other people think, tattoos still have quite the social stigma so either way you're gonna get nasty comments from some people.





I've seen a couple nice tattoos on the lower area of a guys back. I think your idea is lovely and hopefully you will be very happy with it after you have it done.
Reply:No... I don't think it's a good idea!

running shoes

Why students are coming to school alongwith books and bullets?

In USA. even in India school students killed their classmates. Why the flowers are running after violence? The state %26amp; society, even we, the guardian can't avoid our background role. Wher we will go?

Why students are coming to school alongwith books and bullets?
What we see today is the reflection of the impact of violence in the media gripping the young mind ! The freedom to hold weapons by people adds the rest! Here in India, people cannot afford to have a gun so easily and if at all we give a gun to each of them, no doubt just in a day a million would be killed here!





It's the duty of the government to bring and maintain the peace for all the communities to live in harmony and amity. They need to have the violence eliminated in the media plus curbing the arms to everyone and to also bring down the wide disparity in income and livelihood among people!
Reply:it's a sad story.....children should enjoy their childhood.....they should be innocent n' graceful.....we must do something!!
Reply:this has only been a big issue lately! they havent had this 10 years ago





maybe they did but not as much!





i think that its ouor fault the fact that we allow our childrens to have guns my children have lost their guns already i wouldnt let them have it so they tried hiding it from me but i found it and took it and had them ruined so they can never be used again!
Reply:i know what you mean....it's so sad these days. but i guess all we can do is be a romodel for them

Strange flower, pics attached?

Posted earlier about a weird flower... The flower is about three inches across, and three inches from front to back. The area where it is growing is very shady in the morning but receives full afternoon sun after about two o'clock. The soil where it is is probably not well-drained, as it is in between my cement driveway and my cement porch. The stalk that this flower grew on is about twelve inches tall.





Here's a link to pictures...


http://www.keepandshare.com/photo/view.p...





Can anyone identify this flower? It's in Southeastern United States.

Strange flower, pics attached?
It's a columbine!


Lovely one, too. very hardy, they reseed and spread like wildfire.
Reply:this is a columbine very hardy even here in Montana a zone 4(Park county by yellowstone national park) these are wonderful spring blooming plants they do self seed very freely but they come in such a wonderful variety of colors plus there are single bloomers and double bloomers and I do not think they are fussy about where they are planted-great perennial flower !
Reply:Here's your columbine. There are numerous colours and varieties.





The Muse





http://www.naturehills.com/product/biede...
Reply:Aquliga, or granny's bonnet. Many types and they cross pollen ate. Very easy to grow, self seeds. The double ones are beautiful.
Reply:That flower, my dear is a Columbine. They come in many colours.
Reply:I would guess that it's a type of lily, but I don't know. It's really pretty, though! Did it come up from a bulb?

Pesticides for peach trees - what kind to use and how?

Hello - I live in central New Mexico and have a very healthy young peach tree. The tree went crazy last year, it had lots of flowers and thick healthy leaves. I'm planning on pruning it this weekend and I've done lots of research on the best way to get that done. But now I'm wondering about dormant spraying of pesticides. I know that the peach borer is a huge peach tree killer and we do have it in this state. Can anyone recommend a good preventative pesticide and where to get it?

Pesticides for peach trees - what kind to use and how?
Go here:





http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/INSECT...

Which is the First Gothic Church built in France?What was Paris called during the Gallo-Roman period??

Who was Napoleon's faithful companion %26amp; general, whose own remains were also moved to Les Invalides?Which 20th century head of state survived the greatest number of assasination attempts? How many people speak French all over the world? Which is the oldest church in Paris?Who founded the observatory of Paris?Who was the leader guiding the Free French forces from Britain during the Second World War? He became the President in 1959?.What flower is the emblem of French royalty?


Who designed the Art Nouveau entrances to the Metro?Name the architect who built the Glass Pyramid in the Louvre.Where is the scientific theme park 'Vulcania', dedicated to volcanoes located?What town in Provence is known as the perfume capital of the world?

Which is the First Gothic Church built in France?What was Paris called during the Gallo-Roman period??
The first Gothic church, the Abbey of Saint-Denis not far from Paris http://www.thais.it/architettura/Gotica/...





France was called Gaul during the Gallo-Roman Period





Napoleon's Companion/General - Charles Tristan





Number of French speakers with French being "first language" speakers 64 million world wide according to the 2006 World Almanac





Most nearly assassinated French Head of State - Charles DeGauile http://who2.com/ask/charlesdegaulle.htm (and leader of free french during WW2, and became President in 1959)





French flower of royalty - fleur de lac





Saint-Germain-des-Pres is Paris' oldest church, consecrated in 1163 and dating back further to 542, when a shelter was built to house a relic of the cross of Christ.http://www.timporter.com/france/french/i...





The Metro's art nouveau entrances designed by architect Hector Guimard http://www.worldisround.com/articles/664...





IM Pei is the architect of the glass pyramid at the Louvre http://www.dispatch.co.za/2006/06/23/For...





Vulcania, the "European Park of Volcanism", is a park with a Volcano theme situated in Saint-Ours-les-Roches, Auvergne, France. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcania





The perfume capital of the world is Grasse, France (in Provence) http://www.go-provence.com/2004/09/grass...
Reply:Go visit this site :-P


http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/Hi...

Help for melasma

Where can I find this information at.....?

I want to get a bunch of bright, colorful flower tattoos but I want to get flowers that mean something. Does anyone know the state flower for California and Illinios? Where can I find out what certain flowers mean or what their meaning is.

Where can I find this information at.....?
http://www.bigbanggraphics.com/graphics/...


thats the cali flower


http://www.50states.com/flower/picts/ill...


and thats the illinoise state flower.


this would be really pretty like 2 big flowers and vines mabie on your back?
Reply:poppy flower is the caifornia
Reply:you can google it sweety.