It is always a sad time to say goodbye to the rain barrel for the season. Especially today as we get our first rain in weeks. But it had to happen and the barrel is now washed and put away for another winter. The trouble with leaving it full of water over winter is the chance of splitting. Most of us own plastic barrels repurposed from industry and they will not tolerate the force of freezing water. If you bought a specifically made rain barrel check the manufacturers suggestions- they may be stronger and perhaps left outside but I doubt it.
So- the rain barrel has been taken off it's perch of bricks, washed out and brought over to the side of the house where it lives for the winter on its side under the overhang. The glazed pots have been set up in the same place. I am not strict about emptying all my pots over winter because I have been careful to buy pots designed for leaving out but even so I have lost a few over the years so most of them go into storage.
Pictured above is a pot I did for the a downtown zone 3 park. It has hardy dwarf blue spruce and junipers in it and was left out successfully all winter a few years back. The mum- of course- didn't survive but the pots and evergreens did and they provided colour and form all winter.
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