Any gardeners around today?

[CornField]

I've got a couple of plants that I want to dig up and bring in for the winter. Is there a rule of thumb as to how far to dig around them & how large of a pot they need to be in?

[NV Whino]

1. Depends on what they are, but

the spread of the leaves usually indicated the spread of the roots.

[CornField]

2. Rosemary & English Lavendar

I was thinking 2-3 beyond the leaf span. I wish I could find some guidelines on the internets. ;)

Thanks for your thoughts!

[NV Whino]

3. That should work fine,

but rosemary shouldn't have any trouble surviving the winter. Lavendar should be okay, too. Just trim it back a bit. If you want more wintering info, try Ask Jeeves.

[Tallison]

5. Yeah, rosemary winters over really well

try just mulching its base to protect the root ball against frost, and it should be fine.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. What's your Zone? If less than Zone 7, pull them in.

I' live in a warm Zone 8 area and both do very well. Our lowest temps are in the high 20s but only for a handful of nights and the days are reliably in the 50s.

Rosemary is hardy in Zone 8-11 and you might be able to leave it in place for Zone 7 (7=zero degrees is the coldest temperature you expect), but if you're in Zone 6 or lower your instinct to bring it in is a good one. I have a gardening friend in southern Ohio who can't winter it over in place and she's tried everything.

Some English lavenders can stand Zone 5 winters, although most are better seen as Zone 6 plants.

If you do decide to leave either or both in the ground for winter give them lots of protection.

[CornField]

7. I'm in zone 5

Well, I think we are actually on the cusp between 5 and 6, but we are expecting a number five winter this year.

[Tallison]

4. 1 and a 1/2 times the size of the root ball

Edit to say: duh, you just answered that question above.