@B3 I mentioned yesterday on another thread that every gardener has different opinions on how to tackle various gardening jobs. This is one of them, the idea of raising pots is to let air circulate under the pot is popular.
Others will say pots are fine left on paving or the ground. Four or five days of minus 5 or below will mean the compost will be frozen anyway. I have seen three Whichford pots crack after a cold winter although they have large drainage holes and the pots were raised. If you look in the GC's plenty of pots in different colours but very few pot feet
Putting pots next to a wall to protect them does seem worthwhile.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
The theory is that raising the pots on feet etc makes for better drainage, but in reality unless your pots have very smooth bases and they're standing on a very smooth surface, I don't think it makes a deal of difference. It's more important to make sure that the drainage through the pot is good enough and the hole(s) don't get blocked. Freezing is more harmful (to both the pots and the plants in them) if the compost is soaking wet than if it's not (same goes for plants in the ground - well-drained soil can make the difference between things overwintering OK and not).
I agree with @GardenerSuze , standing pots close to a wall, preferably a house wall, under the eaves, so that they're sheltered a bit does seem to make a difference.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@B3 I think that could be a problem in high winds. Some of the biggest problems last winter was leaves that had been blackened by freezing winds. Just to add I have removed plants from pots in the past and planted them in a sheltered part of the garden and then repotted the following spring. Roots are less likely to freeze in the ground.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Posts
Others will say pots are fine left on paving or the ground. Four or five days of minus 5 or below will mean the compost will be frozen anyway. I have seen three Whichford pots crack after a cold winter although they have large drainage holes and the pots were raised. If you look in the GC's plenty of pots in different colours but very few pot feet
Putting pots next to a wall to protect them does seem worthwhile.
Just to add I have removed plants from pots in the past and planted them in a sheltered part of the garden and then repotted the following spring. Roots are less likely to freeze in the ground.