Mike- I would think you could grow anything you desired in a container that size given that it was hardy in your zone. Here in zone 7 I've got camellia, hydrangea, daphne and hosta all growing in pots of various sizes, none as large as your box.

If you wanted a maple I might consider giving it another try. They're tough plants, perfectly suited to growing in containers, and I thought many of them were hardy to zone 5. Good Luck

Jim

I have a Silver Maple tree, Pecan tree, and several small-leaved Privets in 6-8 gal containers that are outside all year.

I grew the trees from seeds that dropped from mature trees in my yard, and the privets are from cuttings. They do well in containers. I just root prune and change the soil every 2 years or so.

Are you sure the Japanese Maple was dead? I'm sure you know they drop their leaves in the fall and look pretty much like (dead?) sticks in the winter. And, some trees do not bud out until late spring. How old was it and how long had it lived outside on your deck?

You might consider growing trees that you find in your (or your friends) yard. That way, you KNOW they are happy with your particular climate. And if you grow in a container from a small plant, it adapts much more easily.

You really can't expect a Japanese maple to survive a zone 6 winter in a container unprotected. The industry standard for death of the most hardy of the Acer p's roots is 14*. The finest roots are killed at temperatures as high as 25*, and as temperatures drop, larger and more lignified roots are killed until at 14* the plant is normally dead. It's best to keep your JMs where ACTUAL soil temperatures do not drop below 25*.

I'm not saying that temperatures below 25* will kill the plant, but they WILL kill a % of the roots. Who wants to overwinter a JM and see the soil temp drop to 20* and have all but the most woody roots dead in the spring? When this happens, you essentially start with a big cutting. Trees exposed to root die-off are slow to flush out in spring & expend lots of valuable energy that can NEVER be regained to regenerate the lost rootage.

Al

It was a cold winter and I am sure the temp dropped below 14*.
I throuht that it would work becasue it is a zone 5 plant and I am 6-6b. The location was probably my downfall. It was out in the open, southern exposure with only a little wind protection.
Thanks Mike

The problem with zone cold hardiness ratings and container plants is that container plants don't get the root insulation ground gown plants do.

Your tree may be cold hardy when ground grown in zone 5, but you have to consider that the ground generally doesn't go much below freezing, particularly with snow cover or a thick mulch.

The inside of an unprotected container will be roughly the same temperature as the air after several hours in a steady temp. Sheds, unheated garages or burying the container in the soil are all ways to improve the odds of a successful over wintering.

mike, i don't know if you are still a GW poster, but i just started another thread w/ info and questions like yours:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0822300722850.html

Def NOT J maples in z.5 or 6. (They DO grow wonderfully in containers in Carmel CA and Vancouver B.C. though.)

Here is a link that might be useful: cotton-arbo retum; free; open to the public

There are thousands of J maples in the landscape in the area - z 5a-6a, and many of us, including me, have significant numbers of same in containers that over-winter with some protection.

Al