Last fall I was so tired by the time it was time to take the pots out of the pond I just pulled them up, drained them, and dug holes in my raised bed and buried them with only about 2-3" of mulch on top. This spring I was amazed to see growth. For the life of me I couldn't remember what I had put there. When the ground finally thawed out enough to dig a little I saw the edge of the black pots and remembered. I am really amazed. They are awfully tough little guys. Don't know if they will survive enough for me to get them out of the bed and into the pond.