I always have some potted, Lucy, for door prizes and plant exchanges. They do as good as the ones in the beds. I think the reason they bloom earlier is that the sun on the side of the pot warms the soil faster in the spring. I also keep a lot of MDB's in pots. People say they cannot grow MDB's in this climate. I move the pots to the dappled shade after bloom and then when fall comes I put them on the north side of the house where it is colder longer and ice/snow does not melt for days. They green up and bloom well in the spring albeit later than the ones on the south slope.
