Question
I live in MN. & I will be moving only 45 mi. from where I currently live(not sure if it will be before winter otherwise it will be by the end of Jan.)& I would like to take my plants with me(my mother passed away & she & I picked out those plants together so they have sentimental value to me).  The plants are:  Hostas, Echinecea flowers, tiger lillies, hybrid tiger lillies, Japanese Forest Grass, belleflower, Jack in the Pulpit, Lilac bush, Burning Bush, Ivory Halo Dogwood, Winged Burning Bush tree(planted last Sept.), and maybe my Double Rose Flowering Plum tree(if I take this one it was planted about 4 yrs. ago how far out from the trunk of the tree do you dig?).  Can these be stored in sterilite type totes for the winter?  How deep should the totes be and should there be holes in them?  

Thanks for any advice you can give me,

Jodi

Answer
Hi Jodi,
Thanx for your question.  You will be able to stor most of these plants in tubs in an unheated garage or storage area that is protected from north wind, moisture and heat.  The plants must be allowed to go into dormancy where they can be stored in soil, in a tub in an unheated protected area.  The only problems I see are with the echinacea because it has a long taproot that does not do well with tranpslanting.  Dig as deeply as you can and lay the root on its side if it is too long to be accommodated by the tub.  I would cut all the foliage off these plants once they have wilted from the frost so that all you have are root balls, roots, rhizomes, bulbs, etc.  The 4-foot tall tree is going to be difficult.  You will have to dig out several feet and then get the main portion of roots.  You can then trim back the roots and plant it in a tub and store it over the winter in an unheated garage.  The chances are good you may lose the tree.  I'm just being conservative.  In your case, I would try it too.  Just get the regular 20 gallon totes.  There should be enough space to accommodate roots for your needs.  I hope this helps.
Tom