It's not possible to answer this question fully because you have not given your gardening zone. In general, Black Bamboo is hardy IN THE GROUND to about zone 7. It can be grown in the ground in zone 6 but will burn and/or suffer some degree of dieback. In a pot, however, they will be significantly more vulvnerable to burning and dieback. Conditions in a container are very different from the ground--temps change much faster in a pot than in the ground. If you live in a cold winter zone, the ground in the winter is going to be warmer, overall, above ground. However, you have provided reasons for why you might want to go the container route. For starters, you are a RENTER, and the owner might not be thrilled to have you plant a running bamboo in the ground. While they are NOT AS aggressive as Phyllostachys aureus (Golden Bamboo)--they are still spreaders and want to form a GROVE. In the ground you will either have to put in a rhizome barrier or do annual pruning to remove spreading rhizomes. I am in a somewhat similar position as I have larger containerized bamboos that I will want to overwinter in their containers. I intend to gather them together and put them along the side the garage (reduced wind) and cover up the containers with some burlap and leaves some time before it gets really frosty (mid to late December for me). In the ground, I have non-running clumpers (mostly Fargesia species). If you are concerned about taking them with you, you can do this regardless of whether they are in a container or not. I took all of my runners from in-ground plantings. You could even plant the entire container--but this would NOT solve the problem of the boos spreading. As to the size, those are already big plants, you'd need a large container. Can't give you a guess here maybe someone else can do the math--the bigger the better if they are going to overwinter in them (and depending on your gardening zone). Yes, full sun is fine, but if you overwinter in the container, provide shelter from wind and winter sun. I water/hose down my containerized bamboos every day from April through September, maybe every other day in the cooler months and occasionaly in the winter during milder periods. In the well-drained soil that they enjoy, it's difficult too overwater a bamboo in a container. Good luck!

Niffer, if you can post photos, we can help you out a lot better. Just upload the photos to Photobucket.com. Copy the .html code and paste that code directly into your message. That way, the photos will appear right in the body of your message. You'll know if it works when you preview your message. As to your citrus, outside as much as possible. I would only bring citrus inside if you're fearing a frost. Citrus are normally NOT indoor plants. 85 degrees is not too hot for citrus, it's actually pretty perfect as long as your trees are getting enough water. Remember, these trees were grown outdoors! Citrus will not tolerate wet roots. You can use cactus mix, but if you can find Farfad potting mixes, their Professional Nursery mix. It is an excellent bagged mix. I can't get it in my area, unfortunately, so I frequently use EB Stone's Cactus Mix. That will mean watering just about every day in the hot summer months. I would definitely re-pot, as sometimes the soil used by nurseries can be pretty dense. Great for their use to get a tree started, but can cause water retention issues and injured roots. Any for fertilizing your container citrus, Dyna-Pro's Foliage Pro is an excellent product. Post photos so we can see what's going on. Patty S.

Thanks everyone. Brenda both "Black Gamecock" and "Spicy Cajun" Louisiana Iris are listed as zone 4 plants. I have checked other sources that say they are zone 4/5 plants. Im gonna go ahead and try them. Louisiana Iris's are one of the most beautiful in the world. Ljpother- I hope your Rose of Sharon's survive and flower this summer. They are beautiful plants. I highly doubt that in Edmonton they will ever become a shrub, but if they behave like butterflybushes they will die to the snowline and flower regardless. I've been noticing that Edmonton area greenhouses are starting to bring more exotic plants. Last year I bought a "Blue Moon" wisteria I hope it survives and flowers this summer. Let us know what happens to your Rose of Sharons.

I'll be bringing in stuff tonight and the rest of the week. We are supposed to have temps in the TWENTIES!! The coldest in a decade. Going to buy hay to pile around some of the plants, stuff will come in that has never been in before. I have a hoya that is growing up the trees, along the ground and wound around the hook it hangs on, I'm thinking of just cutting off the parts up in the tree & along the ground, yanking up/down/out whatever I can. Then I can bring the plant pole & all in the house. Otherwise it will die. Geez I hate this! Ya'll stay warm. I know what you mean, every year I think about getting a shade house or a greenhouse and never do. This may be the winter that finally gets us off our rears & do it huh? The bf is just as much a plant nut so he'll be bringing in bonsai, he's already working out how to cover some of the bigger plants. Tally Ho!