Self-Watering Pots – Cold Weather Tolerance

Q: I use plastic self-watering pots inside copper decorative pots during the summer for my annual flowers. Can I plant pansies and ivy in the planters during the winter or will the pots freeze and crack?

A: My guess is that the self-watering containers will be fine. If water freezes in them, the stress on the plastic won’t be much since the water is not confined.