I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I planted ferns in this planter and never watered once during the summer (self watering is awesome). I covered the planter with a tarp for winter and viola! Ferns came back again in the spring! (We had a relatively mild winter this year I don't know if I can expect the same results every year). However, this planter is so deep ..it might just do the trick! Looks great. Love it.