Overwintering Potted Plants

Since I'm not the type of gardener who necessarily does things by the book, I always appreciate advice on how to get around this or that rule of gardening. Marie Iannotti states one of those rules (about overwintering potted plants) as follows: "Plants are always better off in the ground during winter in freezing climates." So far, so bad; because the thought that occurs naturally to someone like me is, "What if I'm too lazy to plant those potted plants properly in the ground?"

Fortunately, About's Gardening Guide discusses some workarounds for non-conformists like me in this article on overwintering potted plants. A couple of my favorite suggestions are:

1. Encircle the potted plants "with chicken wire and fill with leaves or mulch."
2. Build makeshift cold frames for overwintering your potted plants, using bales of hay as the walls and an old window as the roof.

This second tip comes with a caveat, though: "Lift the cover if temperatures are going above about 40 degrees F.," else it will get too hot inside. All of this is, of course, extra work but, if you're serious about overwintering potted plants, it's worth it.