hosta seedling ???

Here comes a novice question......hehe
As I was weeding my shade garden tonight...I noticed a strange occurance.....hundreds of what look like very small hosta seedlings growing.....the hostas that are there have been in place for several yrs and for sure need to be divided this fall....could these be babies??.......
and while we are at it......any tips on what to do when I divide them??

thanks bunches,
Lisa

Lisa... hostas make seed pods, although I have never collected and saved them... nor have I ever seen a hosta seedling. However, it should be possible as I understand the seed pods are viable. Great to think someone has!

Keep us posted?

Hi, Lisa,

Hack them up and stick them in the soil, hostas are really tough plants. And what you have are very likely hosta seedlings. Mine self-sow like mad some years; other years they don't, it just depends upon the weather. One particularly memorable spring I walked outside to check out the green that I saw on the old, dried-up hosta seed pods from the previous fall. I was shocked to see thousands and thousands of hostas seeds which had not dropped from the pods and which had germinated with the warmer weather. I collected them and put them in flats, covered them with soil and gave them away by the thousands. This has not happened again since that time nearly 10 years ago.

Have fun!

Cathy

This spring my lower garden was full of seedling hosta's too. I've only been gardening in that area for about 3 years and this is the first time its happened for me. They were everywhere and I dug up most of the plants that were in on near the paths and I've got them planted all over the place. Its fun to find free plants for a change, isn't it?

I also had a hosta seedling, nearly 20 ft from where my hosta's are. Never saw anything like it before !

Thank you all for your input on this......it sure was a new experience for me.....there are soooo many of them....and my shade area is soooooo small......looks like some friends will be benefiting from these little seedlings....do you think I should leave them be for a bit to get better established before moving them???
Lisa

I have never had them volunteer, glad to know they will sometimes. I planted some in a flat 2 ys ago and only about 5 survived, when they were about 3" tall I moved them to their new home last year. They have only doubled. Glad to have them but I thought they would have grown a little bigger by now, but we have had such a dry 2 years, I should be grateful for what I have.

I have never had them volunteer, glad to know they will sometimes. I planted some in a flat 2 ys ago and only about 5 survived, when they were about 3" tall I moved them to their new home last year. They have only doubled. Glad to have them but I thought they would have grown a little bigger by now, but we have had such a dry 2 years, I should be grateful for what I have.

I think you are very fortunate.

Do your hostas happen to be the dark green, shiny, type with the purple flowers? If so this is good old ventricosa and yes they do self seed like crazy. Matter of fact they are one of the few hostas that come true from seed. Although I am a hosta collector, I have a soft spot for ventricosa, just got to love it, and include it in many hosta trades as a freebie. A lot of other varieties do produce viable seeds, but ventricosa is the only one that has self seeded for me. Hosta collectors that have a problem with deer like to grow a large stand of these fast growing hostas well away from the other varieties for the deer to eat in the hopes the deer will get their fill before they find the fancier varieties.

I'll add my name to the list of people who have found hosta volunteers for the first time. Never saw this before either. Mine are all from 'Ginko Craig', but none have the white edge. What's different this year? Possibly there is more moss, which catches the seeds, and provides conditions needed for germination? John

I want to thank you all for you input on this "mystery" subject......hehehe......you have given me many ideas and much needed info...
just for an update......the little hosta babies are actually growing quite nicely....looking more like their parents by the day!!!!

Lisa