If so, what do you do with them in the winter? I put several bareroot in my pond earlier this summer and they are thriving - but will they survive the winter in the pond (ice)? I sure hate to think of winter now, but I don't want to lose the hostas.
Thanks much!
I know I've posted this one before, but it's one of my favorites....
That is one beautiful setup you have there but hostas go dormate in the winter so you would lose them. I would take them and plant them in the ground or pot them up and put in your garage. Bev I might have to try this myself.
Ok I read this thread title and just had to read more....I have never heard of putting hostas in a pond.
Did you do it bareroot...like floating in the pond? I am showing my ignorance here, but with my new pond I am looking for cheap/easy/already owned plants to throw in and around it. I guess since I am a half a zone colder than you I won't be doing this with my hostas this year, but it's an interesting idea for next growing season. Gorgeous picture by the way!
Songs of Joy, I love that photo too! It is absolutely gorgeous. Tell us more about your hostas, maybe some pics. No, I haven't, but I'm always looking for new ideas for pond plants!
Brenda
Got to jump in here, if you are interested in pink hardy water lilies (mme. Winfron Gonnere) then put me in your trade tracker for 2008. I just cleaned out the pond and composted six lily plants. My pond is 3 feet deep and they overwinter just fine as long as they are potted and not floaters. Just couldn't mail any more this year. I also have several Hosta to share. I am trying to build my ensata collection. My purple wisteria keeps growing into the water and rooting itself, so usually I have rooted cuttings, too.
SongsofJoy, just beautiful, did you build your waterfall yourself? We visited San Francisco Japanese Gardens once and they planted their iris in boxes which they topped with stone and put in the ponds, just breathtaking, so beautiful.
Here's a picture of one of the hostas growing in my pond. I've got three in there - all bareroot. I just tucked them in between some rocks and they've done great all summer. I think I'll leave them in over the winter and see what happens...
Thank you all for the compliments on the picture. Yes, I did build it myself. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into it ;o) But it has been so worth the effort. I love my watergarden more than any of my other gardens.
Mittsy that'd be great to have some of your extra pink lilies and hostas. I will keep in touch next year (and more this year), thank you! I will also be around the water gardening forum a lot more since I just got mine finished.
Thank you for the picture SoJ! How beautiful. Let us know how the overwintering goes. Does your pond usually freeze over?
OMgosh! That is so gorgeous. One of the most tranquil gardens I've ever seen. Doesn't it make ya just want to kick your shoes off and daydream all day long?
I didn't know you could do this with Hosta either. What a wonderful idea, and how creative. You should really be a garden designer!
I really don't know the answer to your question, and if you can't find the answer for certain here maybe you can ask in the Hosta forum.
I'd suggest though that if you're really concerned about them just pull them up and plop them in the ground for the winter...even put them in a pot and half bury the pot and then heavy mulch them w/ leaves or whatever then you'll have easy access to them in the spring. I've had Hosta survive in pots that were left out all winter long, but I wouldn't take the chance on it if I were dealing with such a beautiful creation like you have!
That is a great idea. Your hosta looks great, Songs of Joy. I'll have to try that! Mittsy, if you ever need to get rid of any of your pond plants, I'd be interested too... happy to pay postage or whatever you need.
Brenda
Yes, the pond will freeze over. I keep a couple small holes in the ice with deicers. But the roots will most likely be completely ice-bound. But hey, other marginals survive that, so it should be an interesting experiment. I have many hostas and several will need dividing next year so I guess I won't feel too bad if they don't make it. I'll try to remember to report back in the spring!!
Art-n-garden - welcome to the wonderful world of ponding!! Have you posted pictures of your new pond yet? If not, please do!!
Heatherjoy - I confess that I spend waay too much time doing just that! I have a little patio that is surrounded on 3 sides by the stream and I can just sit there for hours and daydream!
SongsofJoy,
how did the hostas overwinter or is it too early to tell? I'd like to do this myself, so I am wondering.
Let us know.
Carolyn
Would you mind if I used that photo for my desktop for awhile? I have returned to look at it 4 times now, so I might as well snag it! lol
Kathy
Carolyn,
My pond has finally thawed, but nothing's growing yet. I'll definitely post back when I find out how the hostas did.
Kathy - I don't mind at all. Thanks for asking.
SongsofJoy,
Thank you.
Carolyn
I don't have my hostas in my pond, but I DO grow them in vases of water with a few tadpoles. The tadpoles keep the water crystal clear, and with the heat down here, other ways of growing hosta just haven't worked very well.
Joy
It's me again...
I looked at the pic with the hosta Is it the one that blooms white beautiful smelling blooms?
And is that slate that I noticed you used.
My Grammy had lot's of it in her area. In fact when I was a kid I picked up a piece to make a fort and dropped it on my shine and still have the scare. When I see it I think of the wonderful time I had at her house as a child.
I have a tiny ninty gallon pond in my yard it is so lame compared to yours. but I love it anyway. Yours is so terrific..... :)
Amos
For those of you who wanted a spring report, I am happy to say that my hostas survived bareroot in my pond through a zone 5 winter! I did nothing to protect them - I just let the pond freeze. Yay!!
This message was edited May 7, 2008 4:55 PM
Sweet, SOJ! I think I may move two that I have in one of my beds into the pond. Hooray for spring!
SOJ,
Thank you for the report! I love the look!
Guess what I am going to be doing this weekend!
Gotta try it! I'm in zone 5 too so will give it a try, now I'll need to trade hostas to get some different colors. Anyone want to take part in a Hosta Swap. I'll host. dmail me if interested.
Very intersting test Songs. I think I will have to try this too. I have lots of no name hostas I can dig up. By the way, your pictures of your pond are beautiful ! I would think in my zone, I would be even safer than you with your winter weather temps.
Oh, I have some old, old, very old, hosta's that have been growing here for over 80 yrs. Never found any evidence of a tag tho, LOL I have thinned them out a few years ago, they are soooooooooooo pretty and smell so sweet! So I can divide them too :) I would love to try some bareroot in the pond :) I would have to put them in some kind of a container so the Koi would not think I have given them some wonderful eats to gobble up!
Can some one identify this iris? It must be a water iris as I started digging them in the back of the pond and they were growing in water. The roots are long and sorta flat, not like regular bulbus iris. I just love the color and they just bloom their little hearts out.
Thank You in advance :)
Hostas in a pond, I never knew!!
I am SO doing this!!!!
How excited, will be off to pick put a few for the pond..was at a nursery the other day and say the floating containers...now wouldn't they be wonderful inside floating around or do you think they have to make roots in a stable area of my pond...
tootsie....it's a Louisiana Iris....and I'll try to remember the name after I drink more coffee. :)
Hi MerryMerry,
I did not know there were more colors, I just associated the L iris as being all yellow! You mean it has a name?? Geesh. I believe the people that originally owned the home planted things along the back of the pond, not on the rim, but past the pond there is like a small river that flows in the spring, summer and fall, then just before the snow starts it starts to dry up.Maybe called a "ditch" But thats where I found them growing and another place that stays wet, and yet another place out in the back 20, as it were, the pathway back there also stays dampish and they are growing there.
Pretty!
I was at my local garden center/pond store and they were selling Hibiscus plants for the pond (hardy type) and they had them in their existing pond as well and I went home and dug some of mine up and plopped their roots under some larger rocks. Hopefully they will be blooming in a few months time!
Being that it's 11:00pm, I think I will wait till morning to put some hostas in the pond. I think they looked great and I happen to have a lot of them and many varieties!
Now I have to try a hibiscus too, LOL!!!!
I recently visited the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford Illinois. It was beautiful. While there I noticed that they had hosta growing in their pond - I looked just for you. Most of these were in little fake concrete pots set in the water. I did find one that was planted right in the dirt and it was starting to grow. Rockford is near Chicago and it's gets really cold in the winter. All of these hosta did well, so I am guessing that they are pretty hardy for the winter in a pond.
Crystal
When you originally posted this about the hostas, I dug some up from my garden and put them into my pond. It's only been a week and they are doing beautifully. Yesterday, the professional pond and landscape guy was here working on a few things in the pond that they weren't able to complete in the winter and they asked about the hostas. They loved them and my pond guy is a master gardener and never saw this before. It's a great way to get more plants into a pond without spending $ (if you own them already).
After reading about the hostas I had the idea to take some coleus cuttings from some of my existing plants and instead of putting them into water inside my home, I put them into the pond and they are also doing great. Some are already showing tiny roots.
Ive got a raspberry growing bareroot in mine, lol.
coleus, huh? Yippee - another one to try!!
Although it was raining yesterday I did manage to dig up and plunk in the pond 4 different hosta plants. Thank you so much for sharing all this pond info with us ponders!
I grow my elephant ears and cannas in the water. I use the half sized cement blocks, put the plant in, and fill it with gravel. No soil. The fish keep the roots trimmed and the water stays clear because they suck up the extra nutrients in the water, so it doesn't feed algae.
I grow my Calla lilies in pots in the pond, and they do really well. I will now do it with the hostas. thanks for the info.
I have a question; Do any of you know if insulation foam board is toxic to fish? I was thinking of making floaters with them. Cover them with moss, and twigs and make a few holes to put hosta in. I need something to block the Sun also, to control algae, and for a place for the fishes to hide under.
Burn 2007-
I would try to find out by going online to the manufacturer and ask them for their spec sheets/tell them what I intended to do with it and is it toxic to the fish and plants.
