I could go to the hosta forum with this question, but I thought maybe someone in the MAG Forum might be able to answer. Yesterday I saw the most beautiful hosta in the Barracks Road Shopping Center in Charlottesville. It resides outside Banana Republic and a small restaurant, takes up about four square feet, has intense blue green foliage, very pillowed looking leaves, and numerous huge stems about to flower. I've not been a particular fan of hostas, but this one literally stopped me in my tracks. I wish I'd thought to take a picture with my cell phone, but then I wouldn't know how to upload it anyway. Chances are the next time I'm in C'ville it will already have flowered and I'll miss the drama. I'd love to get your idea on what it might be.
Wowed by a Hosta
Very hard to say. A photo would be a great help.
My dentist ofice has some gi-normous hostas too. I think I was looking at a hosta vendor website that you could search thru different sizes and traits- but don't have it bookmarked.
Agreed, hard to say. However, the most likely common candidate is a hosta named Sieboldiana 'Elegans', which is large, blue, corrogated (pillows), and has large clusters of white flowers pretty early in the season. For me it usually blooms in late June or even the 4th of July. Charlottesville may be enough warmer to push it earlier in the year. There are a number of similar hostas, but this one is pretty common. It's a medium to large hosta, but the leaves aren't tall like some. The blue tends to burn off in the heat since it is caused by a waxy coating on the green leaf. The flower clusters are pretty generous and close together.
Laura
Funny -- largosmom that is exactly the hosta I almost named as a possibility. I have a huge one in my yard. I'll try to remember to post a photo. I can't today because it is pouring outside.
It is raining here too. It's always one of my first to bloom.
Laura
Well after quite a bit of searching, I can see why it's difficult to identify the mystery hosta even with a picture. There are many similar. I have to go back to C'ville next week. I'm going to see if I can take a picture with my camera and learn how to upload. The Sieboldiana Elegans is a very lovely hosta. I ran out and bought a 'Love Pat', simply because it was blue and I have enough room for it. It will be getting early morning light. I hope it can maintain its color.
My husband came home one day last summer and asked me if I had ever seen a blue hosta. I told him that we had a couple of what is considered to be blue. Mine haven't grown as large as some of my others. I have several that are about four feet wide. We will be thinning them in the fall.
Pam, you live near enough to me to visit my yarden. You are welcome to come here and see how mine are doing and take home a few slips if you would like to. I am already thinning out a few things. If we are able to make it to the swap I will post before hand what I will be bringing. I remember mailing Wrightie a few things last year. Haven't heard her say how the things are doing though.
Will have to go and check out the swap thread.
Ruby
If you want a nice blue hosta that holds its color fairly well, I can vouch for Krossa Regal, and for Fragrant Blue. Do buy from a reputable hosta specializing nursery. There is a virus called Hosta Virus X (yes, that IS the name, lol), or HVX, that is extremely common at most "box" stores, and even good reputable nurseries. Check the thread(s) in the hosta forum here for more information on it.
One of my favorite blues is a small one called "Blue Mouse Ears". A cuter hosta is tough to find.
Largo'smom, I have never heard a hosta being called cute, but it you say so. ha-ha
I suppose that I need to do some research and see which type mine is.
ruby
Ruby, here is a photo of it in Plant Files, let's see what you think! It looks just like little fuzzy mouse ears.
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/mikey01h_1210119509_171.jpg
I bought it last year, and saw it in bloom at Jody's place, even the flowers are cute. It does get big with age, so it needs dividing to stay small.
Laura
This message was edited May 10, 2008 7:19 AM
do hostas generally do OK in above ground large containers thru the winter?
I think I've read that yellow-type ones take sun better than blue leaf type.
In some places they do fine in containers. It's warm enough in my area for that to be true, though as I did a survey today, it seems that I lost at least one.
Mine are shooting up flowers early this year too.
Laura
Thanks for the picture Laura. That is the same one that I have too. This is one that has stayed pretty small through out it's life. I was able to get two new shoots off of it last year and plant in another shady spot.
If you find out anything else about them, let me know please Sally.
Ruby
Sally: Hostas go beautifully in containers. I have probably several hundred (sigh) hosta that I bought in co-ops, tiny plugs that are now in 4" pots and still small. I've overwintered them in the pots the last 2 winters. I lost 2 plants last winter, but I can't swear those were healthy when winter came. No special protection, even though the plants were small. The only thing to watch out for is winters with a deep freeze and a lot of snow/rain, followed by a thaw. Then you can get 2" of water sitting on top of your container of frozen soil. But even then, hostas are tough, though that will kill other perennials. Some people say to leave your containers on their side over the winter to avoid the water-on-top-of-frozen soil, but I haven't done that. I do keep a slight eye on them, though, and I suppose if that happened, I'd tilt the pots at that time. Of course, some hostas get huge and it just isn't practical to tilt a huge container. Again, I think you'd do fine.
You've probably read tapla's thread in container gardening. I think his recipe is very good. Nonetheless, I use pure compost for potting up plugs, because it is free and abundant in my yard (I also use freecycled pots). But if I were going to establish a large container, I'd use his recipe. I have the ingredients in the garage, so I'm ready to go on that. I have found local sources for the most important of his ingredients. Let me know if you want me to follow up on that.
It's a good thing I don't know anything about overwintering hostas, or I might not have been so lucky. I have one in a pot for the third year. I got it at K-Mart and was gardening in containers on a balcony at Charlottesville. It's a Mrs. Betty something-or-other. The tag got lost during a move. The first year it was skinny and had one flower, last year it was more full and had three flowers. This year, it fills the pot and I haven't seen stems yet, but it is nice and healthy looking.
Ruby, when I finish with my doctoring, I would love to visit your garden. I know where Crozet is, such a lovely little town, still so much countryside around. Slips of your hosta, that is so generous of you. My garden bed building is going slowly, so I might be unable to give them the space they deserve right now. I have two small lasagne-style beds, and I think I may have overdone it on the nitrogen amendments like alfalfa meal, becuse everything looks healthy and green, but flowers are at a minimum. A tour of my garden would take less than two minutes, but I have hope. The wind is howling today and of course we had those intense rains yesterday, so I'm glad I didn't plant some of my little potted things from Fairy's co-op, but I did put a Sashay huchera from Fairy in the bed a few days ago and I swear it's doubled in size from the other that remains in a transplant pot. My fairy co-op cone flowers are looking larger in their pots, and I will get them in the ground as soon as these awful winds abate.
Good gardening!
Largosmom, thanks for the mentioning about the HVX hosta virus. I just bought 2 different kinds from Sams club that are high on the list to possibly have it. Haven't planted them yet, so I just posted on the Hosta forum for opionions about whether or not to plant them if they don't show symtoms right now. Thanks for the warning.
Hi Everyone - Pam, the offer of hosta plugs is open whenever you are ready for them. If you ever plan a trip over this way, let me know beforehand and I will arrrange to show you around here.
Happy, I was glad to hear you say that the hosta did okay with the overwintering. John is planning to divide ours up in the fall and leave over winter before he replants, trades or sells them.
Miata and Largos, I missed hearing about the virus. I will have to go to hosta forum and see what I can find. Thanks for info.
Ruby
If you have already purchased the hostas, there is no reason not to plant them, in my opinion. I would pot them up and keep them in containers to keep an eye on them. The way to prevent spreading the disease is to disinfect tools between working on hostas. It is passed through the plant's sap by cutting into leaves, stems or roots. I use disinfecting wipes becuase they are easy to use. I do this with ALL hostas, so that if I do turn one up that is infected, I can toss it with confidence that I have not been the source of a new infection. Some people use a spray bottle of bleach or bucket of water/bleach to dip the tools into. Try what works for you. The wipes work for me.
Laura
What a good idea, the little bit of bleach in a dip would work better for me, since my clay soil tends to stick to the tools.
Pam, are you going to Jody's swap next weekend?