what did yo do wrong.. you bought them .. i lost all mine within a year or two also ...

dont understand covering them ... but it doenst matter.. they were mice.. [the whole barrel thing could be a problem ]

yes.. i know.. now you will get pix from the3 peeps who havent lost them ...

do not replace .. IMHO ...

ken

In zone 3b, and this past winter, most likely it was the weather that did them in and not anything you could have done, save having planted them in the ground instead. In a barrel they would have been exposed to the cold more than the ground. Or you uncovered them too soon and the spring rains rotted them before they had the chance to wake up. A good many of us lost hostas in pots this year, including me. I'm going to make the effort to put the survivors in the ground, somewhere, even if it means they get full sun, because their chances of survival are better there than in a pot. I'm tired of losing hostas in plastic coffins. And to note, I only started losing them when I moved back to Michigan. Never had a problem over-wintering them when I lived in Ohio. The weather isn't that much different, but I think the way I was able to store them here versus there was different.

Karen

Tks Tepelus and Ken
U are probably both right. We had a severe winter and excess moisture this early Spring if I try again with these I will either bury them in the Fall or try something else. ken I cover the large barrels with leaves in large plastic bags for extra insulation .

Faye, most of us lose our potted hosta from rot in the spring. What happens is that they get wet for some reason (rain, watering, melted snow or ice, etc.) and don't dry out. The crown rots and the hosta is lost. The hosta roots love lots of moisture (people grow them in water), but not the crown. The crown is the area between the leaves and the roots.

The trick seems to be to keep them dry until they pips are well developed. Some people cover them, some tip them over on their sides and some put them in unheated sheds.

Welcome to the forum.

bk