Here's another picture of it.

Sure looks infected to me! Dig it up, along with the plant dispose of the soil you dig up with it, be sure to clean the tools used and do not put another Hosta in that location for at least 2 years....

Pieter

Will do! Thank-you! I bought this hosta 4 years ago from a reputable garden centre and it looked like this right from the beginning. I just didn't know about the hosta virus until now so I had no idea it was a diseased plant. Will do what you said tomorrow.

who stepped on it..

and why is it planted so deep ...

why are we not sure its not cold damage.. do we know where she is .. why is only one leaf her crown unfurled???

does she know what to do with her tools .. etc??

something is really weird about it.. but i am not sure its virus ... whatever .. where is chris when you need him???

ken

Nobody stepped on it. It's in a raised garden at the very back corner of my property where nobody goes except for me. Yes I think I probably do have it planted too deep for the small size of it but I also have a lot of mulch in that garden which makes it look even deeper than what it is. It has always looked odd like that, right from the beginning. I always wondered why it didn't have that nice, solid blue colour. It's always looked gnarly and mottled. I'm not sure how it would get cold damage. We haven't had any cold nights since it's come out. Also, when I googled "blue mouse ears hosta virus" I found an article along with a picture that looked just like my plant.

This post was edited by sunnydaysrainynights on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 1:05

get rid of it then

sterilize your shovel after

do not replant hole with hosta for a year or two for sure ...

if other hosta are planted that deep .... we might want to discuss that ... new pix.. new post ...

i was just paying devils advocate...

good luck

ken

No my other hostas are not planted that deep. It's just the way that one ended up because it's so small. I should have dug it up and replanted it but I guess it doesn't matter now since it's always been an ugly mess so it will be going. Raining today so I'll get to it when it's clear again. Thanks again.

This post was edited by sunnydaysrainynights on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 23:41

Blue Mouse Ears is gone. When I was done I looked at every single hosta I own and dug one more up and trashed it (very carefully of course). It was my Regal Splendour. It had callapsing tissue and the inkbleed symptoms. So I've trashed 3 altogether. All my others look fine, so far. My hosta days are over. It's just not worth buying and planting them anymore. No hostas means no hosta virus and if that's how it has to be, so be it.

This post was edited by sunnydaysrainynights on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 1:46

I think you may be over reacting, but to each his own. I'd just be more careful about where I purchase my hostas, educate yourself on viral symptoms and do a careful examination of the plant before you take it home.

Pieter

Sunnydaysrainynights,

I felt the same way when some of my hostas turned out to be infected with HVX some years ago.

Gosh, I'd be heart broken if I lost my RS and my BME even now because of the time I've invested in them. It's possibe that not all of your hostas are infected. Just be careful about cross contamination if you buy any others.

Some years ago, I planted three new Krossa Regals in the same holes where infected ones had been. The infected ones hadn't been planted long (maybe 2 weeks) and I'm sure I removed all their roots, as I dug the holes larger and replaced all the soil. That was in 2007; I didn't know much about HVX then. I wouldn't recommend anyone do that. My Krossa Regals show no signs of HVX but I keep an eye on them and I don't plant any new hostas under them.

You might be able to plant a hosta in the same spot as a discarded, infected hosta if you use spin out bags. I think Bernd has done that. Hope Chris reads your thread and offers an opinion. Don't do that unless Chris weighs in and says it's OK

Hope you don't give up on hostas.

I'm just frustrated is all. I won't buy anymore hostas in the future, ever but I'm not going to give up on the ones I have already. I have too many to just give up on, unless of course they show signs of the hosta virus like my Blue Cadet, Blue Mouse Ears or Regal Splendour did. Regal Splendour was one of my favourites, I'll sure miss it but I'll live. Thanks for the tips. I threw a Daylily in where Blue Cadet was and the other 2 spots don't need anything else. I have Lungwort doing a good job of taking over where Blue Mouse Ears was and Euonymous (don't know how to spell it) taking over where Regal Splendour was. If any of my other ones that I already have, get sick, they'll be trashed but no hostas will ever be bought to replace them. I'll just plant something else. Drastic? Sure, but I'm not a risk taker or gambler anyway. I like to play it safe.

I admire anyone who knows what they want or do not want and sticks to it. Playing it safe affords you control of your own garden to a certain degree. I sincerely hope you don't encounter any more setbacks where your hostas are concerned and that you can continue to enjoy the remaining ones in your garden.

Jo

Thank-you Jo. Me too!!!

Jason

I agree with Pieter. There's absolutely no need to swear off the plant forever. There are a LOT of reputable, disease free Hosta vendors online who are highly trusted. Most are listed at the link below, now go get some more hostas!

Here is a link that might be useful: Best place to buy hostas online?

Ha! Nutmeg, you enabler you! Thanks for the chuckle but no new hostas for me. I have over 50 hostas in my gardens already and with the threat of this hosta virus I have no desire to add anymore, especially since I just got rid of 3 that had the disease and I still don't know if any of my others are infected or not. Only time will tell. I'll have to become obsessed with a different plant that doesn't have the threat of harbouring a nasty virus like this one. Boo for the hosta virus! However at least I know about it now and know what it looks like and can take precautions to make sure it won't spread to any of my new hostas that I bought and already planted this year.

I thought your hosta looked like having a heavy wax coating on leaves which was rubbed off or washed off with a spraying of a detergent. The look is too even, whereas my viruses changed the appearance of the leaf unevenly.

I just got some exercise with sweat out of hosta viruses, dug out two virused hostas (another post) with soil, lined the holes and filled them with MiracleGro Garden Soil. That old soil increased the weight of the garbage can more than I thought, so I do the other virused hosta next week. That work deserved a beer, so I feel good having a better garden now.
Bernd

sunnydaysrainynights, I've lost 4 to hvx, the first time (abt 2005-6) was devastating.....the rest less so as I understood more about hvx. Now I just buy from good vendors and don't worry.....I'm still vigilant, but I don't fear. I try to use good procedures so that I don't risk transferring sap from hosta to hosta. No more cutting scapes. I just clean them up in the spring.....besides it helps me find the pips in the spring.

The main activity for me that could transfer sap is moving hostas. After moving a hosta - scrub the dirt and debris off your tools, then wash with Dawn - or - I keep a can of Lysol in the garage and spray tool till wet after cleaning. I also use stainless steel garden fork, spade, and potting tools - they make clean up easy.

Paul

What is Lysol?

Denis

Lysol, is a disinfectant used in homes and hospitals to kill viruses and bacteria on surfaces.

Paul

Thanks for all the tips Paul. I will certainly follow them. I wasn't too upset about losing Blue Cadet. It was just a piece of my aunts plant so it was a freebie. I still have Blue Jay and Halcyon which are similar. Losing the other two was a little more upsetting. I really loved Regal Splendour. Was one of my favourites. I ended up planting something else in it's spot today (Loraine Sunshine Heliopsis) I have Krossa Regal which grows in the same vase shape as RS. My Blue Mouse Ears was always ugly from day one but I always thought it's size was cute. I have some other small ones like Lakeside Lollypop, Twist of Lime and Teaspoon. I just really hope I don't lose anymore. Fingers are crossed!!!

Thanks Paul, must look for something similar here.

Denis