I wouldn't call it a strong preference for one over the other but I can attest to excellent plants received from N.H. Hosta that have thrived in my garden beds for a number of years.

I've only ordered from Green Mountain once, but their plants were huge. There is no way you could put their root systems in a 4.5 inch pot. I don't know if it would change anything, but they were older varieties.

bk

pot vs earth

it might be a generalization... but the northern growers prefer earth ... the further south... pots ...

over wintering pots... is a nightmare in the great white north ... especially on the volume that growers would have to mess with them ...

i was once talking with two of the big growers... and complained.. i lost 9% of my pots over winter [like 100!!!] .. they laughed and said that if they ONLY lost 9% ... they would be making a lot more money ... [wade and solberg]

but for your order.. its not really relevant ... the plant itself.. the one you receive.. doesnt care ...

it also has to do with winter vermin.. tissue culture sizes .. zone.. greenhouses... etc ....

we have favored vendor posts somewhere around ... your two choices are somewhere in the middle ... though i dont recall ever hearing a bad word about them ... [not that i studied it all with any interest] ...

for the hardcore.. it usually boils down to the size sent.. for the money paid ... which you learn by experience ... or opinions of our GW friends ...

ken

If you want, say 'Instant Gratification', I'd go with Green Mountain, they sell very good-sized divisions, usually mature pieces. I've ordered from them several times and have always been happy.

NH Hostas, the plants they sell are probably about two growing seasons old, they'll obviously be smaller, but in my experience with NHH, the plants are in great shape with good roots. I bought a few dozen from them in summer 2012, and they are looking great, with just a couple of exceptions.

Hope this helps,

Don B.

youse guys is great! thanks so much.
mindy

It's interesting. The owner of NH Hostas says that , being grown in pots saves the hosta from the stress of being divided and replanted, so they have a quicker groqth rate once planted. I also found it very interesting what ken said above, re vermin, because that same owner has a video about castor oil (which he uses) v.s. voles and mice. Which is why I asked this thread question, because i didn't know if the NHHostas guy was rationalizing why pot grown are better than field divisions, a fact which he repeats many times on his website.
mindy

I have no opinion on either grower...I've never ordered from either. Just some general thoughts...

When a plant is dug and divided, there will be root loss. No way around it. Pot grown plants have a fully intact root system. Little to no stress, damage, or set back.

Also consider that field grown plants potentially carry a higher risk of virus infection. Not just HVX. Any time a plant is cut or dug, there is a chance of infection. Even with the most careful practices, there is a chance. Assuming the pot grown plants were virus free TC's to start, they should remain clean.

Personally, I am hesitant to buy field grown plants any more.

Very nicely answered Josh. Field grown hostas are usually planted really close together and tend to grow much taller than pot grown.

After you receive the dug plants you will need to tie the leaves up as they are used to being crowded and held up by other plants. You may also have to do this with potted plants but they recover much faster.

Field grown plants take much longer to recover from the stress of being dug.

I am with Josh, would much rather have a potted hosta because of the HVX or other viruses which can be passed along in digging.

Hello, Arbo_Retum....seems I saw you recently on the NE Forum.

If you go to YouTube, you can find many videos by the owner of NHHostas. Depending on your experience with hosta growing, you might find a couple of them informative.

I go primarily with the hostas which come with the largest root system because it is difficult to raise them to that size in my climate. So many issues, including bugs and squirrels and lots of water and small plants getting killed by insufficient dormancy. But yours will all go dormant and sleep well very soon now, until next May.

Glad you dropped in. Come back often.

Trudy and Josh, you both seem to endorse pot grown plants.

So that I am sure we all understand your point, are you saying that a hosta x grown in a 4.5 inch pot could be a better hosta than a hosta X with a huge root system?

By better, I mean a year (or 2) later, The hosta x I bought that was pot grown will be a larger, more mature hosta than the field grown hosta x. Is that what you are saying?

Or are you saying that the hosta x grown in a pot is less likely to have issues with viruses and insects than the hosta x grown in the ground?

I'm in the same situation as Mocc. I'm not in prime hosta territory. I have a difficult time with finicky ones when they are really small. It seems as if when I get larger starts, they survive better. Often, when I receive a really small plant, they stay that way for a few years and die. I'm in Texas, so, of course my experience applies to almost no one except me.

bk

bk...my primary concern with field grown plants is the disease potential. As you know, virused plants can not be cured and they do not always show symptoms. In the case of HVX, the plant may have been in your garden for several years before your realize there is a problem. By then, it has possibly spread to its neighbors and that area of your garden can no longer be used to grow hostas. That is my main reason for avoiding field grown plants.

The size and growth potential is of lesser concern to me. I'd rather have a somewhat smaller, healthy plant. Also, back when I did buy field grown plants, there were times those divisions had just two or three roots. Field grown does not always mean bigger. How they develop after being planted is so dependent on the conditions they are grown in, it is hard to say which will be bigger after two years. A pot grown plant, though, does not have to regrow the roots a division would have to.

Thanks for clarifying that Josh.

bk