first off.. what the heck are thinking putting them on the car.. i said they will live on the driveway ... not on the car ... lol ..

why not into the ground ...???

if you insist on pots.. you will need better media ...

you could have.. and still can.. swish them around in 10% bleach if you are worried about the white stuff ...

they look basically dormant.. i wouldnt expect much.. and would expect the petioles to slower desiccate ...

the root mass is the future along with the pips.. and those look strong ...

ken

Thanks Ken, My ground isn't ready yet pots are temporary, I know its not good enough also can't find the bark fines here might end up putting mulch through the food processor yet lol.

Will do the bleach thing tomorrow it don't look nice.

Yes the roots are very good, a good foundation for the future. Paul's Glory has an enormous root system for one eye. These are three times the size of what I have received from another nursery so am well pleased.

The car shot, well, its my naked ladies draped across the hood!

Congratulations, Denis....your "ladies" look great but I'm thinking there are a couple of nekked gentlemen in amongst that bunch of lady hosta!!!

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.....thanks for the pics. BTW: I too think you should wash the white stuff off with ammonia wash but think you've already done it by the time you read this. :-)

Jo

You're well on your way, Denis...Nice order! As Ken already said, the roots look great. So...That's 38 and counting, eh?

Don B.

Glad you got your order,it's like Christmas when they come. You have to try Van den top. I know he doesn't ship this late,but there is always next year.

I agree with stoc, Van den Top is a great supplier, I have bought many plants from him and always been more than satisfied.
Bark fines are pretty hard to get hold of here in the UK.
I have used small decorative pine bark chips and all my plants thrive.
Since I have started using my own potting mix the improvement in root growth has been very noticeable.
Hostas definately don't like a compacted growing medium which is what you get once you start watering the pots regularly.

Here is Sagae back in June.

This was its second year in the same compost.
I will repot with fresh compost in the spring.

I agree with stoc, Van den Top is a great supplier, I have bought many plants from him and always been more than satisfied.
Bark fines are pretty hard to get hold of here in the UK.
I have used small decorative pine bark chips and all my plants thrive.
Since I have started using my own potting mix the improvement in root growth has been very noticeable.
Hostas definately don't like a compacted growing medium which is what you get once you start watering the pots regularly.

Here is Sagae back in June.

This was its second year in the same compost.
I will repot with fresh compost in the spring.

Sorry about the double posting, must have hit the submit twice !!

This post was edited by tiddisolo on Wed, Nov 6, 13 at 5:12

I have washed NBC with the 10% bleach solution and have called on the mountain Gods to protect her!

Jo I know ,I just always seem to refer to my plants as her, she ect.

Thanks Don, I think That I've passed 40 now lol couple of duplicates but never mind , I need to resist buying any more till I get most of this lot in the ground!

Yes stoc the sense of excitement is almost embarrassing lol I'll get over it, I will try van der Top in the spring, Thanks for the recommendation am looking forward to it.

tiddisolo, Where abouts are you in Wales? I lived in Llandudno until I was 8, good memories.
Thanks for the potting mix advise, I will try and find the bark chips in the smallest size, proof is in the pudding eh, gorgeous Sagae!

Hi Mountainy Man, I'm a few miles outside Llandrindod Wells, perched on the side of a hill with great views across the valley with the Brecon Beacons in the distance. We moved here from southeast London two and a half years ago. I have a 5 acre small holding and am slowly expanding my hosta collection to include the large and giant varieties which just wont fit in a suburban garden.
All my plants are in pots at the moment except for one small bed behind the house. I have a steep slope up above the back of the house which is south facing but shaded by an old oak tree. Someday I can see it full of hostas.

Here is the new bed just after planting this year

And Pauls Glory getting bigger and better in the july sunshine

Tiddisolo

Tiddisolo, I am not familiar with that part of Wales but it sounds lovely to have 5 acres with fantastic mountain views, a big change from London, am sure you can fill it with your giant hostas!

Your new bed looks good, in a couple of years the little edger at the front may need moving as the others are going to fill the space, Nice.

What light conditions is your Paul's Glory in to keep looking that good? (trying to figure out where to put mine)

Keep us posted on your progress.

Denis

Hi Denis, The edgers to the bed are all Loyalist, you are right they are going to fill up the space and get too big in a couple of years and will have to be moved as those behind overtake them. They had been sitting in pots for the last two years as I brought them with me when we moved. This year they came back smaller in the spring and were starting to suffer so this was the quickest solution. With luck they will become part of my bed under the oak when the time comes to move them.
The Paul's Glory sat where it is, south facing in full sun for most of the day all summer and showed no signs of suffering at all. I think that a lot of hostas are ok with full sun as long as they are well watered. I avoid putting the white centred or edged ones out as they will burn.others do fine but can lose the more subtle variegation.

Abiqua Moonbeam which also spent the summer in full sun. This was taken at the end of July

Dave

mountainy ....

grenfell's first book lists almost all hosta in full sun in england ...

IMHO... it has to do with the fact that you are 60 degrees north or so .. the sun is just so much more weaker than most of us in the US ...

not to mention the lack of heat which can hurt plants .... at time they simply can not process water faster than they transpire it ... in the high heat of summer ....

so i would not focus too much on placement opinion from peeps who are not in the same circs ... all info is good.. but focus on your reality ...

so as far as i am concerned.. plant all your plants in full sun ... and whatever is harmed over the year.. move it next fall ... no hosta dies in full sun .. they grow with more vigor.. its just how ugly they MIGHT get in august .. or next fall ....

the only ones that i would spend time focusing on.. is large white centers .. and i bet even those wont be much of a problem for you ....

i would love to see the world.. if tidd/dave would start his own post and give us some pix of his greater location.. and garden in general ... i do live gratuitously thru this forum.. lol ...

ken

Well, I think you mean vicariously, Ken. But I agree. Tiddi, start a new thread and show us some pictures of your views of your five acre estate in Wales, and, of course, your Hosta.

BTW, do you support Swansea or Cardiff?

Steve

tiddisolo, thanks, yes the consensus seems to be that most will do fine in full sun hereabouts in the soggy north lol. I had a Patriot in full sun and it lost all the edges in our mini heat wave in july so plan to move her in the spring.
I too would like to see more of your five acres and potential hosta areas.

Ken, Is the book you refer to "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas " which seems to be the earliest of hers on amazon(1996)?
Thanks for your info will take it on board, we more often than not get cool wet summers, this year being an exception , drainage and loosening the soil in the garden will be priority 1 especially in the more retentive peaty areas in shade. I will try a few on the driveway too lol.