Hey...glad to hear the newsletters are arriving :) We had a few people out today, but it just wasn't a very nice day out. I'm glad it is supposed to warm up next week.

Yes, HVX is definitely here. I'm hearing Lowe's and Home Depot have lots of infected plants. If it doesn't look right, leave it. Even if a few plants in a group look bad, chances are they are all infected.

You can do a search for the complete article on our website. The one in the newsletter was an abrieviated version.

I'm glad the Black Hawk Extention Office is aware of HVX...I've heard other offices don't have a clue and won't listen when someone tries to tell them about it.

Josh

Been keeping a watchful eye out for it in my gardens since last year, keeping new plants quarantined since two years ago, and am thinking twice about acquiring any new hostas this year. I don't know who to trust.

I had bought 8 hostas from Lowes. After awhile 7 of them started to get spots. This was before the freeze. I got scared and pulled them and took them back. They were good about taking them back. I went to the green house area to look again at the hostas. I seen a lot I didn't like. Really look close at the plants your buying. I've decided not to buy anymore for a year or so.

What is the web site address for In the Country Garden & Gifts? I tried just that with no results. Thanks.

Here you go.
http://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/

Saw mottling and deformed leaves at Mills Fleet Farm's garden center on over half the hostas there, but Earl May had one hosta showing very telltale signs. The manager at Earl May was offended that I suggested such a stupid thing and didn't believe me. I'll print off a couple pictures and point them to Hallson's ongoing forum entries on it and Josh's info and the American Hosta Society's stance on it, and hopefully they will see I wasn't making up stories. I encourage everyone else to do the same, if you encounter it. We need to get the word out. There are quite a few people I would have expected to know about this and they are oblivious to it.

we have had no reports at lowes in coralville iowa we ahev same suppliers I suggest you tk bk and have lowes spec. or mnger check this, as ive said we have had NONE andsure dont want this getting around that all lowes have a prob and please indenify for SURE thank you , I work serv lowes in coral ville garden center so in know we dont.

No one has complained at the Coralville store...doesn't mean they don't have infected plants. If all Lowe's stores buy from the same suppliers, chances are high that they do have infected plants. It is possible no one aware of HVX has been through the Coralville store to see the problem and complain. If you have visually seen no symptomatic plants in the store, that still means nothing. If you've read any of the info on HVX, you know that it can take up to 4 years for an infected plant to show symptoms.

Check around the internet...there are plenty of confirmed infected plants found at Lowe's. You are right...this does not mean that all Lowe's stores have infected plants, but the risk is high enough that I would not recommend anyone who collects hostas buy hostas from Lowe's or any other big box store.

what im trying to say is earl may hyvees etc use some of SAME suppliers as LOWES, so you should be telling people its not safe ANYWHERE now not just single out lowes etc. thank you, i know this as fact as ive given directions to a truck driver to hyvee and ive seen a suppliers name at earl mays i knew as one of ours too.just so everyone knows .

HyVee, Menards, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and even Earl May would fall under my "big box store" description. I'm not singling out Lowe's. HVX definitely can easily be found in many other stores.

i checked with the garden spec. today at lowes even some landscaping places use same suppliers. so best not buying at all if prob is great, anyway one supplier we and sev others have is TRI-B so you may want to check info on if theyve had prob with the virus.

I think I have my first case of HVX in some new plants I got this year. I'll try to get a picture of it. The plant's name is Bright Lights and it's looking like a text-book example of HVX. Right now I have it isolated in a new hosta bed with about a 5 foot clear radius around the plant. I haven't shovel pruned it as of yet, I just kind of want to watch it a bit first.

Diann
IA Z5a