Thanks everyone!!! This is exactly what I wanted to see and hear. I've got WS containers that are thick with sprouts that I definitely want to plunk in so there's a huge, healthy display next year rather than puny "specimen" plantings here and there. I want masses of blooms rather than a flower here and another one over there. Last year (my first to WS) I planted a few things HOS/PAR. They're looking good so far this year and I should know later this season how they fare.

Could also mean you've got a pot full of dessicated peat that's just sitting there in a big solid lump and the water is running down the inside edge of the pot and out the bottom. In that case that's bad, because the roots never get any water. A picture should make it pretty obvious which you have.

I will also have a challenge with providing adequate shade from the extended heat and sun in south Alabama. Look at the road atlas, where I-65 ends it intersects with I-10, and we live about 2 miles south of I-10. Between a river and Mobile Bay, but with the highest elevation in my neighborhood, which is 22 feet above sea level. Yeah, some neighbors have only 3 feet shown on Google Earth. This info prefaces what I am considering for later this summer. I have a 100' roll of 90% shade cloth, about 6 foot wide, purchased from Home Depot. I'm considering hanging it like a tent draped across a rope between two pecan trees in my new "back forty" shade space. That space is about as shady as it gets until the sun goes down below the roofline or the tall pine trees of my neighbor across the street. I know hosta are supposed to be SHADE TOLERANT, and get SOME SUN, but I don't want them to totally incinerate! If I get it strung up, the corners will be attached to fence posts 7-8 feet up in the air, and the rope hung at least 12 feet up. I figure it might use up to 75 feet of my 100 foot roll. Hopefully it will endure ONE season anyway. Babka, I've always liked the Japanese gardening style. Also, the architectural style. Sadly, so much of Japan is crowded now and there is not enough space to indulge in the classic design such as your home. My favorite Japanese feature is the tonsu chest. A chest which is a step-chest. Such an object is dear to the heart of a mariner, because it wastes NO SPACE, serves more than one purpose. Thinking about plant selection for Japanese style gardens, I realize they have many plants which have no period of defoliation. Camellias, azaleas, bamboo, conifers, little loss of leaf. And I think the J. maples tend to drop and get it over with, quite neatly, rake it up and be done with it. But that is another forum's discussion. Except where hostas fit into the landscape. Hmmm, forgot to mention what I started out to say. They sell shade sails which can create more shade if that is your problem. Like, a sail across the driveway can keep potted hosta happy there, while also covering your parking space. Such posts for high tension sails must be very sturdy, but they look pretty good.

First of all, pictures are worth a 1000 words. Please post pics. Second, I think you probably have a moisture issue with the soil in particular. Fans and warmth/sun should help that out. I am not real familiar with your soil mix but that could be a problem. Plants love compost if it is properly composted. But compost that isn't broken down well enough or made up of the wrong materials is not good. If you have water in the pan or basin after watering, then that is likely the ultimate cause of the soil being so wet for so long. But I think you are on the right track in that the real problem might be the water left in the pans. Those 4" pots are wicking that water up constantly and the roots never have a chance to dry out and breath. Water the plants, then place them in a basis or open shelf that is dry, when they get dry, water them again. You can water bottom up or top down, that is not the issue. You can check the moisture content of the soil by poking a wooden stick, dowel, popsicle stick, etc into the soil. If it comes out clean, you likely need to water. If it has soil particles stuck to it, the soil has enough water. Oh, in case I forgot to tell you, pictures are not only important but very much appreciated on this forum. Bruce