sum & substance question

16 years ago

I think I read that hostas that are lighter in color do better in the sun. My question is this, ever summer my sum and substance starts out doing well in the sunny spot but later it ends up looking burnt and shriveled....any idea's?

thanks

Kat

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Comments (6)

jspece
16 years ago
How much sun? It is a little unrealistic to expect any hosta to look great all season in full sun. Morning sun is ideal, afternoon sun is hot and harsh.

How much water does it get? The more sun, the more water it will need.

When does it start looking burned? If it is July or after, that is more or less to be expected. Hostas start looking tired in the heat of summer.

Like some wise fellow says...hostas are shade tolerant, but heat intolerant.
esther_opal
16 years ago
Water is your only answer for heat and it must be consistent. I offer they are going through mini droughts even if you feel you water enough. When a hosta wilts it is suffering so you must get ahead of the curve and never allow a hosta to wilt.

I'm saying water in the middle of the day if you notice wilt or what I call droop.
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Well I checked very closely today...and you are all right. There is a margin on the leaves. It is a very subtle margin and you have to look VERY closely to see the distinction in the color, but its there. It is slightly more pronounced on one of the smaller center leaves...but that leaf is below some of the others. So, I guess you are right ... not S&S... I found one photo of the Lady Isobel Barnett you mentioned...which looked very much like this... I am learning so much from all of you...thanks!!!
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It's thirsty, mostly because all hostas are always thirsty, but as Ken said, it's most likely planted too deeply. Dig the entire clump, add some peat moss to the soil to help with water retention, and then set it back in the ground at a higher level. You want the first roots to be no more than an inch below the surface. The mulch, although good for holding in moisture, can also be a problem if it's too thick. A layer less than an inch thick is plenty. Keep in mind that unless you bought the plant from a hosta specialist, there is no reason to think that the person doing the potting knew anything about hostas. Even some hosta specialty nurseries will occasionally pot a plant at the wrong depth. In addition, watering potted plants often causes dirt to splash from one pot to another, sometimes to the point of significantly changing soil depths. Basically this is a case of what you are trying not working as well as you would like, which means it's time to try something else. As you probably already know, all those other hostas in the picture are going to have to be moved in the next few years--S&S at maturity will be 6-8 feet in diameter. I was on a garden tour a few weeks ago, and there were two gardens that had multiple very young S&S planted right at the front of their perennial borders. They looked great, about 18 inches tall with very large leaves and the color was striking, but in a couple of years the rest of those beds will be crowded out completely.
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I transplanted a 4-yr old, 15-pip S&S just around May 19th this year. It was still in pip form but elongated already and started to unfurl a couple of days later. It receives full sun from around 10 a.m. until sunset. A taller peony may provide a bit of shade as the sun swings towards setting and the foliage of a Rose of Sharon will do the same at intervals. Just watered and it is standing nice and tall, no sign of burn anywhere....but it isn't July yet when it gets very hot. Although we have had temps up to 33C the past week, it didn't show any signs of stress. Mind you, having a large bulk of a root system sure helps...it is far from a division which will need copious amounts of water to get those roots going. Here it is today, already in full sun for over an hour ..so far so good.:-) Closer....yes, you notice the tears on that leaf? Uh huh, I stepped on a pip back in April :( Doh! not optimum conditions for good photos, way too sunny, lol. Watching for wilt but the odd curl of leaf is from the heat of the sun, not so much from lack of water. Leaves are turgid. I have hopes it won't burn but won't be that surprised if it does. I will update during the summer if anyone is interested
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S&S is one of the most readily identifiable hostas out there, even to a novice like me. First off - it is a giant hosta, 2nd - it is limey apple green, 3rd - the giant leaves are rather roundish, 4th - the flowers are NOT white. I can go into a hosta garden without being positive of a single hosta ID except for the S&S - there is no doubt about that one! I could go take a photo of mine and post it here but my S&S looks like a standard S&S, so I won't. I didn't post anything about your S&S, nicklesworth. Here is my post about poaky's S&S: >> Poaky1 - that is about the darkest green S&S ever!<< My next follow up post: >>Never seen one with white flowers, either.<< My next follow up post after Poaky1 said her S&S was darker colored because she was growing it in shade: >> Maybe if you were growing them in your basement! Given leaf and flower color I suggest it is not a S&S.<< No response from Poaky1 But I'm not the hosta police. Poaky1 can call her hosta whatever she wants.
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whip1 Zone 5 NE Ohio
16 years ago
If a plant wilts or droops, the damage/stress is already done. The goal is to prevent the stress.
KatKat, What's your zone? How much sun? Southern sun is much harsher than northern sun.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
all hosta start looking ratty during and after the heat of summer sets in ... ALL DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH WATER YOU GIVE THEM ...

i have a dozen SS in full blistering sun.. with drip irrigation.. they look great into fall ...

and you better find the reference about light colored hosta in sun .... is it possible you dreamed it??? .. lol ...

MANY, many hosta do just fine in the sun ... depending on your zone.. and your ability to try to drown them ... and that you dont care if they look ratty by sept ... but they will grow twice as big in the sun.. twice as fast.. given enough water ...

ALMOST ALL whites will burn to a crisp in the sun ... and that would be the 'lightest' color ...

ken
Pat z6 MI
16 years ago
I am not fond of S&S in full sun. Don't like the awful yellow color. My S&S' get some morning and some dappled sun and they are chartruse, the color that looks best to me for them. Wade's old, famous pic of "the world's largest" S&S drives me wild. Mine look great to the very end. Call me crazy.
Pat
hosta_freak
16 years ago
My S&S are in a woodland garden arae,and get that chartreuse color Patann described. I like that color best myself. Phil

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sum & substance question

Comments (6)

jspece

esther_opal

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whip1 Zone 5 NE Ohio

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Pat z6 MI

hosta_freak

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