Last year I got So Sweet labeled as June. Not even close. I can sympathize with you. Paula

I was at Lowe's last week and every hosta they had was labeled, "So Sweet". There wasn't a So Sweet in the bunch.

bk

welllll???

at least that had them labeled as Hosta .. lol

and not pine trees..

ken

Don't laugh! one year I looked at hostas at Lowes,and found one labeled 'hosta'! Duh!! Phil

I was so intirgued by the whole misnamed hosta thing at Lowe's that I stopped at another Lowe's. Everything there was labeled Warwick Essence. They even had U. albomarginata labeled as Warwick Essence. There was one solid green one on the cart, so I bought it in hopes it was Warwick Essence. I think most of what they had was Wide Brim, but there wasn't a Wide Brim label to be seen.

I've ended up with some nice hosta from Lowe's, though. I have an Orange Marmalade from there (it was even labled that). I have a Summer Breeze (can't remember what it was labeled), a Paul's Glory (labeled Forbidden Fruit), Blue Mouse Ears (labeled Love Pat) and an Ann Kulpa from there. I got a nice big fat Wide Brim there last year, too. The demon got it, so I don't know if it will return (same with Paul's Glory)

I think the local supplier for Lowe's buys from a broker who gets culls from someone else and they have no clue what they are.

bk

I love my little 'Tokudama', it's a beauty of a blue, but it was labeled as 'Tokudama Flavocircinalis' at Echter's Nursery in Arvada, CO. Me being a complete rookie last year, I wasn't even suspicious until Steve tipped me off here in the Forum.
No harm done, though. It weathered our heat wave nicely last year, and am awaiting it's emergence with great anticipation.

Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 2:46

I like the tags I've seen at BigBox stores that say 'Hosta'...and then under that it says 'Plantain Lily' as if they're stating that 'Plantain Lily' is the variety LOL...

The BigBox stores should have tags for their 'Gold Standard' that say 'HVX Designer Series'! (Among several other HVX-infested Hosta they sell)...

Don B.

I also got mislaballed ones from Costco. The 4 in the tan pots were all marked wrrong but blue angel and one August Moon but still large plants for $10. Seems to me Myrle said one is sun power or royal standard. now I can't remember

This post was edited by almosthooked on Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 19:20

Thie was bought as Red October but still unknown

Fun looking thread, but I jes gotta mention that all y'all getting Hosta at BigBox stores should be vewwwwy, vewwwwy careful.

I've lost count how many virused Hostas I've seen at those places, along with even every day garden variety (sorry ;-) nurserys. I DO make it a point to show them what's wrong, give them links to where to 'learn more about it', and try to convince them that they should a: destroy the plant, dirt, pot, and b: contact their supplier regarding the problem.

Last spring we went to a very large, well known greenhouse and nursery outlet and was very impressed that the manager brought his staff over to see what I was pointing out and instructed them to bring all the problem plants to him for recording and destruction, woohoo!

Now to the topic of the thread - a few years ago we stopped by a landscaping outfit (end of season bargain hunting, a sneaky source we often check) and found a whole bunch of VERY full pots of unlabeled Hostas. They admitted they had no idea what cultivar they were (landscapers don't really usually care) and gave us a screaming deal.

If you looked carefully at the pots you could see magic marker letters ADG, and they sure did, indeed look exactly like Abiqua Drinking Gourd, teehee. Lucky day!

hh

At one box store a couple years ago I saw two pallets of lancifolia labeled Great Expectations. Upon pointing it out to the worker I was first told they were hosta. I explained that yes I knew they were hosta but they were not the variety that the label stated. I asked if I could speak to the manager, she told me they were young plants and just weren't showing their variegation yet. I assured her that some traits in hostas become more pronounced with maturity, but a variegated hostas will show some variegation right away. My deduction, in some cases you can fix stupid, I decided I would no longer be stupid enough to waste time trying to explain things to someone who really doesn't care. Stupid fixed on my end.

One of my 4 stained glass that I bought from a local nursery a couple of years ago when I had no idea what I was buying...but they looked good.

{{gwi:918162}}

Jon

HH,
I don't think that's fair, unless you also disclose that you are a small, independent hosta breeder and seller. That wasn't the topic. No one asked about that.

bk

bk,

Thank you for implying that my reminder about the deals via mislabeled Hostas, often at big box stores, being potentially hazardous. It seems that since we do have some Hostas for sale and trade for folk who come to visit disqualifies me from commenting about the all-to-common problem of diseased plants at the big box store, at least in your estimation.

Here's a quote from a prior post in this thread:
" Posted by Don_in_Colorado 6a (My Page) on
Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 2:44

I like the tags I've seen at BigBox stores that say 'Hosta'...and then under that it says 'Plantain Lily' as if they're stating that 'Plantain Lily' is the variety LOL...

The BigBox stores should have tags for their 'Gold Standard' that say 'HVX Designer Series'! (Among several other HVX-infested Hosta they sell)...

Don B."

Since you dint flame him, I'm guessing you have something against me, personally, or just hit your GrumpStride when my post came along . . .

Perhaps you work at a big box store that sells Hostas, and are feeling defensive?

As to whether or not my post is sufficiently 'on topic' for this thread, I'll not even bother to return your flame.

Did I pee in your cornflakes at some time in the past, or what?

I still wish you a happy gardening season, really, it's been a long, hard winter for many.

hh the chastised
(crawling away tail between my legs)

This post was edited by hostahillbilly on Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 23:39

After seeing HVX infected hostas at both my local Bigbox stores AND the "best" local nursery in the area, I only buy hostas online now from reputable companies that test for HVX and guarantee they only sell "clean" hosta plants. It's too bad, as I have seen some great hosta bargains the local ignos at the Bigbox stores have mislabeled, but 2 infected hostas in my all-too-small hosta planting area are enough. I don't want to have to replace all my hostas with heucheras!

Does anyone have the latest data as to how many years HVX remains infective in the soil so you can't plant a hosta in that spot?

HH, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be ugly. I'm just tired of the constant drum beat.

Yes, there are HVX infected plants out there. There are also several other viruses. There are nematodes. There are funguses. You can get them from anyone who sells hosta, not just chain stores. That includes dedicated hosta growers.

We go through this every year. Some inexperiened person will say they bought a box of hosta from Costco and want to know how to plant them. A bunch of people will immediately jump on the HVX wagon and tell that person how they are going to contaminate their soil and yard forever if they plant that little box. We go on and on. And usually, we don't answer the question.

I assume the point is to scare them so they don't buy hosta from anyone except "dedicated hosta growers". What we probably do is scare them into never buying a hosta again.

I've been growing hosta for four years or so. I've never seen an HVX infected plant in real life. I've seen what I thought were HVX infected plants. (I was so sure, I bought it, and the test strips to prove it. I was wrong.) I suspect that's true of many who think they see them.

I just don't think it's fair to inject HVX into every conversation about buying from anyone except a "dedicated hosta grower".

bk

My "HVX" plant from Lowe's

I hope all the short fuses are because winter is so long and we all can get along. I think that everyone is trying to help us-- new to hosta -- are really trying to help. I did get one hosta from big box that had the virus but never planted it in the garden, thanks to Myrle and her sister . I thought it just had such unique leaves not realizing what a bad thing I had brought home. We all have to learn and sometimes the message comes out stronger then what is meant and our feelings get hurt. Possibly need to chose our words better and we all are new at one point. I am just lucky to have someonelike Myrle to help me not get into too much trouble ( except for her enabling)

Seems to me that a passion for hostas probably puts many of us Hosta forum posters in a minority among gardeners. Although I know my hostas all by name (and can check my sketches if I forget), I don't know the cultivar names of many other plants in my garden. Most gardeners probably don't know and don't care what the cultivar is, they're just buying the ones they like. And the poorly paid nursery workers (often seasonal, or students) really do have a steep learning curve. So I guess I'm impressed that hostas in many marketplaces are so often CORRECTLY named, given more than 8000 chances to be wrong!

Add to that the problem of reading the tiny tags in the pots away down on the bottom shelf......I understand how customers might pull the tag to read it, and then inadvertently get it back into the wrong pot.....away down there on the ground. lol

Besides - the NOID posts here are quite fun!
Jan

You all have a good day! I like to go to HD to purchase garden supplies. Many times plants are mislabeled, so I chuckle. People working there are paid poorly, so we should not expect detailed knowledge of hosta cultivars. I very rarely see sick plants there, though got HVX once from Walmart (also mislabeled), no hostas from there ever again.

Reading of sports and streakers, have now some streakers myself, I bought a plant from a farm and garden supply store 2 years ago. It was labeled 'Sum & Substance', but was green and had bright white streaks on 3 leaves. I found that interesting because S&S has several sports. It probably was a cull. Last year all streaks had disappeared, and it looked somewhat like 'Sagae', so I wonder how it will look this year.
Bernd

I give everyone the benefit of the doubt that the advise they give is well intentioned and aims to help the new people who might not know about hosta problems including the HVX virus.

It took me years and years to listen to Ken about growing Hostas on the driveway and in the sun. I've been really happy that I finally listened. The adivice and warning about HVX is important to know. The bottom line is that it is a personal choice what we do with that knowledge. I suppose I'm unconventional in my garden because I move my plants around all the time and at the slightest whim. My aim, possibly different than most others, is that my garden look full and pleasing to me this year, right now. I like my plants to grow well but having the absolute perfect conditions and the largest size is not that important to me. I write this not as advice to others but as a confirmation to anyone who might think like I do and choose to go in their own direction. It's your garden - do what you like.

As far as HVX goes, I take it very seriously. I had at least one or two that had the virus before I'd ever heard what it was. I destroyed them and the few they contaminated by me not knowing enough to be careful.

Since that time I do occasionally buy from Box Stores or local nurseries where I know I've seen HVX plants before. I just try to be careful with those plants. I'm not the most organized person so some day I will no doubt slip and should one of the plants have HVX it might cross to another. I'll live with it.

I think HH put it very well and said you should be very, very careful. If you are it's your choice.

I think Bkay made an important point about all the other things that can go wrong with the hostas. Right now tree roots, voles and cutworms have passed HVX on my worry list. Neimtodes are a mild annoyance since they don't show up until late in the year.

Here are a few of my mislabeled plants and a few I bought knowing I was risking the HVX

I 'willed' this plant to become cupped for many many years. It never did and I bought another Abiqua Drinking Gourd. I like this one anyway.

The Canadian Nursery was not Hosta Choice

Took me a couple years to realize this wasn't Fringe Benefit since I could never find a good picture of Fringe Benefit. Eventually, because of a picture of OBL from hostafreak I identified it. I'm very happy with this mistake.

I knowingly bought this plant and took the risk. You can't beat the price and I've keep it in one place, no moving around. So far so good. It's one of my best light centered hostas. The leaves are thick and the it keeps the dark green color even in the sun.

This was from a local nursery where I'd seen cases of HVX in the past. I checked that it was from a different supplier than the virused ones were and took the chance. I hadn't bought this plant from mail order because I'd heard it was hard to grow (it's not). Seeing the large size plant in a pot at a resasonable price seemed worth it to me.

I guess I've seen enough virused looking plants (Hostas) at box stores that I choose not to purchase any from those types of stores. For the past 4 or 5 summers I've been going on some area garden tours and each time I've seen hostas showing signs of HVX in at least a couple of gardens. There is always the dilemma of do you tell the homeowner they have plants that appear to be infected or keep quiet.

Oh, I think there are lots of HVX infected plants in the gardens of America. I don't think there are a lot of HVX infected hosta for sale TODAY (in licensed nurseries). I don't believe it's the primary problem with hosta today. It's my experience that nematodes,anthracnose, southern root rot, cutworms, slugs and unnamed viruses are the more pressing problem.

bk

Well, I still have 5 test strips for HVX that will go to waste around June if I do not use them. I might chance a purchase of hosta from the box stores, if I go home and test it right away. Or, planning ahead, I could take the test kit with me and test it right there. You cannot trust that signs of HVX will be visible at the time of purchase. So I'd be content testing ONE and if it was safe, maybe going back for a couple more. I say that now, but I know the sick feeling I had when I realized that my only three in-the-ground hosta MIGHT BE HVX-POSITIVE. I agonized for a long time over that, until someone (I think it was Steve) logically suggested.....DUH.... test them and KNOW.

I did and I'm now awaiting the spring appearance of Winter Snow and Blue Angel, my first very large hosta, which also came from Lowes.

In the beginning when I got the first order of hosta shipped to Massachusetts, I did not see them, and was trying to make the plants from Plant Delights Nursery fit my order. I could not find two at all that I'd ordered.....one should have been Brother Stefan and wasn't. One should have been Faith and wasn't. I wound up with Satisfaction, which I did not order (but I like it), and an extra Lederhosen (I think) which comes up later than the one I KNOW is Lederhosen.

I could see the mixup for ONE plant, but in a closed operation where customers do not pull name tags at will, I expect some degree of professionalism. And the ability to observe something don't look right in a big table where everything is all the same. Result of that first hosta order from PDN, I spent all my purchasing power at other nurseries. Even though I love the PDN catalog and Tony Avent's descriptive humorous writing, I want what I want when I want it.

And to end it on a sweet note, I gotta drop this picture of "My 'Satisfaction'" which masqueraded as Brother Stefan or was it ........the reversed color? ......before I knew which end was up with hosta....... :).....yep, my first NOID and it broke out in full bloom last APRIL 2012.......once again, it was STEVE who dubbed it Satisfaction, thank you very much!

esther,

HVX does not survive in soil. It can live 2+ years in living plant tissue; roots, crown, leaves, stems...anything alive.

This why you should kill the hosta (glyphosate, Roundup, is the most effective and safest method). Wait until it is dead to the roots...then dig it up.

I would say a few months after the plant has disappeared above ground would ensure the area is 'safe'. Myself, I would wait until the Spring following the treatment to plant any new hosta.

Jon