Congrats, Walnutcreek. That bark mix and the holes in the container likely allowed your Hosta to drain so well that they did not get crown rot this winter. Did you turn the pots on their side? That will also help to prevent crown rot.

Are you in California? We have a number of people in 7b/8a here that grow Hosta. But Babka is our California expert. I'm sure she will join in. Take a look at the pictures in the thread linked below. Babka is in zone 9b and she grows container Hostas very well.

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Running out of Room

Yes thats great. If heat is an issue for you try growing some of the heat tolerant hostas with plantaginea in their lineage. Most fragrant flowered forms have this specie in their make up. Plantaginea is native to temperate parts of China near Beijing and Shanghai which gets very warm and humid. Also all hybrids with this specie in their lineage are fragrant except Fragrant Blue. Approximately 28 hybrids and cultivars are commercially available. Plantaginea itself is beautiful with large green leaves and the cultivar "Aphrodite" is a dbl flowered form and very beautiful when in bloom. This group also tolerates more sun than others as plantaginea is often found growing in bright sunny areas in nature. A few to consider are:
Staineed Glass
Ginsu Knife
Royal Standard
Dark Shadows
Blaze of Glory and others.

I would recommend staying away from any in the tardiflora or kukitti group as these are less heat tolerant then the former group.

Scott

Steve, I did not turn the pots of their sides during the winter. Will have to remember that that is something I probably should do next winter.

I am in Texas, not California. I live in the DFW area.

Scott, previously I grew many of plantaginea including Royal Standard and Stained Glass. They did not do well here with the normal potting method. I may try them again with the pine bark mulch method. However, I am trying to be less aggressive in the number of hostas I purchase until I have 2 or 3 years under my belt using this new to me method - I guess you could boil it down to I am being frugal for the time being.

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement, it is much appreciated.

Well good luck with which ever ones you try. I know the DFA can get real hot in summer as I've been to Houston and there it gets real hot. As an Ornamental Horticulturist I often pride myself quietly sometimes on my ability to grow difficult plants but I too have lost hostas for no apparent reason here in the NE. So give it a second shot as you said. Plants are individual entities like us and why one dies and another lives without reason is not always going to be known.

Scott

Wow, I'm in DFW, too. I'm glad you have had good results. Mary's method is basically hydroponics for those who haven't read her explanation.

However, I've had very good results just growing in pots. I had 4 hosta I've had for probably 15 years. One is Royal Standard, one was labeled Sieboldiana Elegans, one was albo marginata and another was Diamond Tiara, I think. I threw away the Diamond Tiara last year as it had some kind of virus. The other three are still going strong.

I understsand you have to have VERY amended soil to grow in the ground. However, the arboretum has done well with hosta in the ground. Some varieties have done really well. Last August, on that first day we had less than 100, I went to see how the hosta had fared. Many were totally fried, most were somewhat fried and a few looked descent. They're treating them like azaleas, though. The beds are raised and amended for acidity.

I'm happy you're enjoying your hosta. Maybe we can improve the offerings at the nurseries here. I was just griping on another thread about how expensive and common the hosta are that are available here.

Glad to have you join us.

bkay

These are some of the better ones from the Arboretum last summer:

{{gwi:935002}}

{{gwi:949578}}

Hooray! Hooray! Congrats for your perseverance, where others might have given up. The rewards are certainly worth it. ;-)

Steve- My zone sounds high, but our Summer temps here don't go much about 80 degrees and the evenings are always cool, so my experiences with hostas won't help those folks who get hot Summers. However, I put all mine into mini-bark for the excellent drainage, and once soaked, it has amazing water retention.

-Babka

Very interesting information. Having another zonally challenged hosta gardener will be a benefit to us all. I keep thinking the hosta growers must know something, if they are beginning to ship more of them to the southern market.

I'm on my first go-round of hosta fascination, Walnutcreek! I did not hold back on my selections, and I think in all I WILL have (when they are all delivered) somewhere near 78 different named hosta. Finding the right containers has been a challenge too.

Most of mine will have the commercial potting mix, since I have 2 small truckloads of it on order, half bark, half the potting mix I think it is. Supplementary shade is another thing in the works also. By that I mean, tenting shade cloth between two pecan trees where I plan to loate the hosta garden, once all of them are spreading their leaves.

I have about three hosta which I'm concerned about, they are not peeping as nicely as I expected, and those three are White Elephant, Dick Ward, Victory, and maybe Brother Stefan. I thought I'd lost Brother Stefan, but I found this one pot which had a stiff sharp pointy eye not yet up, but I could FEEL it barely above the soil. I'm hoping it is the original Brother Stefan, even though I ordered a replacement for it.

One thing I'm discovering is the really heavy substanced hosta can endure more punishment in temperatures. I might be jumping to the wrong conclusion, but the more tender leaves get limp quicker, they feel so fragile, where the toughies hold up pretty well.

If someone can say whether I'm wrong about the importance of substance when choosing hosta for southern locations, I'd appreciate it.

We have three different ways of doing things in the higher zones. The Arboretum makes 4. AND, they all work for that person. We all love our hosta, that's all I can say.

bkay

bkay, thanks for the pictures, I really like the Sun and the X-rated. Will have to look them up and see specs on them.

While Googling for a particular sedum yesterday, a nursery showed up as having it, so I clicked on the link. Wouldn't you know they also had hosta so I could not prevent myself from looking at their offerings. I feel in love with Devil's Advocate (I don't remember seeing that one before) and went ahead and ordered it. I vowed that I will not order more hosta this year.

bkay, would you mind sending me an e-mail so that I can contact you if I have any questions. BTW, you take beautiful pictures.

Again, I want to thank all of you for cheering me on.

Sun Hosta isn't in the books. It's patented, but not registered. I emailed the guy who developed it. He's with Grolink, which is a major wholesaler. Chances it won't be at the specialty hosta growers. It's very similar to So Sweet and is a sport of it, in fact. So Sweet is easy to find and reasonable in price.

I bought the X-rated from AAhostas. It's not on his website, though. The squirrels have given it hell, though. (They just love to dig up small hosta.) I loved the Victory and bought it, too. (yes, I know, I can't spell)

Someone in Florida bought Sun hosta at Walmart a month or so ago.

I'll email you.

bkay

I looked at our WalMart and it had no hostas at all, just like it had only one kind of sedum, and it was not the one I wanted.

Thanks for the info about the squirrels and X-rated - we have lots of squirrels.

What is AAhostas, please.

Walnut Creek, I am so glad you had success with your hostas. After last summer's brutal heat, I wasn't sure if any of mine would be back. I lost Blue Mouse Ears, Frosted Mouse Ears, Rhino Hide, First Frost, and Seducer. There are a few that were set back some, but overall, I am pleased. I have something like 400 hostas, and I also agree that the thicker leaves tend to do better here. I don't turn my hostas on their sides. There are too many to try and do that. I also suspect they might dry out too much in our climate. I may give it a try with some duplicates next year just to see. I try to keep the fallen leaves out of the pots because in early spring there is a danger of rot from the leaves touching the crowns. In a couple of cases, the mulch settled and took the crowns down lower than I would have liked, but only one of those rotted. I wish the colors were as bright here as they are up north, but they are still stunning plants. I think in time there will be more heat tolerant hostas developed,and maybe we will see better color. I am praying we don't have a repeat of last summer. Once every thirty years is enough!

I certainly admire the tenacity of you "desert dwellers" in challanging the hosta extreme ranges. My most southern efferts were in Northern Arkansas, but I did have water and heat issues.
As I was getting settled in, I bought some of the sleeved pot combos with the idea that I could move a potted hosta from spot to spot without root disruption until I found a place it seemed "happy" simply by moving the pot from one sleeve to another. Another advanantage, I felt, was the ground would keep the roots cooler in hot weather.
I am not so convinced in "heat Zone" rather "cold hardiness" that Northern Arkansas is that far removed frm DFW. grown in the bark medium in the sleeved pots my hostas did wonderfully.
I realized it would be too expensive for large collections, but it is fun to play with.

I have to do some PT right now, so have to cut short. Goood Luck.

Les

AAhosta.com - Avalon Acres hosta.

bkay

That's AAhostas.com

White Oak has it, too.

bkay