Truly a labor of love. You done good! They all look PERFECT to me! (Although I still hate perlite). I think you will be duly rewarded in the next few weeks. Keep taking photos as they unfurl. What fun!

-Babka

Very nice,but you need to get those suckers in the ground! Some of them will be very large plants,and need room to grow. I never amend my soil,and hostas grow quite well here. Just my opinion. Phil

Thanks for the photos. You're well ahead of me. You must really like Andrew. : )

Steve

Wow Ludi - how exciting it will be in your yard in the next few weeks - I'm envious since mine have yet to start poking up.
Question - why three 'Andrews'? I have avoided that one since I've read it is difficult, although it certainly is pretty.
Jan

I looked down through your plants, amazingly we only share three types !

With only 1 exception, I have never amended my soil either.

You probably already know this, but top soil belongs on the earth, NEVER in pots. That's where your compaction problem came from.

Babka - It is a labor of love, but so worth it in the end. I'm not a fan of perlite either but I found this new potting mix called METRO MIX and it is delicious. It feels like air and the water just runs right through. The perlite floats, but I suppose I could skim it off the top - kind of like when you boil potatoes. :)

Phil - agreed, I have plans to put them all in the ground . . . as to when . . . I'm still working on that part. :p
I really want to take my time and think about where I want them to live for the duration. The soil could probably support them just fine as is, but I would feel better if they were planted with the intention of permanency with some nice soil to dig their roots in. I'm not in any hurry and will get them in the ground when the time is right. Until then they can live the posh life in pots. :p

Steve and Jan - I usually do a bunch of research before I end up deciding on anything to buy, and all research for Andrew pointed to “don't waste your time”. But for some reason, I am bewitched by the foliage. The combination of the three colors along with the twisting of the leaf and overall size just scream “showstopper”.

The reason I have three is I ended up ordering the first two Andrew from Hostas Direct. This was before I joined the forums and found out about other, better, retailers. I am not one to bash and I don't like to start drama, but I was so utterly disappointed with Hostas Direct. When I placed my first order with Naylor last year I saw he had Andrew as well and knew that Gary's plants were no joke, so I bought the third to act as a back up in case the two pip squeaks I got from HD petered out on me.

Then come to find out that there was a bad batch of Andrew at some point (thank you Mocc and Chris) and I'll probably end up getting a fourth once the new TC batches have been out for a while. If after four attempts I can not get one to maturity then I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Suppose I'll pick up the bad habit that is Great Expectations once I'm over Andrew. Glutton for punishment.

Leafwatcher - I'm such a fuss bucket when it comes to the hostas I decide upon. I would love to be of a Collector's mindset and be able to justify the purchase simply because I don't already own it, but I seem to be leaning more toward the Gardner side where I'm looking for aesthetics versus functionality or quantity. Prime example of that is my obsession with Andrew despite it being a poor performer.

I'm curious what three you share with me ? I'm also curious if I enabled you a little. :p

Melissa - you sure said it :) I was showing my inexperience when I thought I'd cut corners by mixing 50/50. Only later did I read Ken tell someone else:

“Mother Nature does not belong in pots”

and that was when I knew I was in trouble, but it was already too late in the season for me to repot last year. I watched them like a hawk when they were thawing since I knew the top soil would hold too much water. Despite the horrid potting mix I concocted they all pulled through and will hopefully have a much better year in their new posh mix. :)

Thanks everyone for checking out my thread. :) I'll be posting an update soon, so stay tuned.

Ludi

Bump for updates :)

Love the choices you have for hosta and I dare not write any more down or I will have to dig up the rest of the lawn. I too have been taking pictures of the ones I purchased this year to record their growth but so far it is too cool at night to plant them. Soon all the ones will all be up in the gardens and I can count pips to see how much they have grown/ Keep the pictures coming Ludisia

June,Stained Glass,Kiwi Full Monty !

Those are our common plants. I am almost afraid to learn of new types, as my best spots are taken already. hahaha

I have a couple spots that may be shady SOMEDAY when My Japanese Tree Lilac gets bigger.. Its oh so small..and I wished I had bought one of the bigger more expensive ones MANY times. But alas waiting is the price you pay for gardening it seems ;)

Love your parade, Ludi!
I have more than a few of the same hosta:
Curly Fries......Forbidden Fruit......Golden Meadows.....
Half And Half .....Irish Luck.....June....LS Paisley Print....
Night Before Christmas....Red October.....Sharp Dressed Man
Stained Glass .... Sun Power ....Volcano Island ....Woop Woop

I think both of us like the fine hosta coming from Naylor and the HL Auction offerings!

Do not want to pollute your thread of hosta school pictures, but look elsewhere for my photo of Orange Marmalade, which I think is one you'll enjoy as well. It is related to its tetraploid descendent, Forbidden Fruit. My Orange Marmalade is up and looking lit from within this year.

I also suggest you get Diana Remembered, a sweet fragrant hosta who loves to have Sharp Dressed Man as her close companion!

I'll show a new thread as "suggestions for Ludi." with pictures. Then with your usual deliberate process, decide for yourself.

Curly Fries
Earth Angel
Stained Glass
June
Frisian Pride
Elegans

Are the ones I have (that you have). That looks like a lot of work. Your hostas should be happy now.

Beverly

edited to add Elegans

This post was edited by BeverlyMN on Fri, Apr 19, 13 at 22:10

Awesome, Ludi! I like the way you created this thread. Thanks for the updates. By the way, I was curious, how did you discover 'Elegans'? Was it already growing on the property when you moved into your current home? Or something else?

Thanks again for the thread!
Don B.

Ludisia, I love your thread and all the effort you made to take pictures of your lovely hostas. I am looking forward to seeing their transformation!

Thanks NewHostaLady :) I'm glad you're enjoying them. Anything I can do to enable. :p

Beverly, I love how you edited to add Elegans :) Can't forget her !!!

Don,

The Three Graces Elegans were here long before I moved in to this house. I did some research and guess-timated they were at LEAST 10 years old, but most likely older. At one point the previous owners had professional landscapers come out and do something with the front yard. What they did design is barely evident today since there has been little to no maintenance over the years.

This June will be three years for me in the house. I did not garden the first year since it was already June when I moved in and I had a lot of transitioning to do.

But last year one day, I was walking up the stairs to the front door and was smacked in the face by a cyprus that had grown too far onto the walk.

It's kind of funny because it was almost like the shrub was trying to tell me something because I never looked at the front yard in the same way after that. I had never really stopped to look at the gardens before. Now that I had I saw a weary jungle.

I was determined at that point to make something of this overgrown mess. FIRST thing I did was rip out the Cyprus. Teach him to smack me around.

Buried amongst the overgrowth were these three huge hostas. I was no stranger to hosta, having them while we were growing up. I had just never seen them so big before. We always had the undulatas.

I didn't know what type they were, nor did I know that hostas even came in a shade of blue. I was charmed and instantly had a sort of respect for them. Even after all these years and so much neglect, they stood strong and even prospered. I dubbed them the Matrons of my garden. :)

So I set out to try and identify what they were. I discovered Garden Web . . . posted an ID post . . . Steve Mass nailed it . . . and the rest is history. :)

Now, less than a year later I am at over 100 different cultivars.

Hi my name is Ludi, and I am a budding hostaholic. :)

Ludi, I revisted this thread to catch up on your photos.
You should be pleased with the results of all your studying and hard labor. There isn't a slacker in the bunch.

I especially noted that June makes a precise ring of her five (now 6 or maybe more) pips. The colors of the sheathing of the eyes is vivid, and not just a camera effect. They look healthy, happy, and very well tended.