Sorting hostas by size

14 years ago

I 'think' I have sorted the hostas I have ordered into groupings by size, I thought that would be the best way to start preparing who goes where.

Would like know if I have the sizing correct.

I'd also like to hear if any of the hostas listed are finicky or difficult. If so I can pay special attention to any that might be difficult, or even worse, a dud.

One thing I have noticed in reading the forum is that for every dud for one person, there is someone else who has no problems with the same hosta.

Am just hoping I haven't selected too many of the difficult ones.

Anyway, here is my list.

Small/dwarf

Baby bunting-4.5" pot

Tiny tears-4.5inch

Teaspoon-4.5inch

Limey Lisa, 4.5inch pot

June-medium

Striptease,medium

Touch of Class-Medium

Janet-small/medium

captain kirk-medium

Marilyn monroe-medium

Korean snow-medium

Cinnamon sticks-medium

Whirlwind-medium

Tokudama Flavocircinalis-large

Love Pat ,-large

plantaginea Aphrodite-large

PaulÂs Glory,-Large

Thunderbolt-large

Spilt Milk,-large

Paradigm-large

Dawn's early light-large

Bressingham blue-large

Emerald Ruff Cut-large

Queen of the seas-large

Golden Meadows-Large

Niagara Falls,-giant

Krossa regal-giant

Guardian angel-giant

LakeSide Shoremaster-Giant

Thanks,

Helen

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Comments (11)

donrawson
14 years ago
Helen,

As far as I know, all of the ones on your list are good growers. A few such as Love Pat and Tokudama Flavocircinalis will grow a little slower than the others, but they are not difficult to grow IMO.

Concerning size, I think you've done a pretty good job dividing them up. I'd probably put Krossa Regal and Lakeside Shoremaster in the large group because there are others in your large group that will get just as big as those two.

You've got some real beauties there! :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
hey

thunderbolt is an IMPROVED GE ... it will probably die.. but the peeps who have success tend to be up your way ... lots of bright light for this one...

otherwise.. you have some old classics .. some new.. a nice selection ....

but do understand.. size is more about leaf size.. rather than clump size ... the clump can get large.. and cover ground.. even on what you might call medium ones ...

i have .. one of my favs.. a 15 year old clump of tiny tears.. that is about 8 inches round .. i wouldnt be surprised that there werent 50 crowns in there ..... you might put that in the mini category ....

in fact a lot of what you have marked as large .. i would tend to call med-large .... like ERC ....

i would move krossa regal more toward the large group.. rather than giant .... because of its vase shape ... since it holds it leaves upright.. it doest cover as much space as some giants who tend to umbrella them in a large circle ..

ken
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Yeah, I've decided I can sacrifice a little size now that my small garden is getting pretty full anyway. I do like the look of mature leaves, though- the size, texture, pebbling, etc. That I don't want to lose. I'd rather have them in the soil, but if being in the soil means that a nasty little vole can come along and eat all the roots while I'm not looking, then the pot is looking like a better option. My soil is not hard to dig to accomodate a large sunken pot because all the soil is was brought in for my raised beds and it's very loose because I made sure not to walk all over it. The loose soil also makes it easy on the voles, from what I gather. Denny, you don't find that your container potting mix gets too compacted? Today I repotted two hosta that were bought last year (and never planted in the ground. Lakeside Ripples and Lakeside Cha Cha. About the same size right now. LR was in a nursery pot within a larger ceramic pot with some mulch at the bottom of that pot (unintentional). The roots were way, way out of the drainage holes when I lifted it and I had to cut it out of the pot. Cha Cha had a tiny root system by comparison and the soil seemed like dense mud. I believe that one was left in last year's Miracle Grow and Ripples was potted earlier this Spring in my looser mix. So either one is just a better grower, or the looser mix really allowed the roots to go wild. Not sure which is better for long term potting? CapeHorn, I don't know how to post pics on this board but drawstringing is when the center of a leaf grows faster than it's light margin, resulting in leaves that look as if they had a drawstring around the edge of the leaf that got pulled. My Barbara Ann did that last year and it looks like bkay's did it too, from that pic. This year Barbara Ann was ok for me, but Tom Schmid did it to some extent (not bad), and Blue Ivory had terrible drawstringing. So I plan to not water any of my blue leaved ones with white margins in the Spring from now on.
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maggiepie_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Don and Ken, thanks for your input, I admit I am feeling a lot happier about my choices now.
I spent a lot of time in the forum reading comments and looking at pics, crossing out names and adding others.
I am going to have fun playing with the seeds from these.

Ken, I am really glad you mentioned that size is more than clump size, I hadn't taken that into consideration.
I would love to see a pic of your Tiny tears clump, I have only seen it once at a nursery where it was in the garden and was growing as a ground cover.

Helen
idiothe
14 years ago
I split up a clump of Teaspoon that was closer to 2' in diameter than 18". A well-grown clump of Baby Bunting will have smallish leaves, but as Ken points out, the clump can easily be 18". Limey Lisa tends to be kind of a spreader.

Keeping any hosta in a pot will tend to keep its clump size and leaf size smaller than they are in the ground.

My Guardian Angel, unlike Blue Angel, hasn't gotten even to a large plant aften a decade...
maggiepie_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Do you have any pics of your Teaspoon before you divided it?
Would love to see it.
I have to say I really like the idea of good size clumps of the hosta with tiny leaves.

Helen
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
TTears in 2005 .. i dont know about 18 inches.. lol ...
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cant grow BAngel ... but here is a 10 year old Guardian angel.. one of my absolute favs ..
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let me guess .. i enabled you all to put it on your wanted lists ... lol
maggiepie_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Ken, does Guardian Angel keep all its markings for the entire season, your plant is absolutely wonderful.
I expect it changes colour but does it keep as many colours?
Am so glad I have one ordered, just hope I don't have to wait ten years for it to look fantastic.
Might not be around in 10 years!!!

The tiny tears clump is a real little beauty, thans for posting the pics.

Helen
frdshox3
14 years ago
Wow! Wish I was getting a haul like that!

The only one Hosta I have ever had a problem with was Marilyn Monroe. She seemed to be much more "delicate" then the others for me. I'll be surprised if she makes it back this year!
maggiepie_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
frdshox3, this is a one off splurge for me. Would you believe I started out looking for just one hosta and then fell into this forum?
I can't believe how long the list grew.
Thanks for the tip on MM, I will make it a point to keep a close watch on her.

Helen
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
GA comes out blue and cream [you can sorta see it in the first pic of the furled leaves] .. and the center dulls with the green you see in the last pic ....

you are welcome

ken
maggiepie_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Ken, the last pic looks as though it has a dozen different shades of blues, greens and creams.
I know different cameras and monitors can be a bit misleading for colour. If what I am seeing is true, I will be one happy camper.
Thanks again.

Helen

Sorting hostas by size

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