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New to Hostas - Have Questions

alameda/zone 8/East Texas

11 years ago

I am located in east Texas. I have a few hostas growing well in the ground - one im particular comes back every year and is huge - Sum & Substance. I just bought 3 tiny Samurai plants from a hobby grower who has beautiful hostas in pots. I am having luck with the ones I have purchased planted in the ground, but still plant to put some in pots. What kind of soil is best for hostas in pots and how should I fertilize?

Also, I am interested in ordering some but Hallsons and Naylor are either sold out of what I want or dont carry the varieties. I noted some sellers on ebay who do have some of the ones I want but I worry that the plants will be tiny and will take forever to grow. I would appreciate suggestions on who to buy from this time of year when it seems all the more popular mail order companies are out of stock on so many things.

Any other suggestions for growing hostas would be appreciated!

Thank you.....Judith

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Comments (4)

ogrefcf
11 years ago
Chris, from Hallson's got hit hard by frost. He is just waiting for new growth and said he would have most stuff back in stock.

I don't do pots so can't really help you there. I know it needs to drain well. So most mix wood chips in it. The few I have put in pots to hold I just bought potting mix and added some wood chips. Fertilizer I use miracle grow about every month and use some 9-9-9 general fertilizer once or twice a year.
thisismelissa
11 years ago
there are a couple of TX folk here on this board and a few from CA that also grow in pots. If they don't respond to your thread, you might start a new one titled "hostas in zone 7/8-advice please?"
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Lol, I'm chuckling because I've done the same thing...thinking I'll remember..sometimes it works, sometimes not. Lol The last batch I mixed up I used orchid mix bark...really nice small bits. It made up a beautiful soft mix - very porous when watering. The most recent bag I grabbed at Walmart is still lying around unused - they are too big so I'll have to re-purpose them as mulch or something. I'll have to go back to Garden Gallery on Hwy. 90 for the smaller bark - it was perfect! Around $7 for a small bag. If I find something better I will let you know ASAP. Btw, when in a pinch, I just use straight potting mix from Miracle Grow. Works fine too if you don't pot your plants in too big a pot. I see the wisdom now in growing them in a somewhat crowded pot. I too learned from Bk!:-). If you will over-winter then put in the effort now and save yourself time, money and heartache later. You will be glad you did! Rina, if you're inclined take a drive to (or call if you don't want to be tempted by plants, lol) Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery on Hwy. 11. See if they carry any bark fines. I'm not up to speed as to what they offer in that line. I will be going there (the Barrie one) on the week- end though. If I find anything interesting I'll email you and vice versa? :-). Warning: last year they had many, many hostas! Jo
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bfly8
11 years ago
I have had good luck ordering from Bridgewood Gardens, if they have what you are looking for. I can't help you much with growing in TX, but I know there are several people here who can help with that.
bkay2000
11 years ago
Hi alameda,

I'm in Dallas and grow in pots only, so can't help you with the inground stuff. I can tell you that Smith County (Tyler) did some plant trials about 10 years ago and came up with recommended varieties. The Dallas Arboretum has ongoing trials and has some recommended varieties. The Dallas Arboretum results aren't online anymore that I can find. Most of the hosta recommendations are for older varieties. If you're interested, let me know and I'll email the results of both trials to you.

For soil, I make my own. I think Steve gave me the recipe (ask if you want the recipe). I used Miracle Grow for years and had no problem until I bought some moisture control Miracle Grow. Don't use it. It won't drain well enough in the winter/early spring. Steve still uses Miracle Grow, and I use it for everything except my hosta.

There's a link to a recent discussion on where to buy.

Let me know how I can help.

bkay

Here is a link that might be useful: Recent discussion on where to buy hosta

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