cant come to any conclusions w/o a picture

ken

Since it is a new to you plant you can't expect miracles yet. If it was a freshly cut division you received, that can make a difference. If it is a young plant, that can also make a difference. The unusual spring weather has also caused problems for some things this year. The second flush of leaves might be different if the first leaves had been damaged. You shouldn't expect normal growth for at least a few years. That one is listed as moderate growth with the hosta registry so nothing will change quickly. Digging it up to move it will set it back. Many hostas take years to develop their true colors, leaf size and shape.

Hi Mark.

Just leave it alone. I'm always amazed at young hosta plants and the fact they don't look the way they should. Why? They are young. The roots can only support so much plant...ya know? The stalks and foliage out of the ground are a result of the root system.

With that said...if it was new last year...unless you dug it off a mature specimen out of the ground...the plant/pot you bought from a nursery was likely fertilized to make the leaves bigger, lusher, and taller than they would have been left to it's own accord. People want to walk out of the store thinking they bought a really big plant for the money.

Give it a couple years.

And, with THAT said, I can also vouch for the messed up weather this year. I'm seeing deformed leaves, melted out leaves, drawstring effect...just misc oddities here & there. I chalk it up to the extreme weather fluctuations we had this year.

Nothing you can do about it other than take notes on what's interesting and odd, enjoy them for what they are, don't expect perfection, and work on new beds for next years' purchases.

Also, with all the above said, if it's not variegated this year, there's a chance it's a dud. My GA lost all it's variegation after the first year. It's on it's 3rd year now, and if you get really, REALLY close up knowing what you're looking for, you can kinda make out the variegation. It's all blueish green and growing nicely. I've made peace with the situation...generally.

Gayle

I am also in zone 5, we had a harsh winter and a cold spring, and my two Gauardian Angels are coming out rather slowly, but beautifully, perhaps wait a few more weeks.
Bernd

Here's a picture taken yesterday. This is a closeup of the largest leaf; it's about 4 inches long. The leaf seems bluer than it appears in the picture on my monitor. I can see two new leaves emerging that seem to have lighter centers. Time will tell...

Thanks for the advice. If the plant is not back to normal next year I will replace it.

Mark

Within other postings I have described a huge Sagae I saw at a nursery that had been dug up and had its roots balled in burlap like you would see for a tree. I spoke of it to the owner of Vilts Greenhouses in Wilmington IL where I live. I was curious about how much some one whould pay to plant a big specimen in a landscape. He told me the plant probably was sold for more than a thousand dollars but not as a landscape specimen. More than likely it was destined to be divided into several hundred individual divisions with mature looking leaves. (Doing the math, 200 divisions to be sold for $8.95 would be almost $2000 with just the labor to do it. Not all divisions will have great roots. This may be what your plant is. I have had this happen to me with a freebe U. Albomarginata. My last division had only 1 root. Now 2 years later you would never be able to identify it from its sisters. I made 9 divisions of that hosta and in 2 years all are almost as large as the original plant.

Guardian Angel is a strong grower. I am sure you will be happy with it.

Les

But then there is also unexplainable shrinking or stalling. I have an Earth Angel which stopped growing a month ago, found it had a tree root wrapped around it, planted it in a nursery bed. One of my Sagae has one eye stalled, perhaps weed killer drift? So I planted another one next to it. Bernd