IMHO Great Expectations is too big a loser to waste your time and money on trying again. In 10 years I've known 3 people who could grow it well and multitudes who couldn't. Get yourself a Dream Queen or Dream Weaver and end your frustration.

Dave

I certainly must admire your determination. I just planted my first Great Expectations TODAY--so it was with some trepidation I started reading your post initially--as in, no, no, no--don't tell me how temperamental and self-destructive this hosta is. I can't take it! LOL

You have my sympathies--obviously the dogs were jealous of all the time and attention you have paid to a hosta rather than to them, so they took their revenge!

Hopefully, before the season is over, we can both show off pictures of our new Great Expectations--and how well they are thriving (fingers and toes crossed for both of us)!!!!!!!

Kate

Dave, I share your humble opinion. I hope I don't offend anyone, but why is everyone so desperate to grow this one, when it seems like the vast majority have nothing but problems? I dont grow it, but have seen pics...and I guess I just don't see the "have to have" factor with it. It's lovely, yes, but there are so many other beautiful, trouble free ones to grow- why torture yourself?

I have 2-2nd year TCs that came free with an order that are steadily putting on leaves but are still tiny. I was at a greenhouse about 5 weeks ago, expecting to see nothing new, and from 20 feet away, i saw it! Made a bee line and grabbed a 4 eye specimen of GE! Nice sized, about 10" tall but seriously, that is the biggest one I have every seen for sale. A lot of on-line companys sell it but it has been my experience they are all small as it is a slow grower but I share your love for it too!

I seem to have the right conditions to grow mine. I haven't had any problems and Great Expectations and mine was damaged this spring in the cold but has recovered nicely, you can see the damaged leaf lower right. It certainly isn't anything special that I am doing so it must be picky about its soil/conditions.

{{gwi:1001066}}

Haha I'e had my own struggles with that damn plant. First onw struggled along, finally was looking pretty good but not being able to leave well enough alone, I moved it. Wrong. Dead.

So I got a new one this spring. It was doing ok but then along came the cutworm invasion......it was struggling along trying to come back and the rabbit attack happened to it. Poor thing is still trying, there are two new leaves. I'm not sure I can watch this. I may have to go back to the nursery and get a new one.

Sandy

I posted a question about Great Expectations about a week or so ago. Interesting responses--lots of them. Several were adamant that this hosta was a loser! But many posters joined in to say they had had no problems growing Great Expectations.

I could find no real patterns to explain those who had failed multiple times to grow GE and those who just stuck it in the ground one time and it started growing--no problem. I certainly hope the one I planted today falls into that second category, but who knows. Seems to be a big mystery.

Kate

I have one that I've had for 5 years maybe, and it looks great! I hope I haven't jinxed it now by saying how lovely she is! :P

Great "Depredations" (oops-Expectations; sorry for the slip!)certainly grabs ones eye on the sales floor. It is one of the most outstanging appearing young hostas. Put out spreads of potted 1 year olds of most of the Hosta of the Year recipients and one of Great Frustrations (oops-did it again, didn't I), and which do you think gets the greatest attention?: Great Demoralizations (Doggone it, I just can't seem to stop doing that! I guess 6 times being suckered in has done me in!)

But it is true! GE is outstandingly gorgeous as a young hosta. They are great sellers. I would guess they outsell all other hostas at local garden centers and big box stores that sell them.

My experiece, sadly, with the H. 'unspeakables' has been that in any garden condition I have placed one in, year 2 has resulted in a regressed plant. Then it has gone downhill from there. By year 4 every one was GONE. I didn't pull them up and throw them on ken's driveway with his other carp. They simply never came up again.

I wish you all success who are willing to try. I am driven by challenges, but enough is enough for me.

Les

if only there were a search function button.. wherein you could find the 500 time i have written that its a piece of carp

that i have bought or been given about 10 of them.. including buying a mature clump of 10 to 15 plants.. [theres a hundred bucks i wish i had today]

and wherein i stated they ALL DIED ...

there are about 4 peeps on this forum who grow it well ... they are all in MN or WI ... and they are all EXPERTS ... [i think its cool nights.. and the declination of the sun]

it is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME .... NOR MONEY ... move on with life ...

otherwise.. feel free to come over some time.. and bang your head on the side of my barn.. because that will help you grow GE.. as much as anything else will ... [feel free to use any local wall.. lol .. no need to travel here]]

ken

ps: no need to search ... i was just trying to say.. that i have stated the above many times ... not that you were delinquent at anything ...

Mention Great Expectations and you get......(link below)

Here is a link that might be useful: Click

Granted,it could be,and is for some people,hard to grow,but don't ya'll like a challenge? Wouldn't it be bad if all anyone had was Gold Standards,or Golden Tiaras,or Undulatas? Borrring!! I have only lost the first one I ever had,and it was planted in too dry a place where nothing will grow in a spot that was in a rain shielded spot. My second one is planted in more sun,where it gets rain when we have some,and it is growing good. Slow growing,to be sure,but so are all the sieboldiana-type hostas. Incidently,Dream Queen is slow growing also,but mine is absolutely huge! I mean,people grow Praying Hands,and I think it is ugly!! Just a few of my thoughts. Phil

Great Expectations seems to be the forbidden fruit of hosta growing. The more warnings about how hard it is to grow, the greater the urge to try.

Hmmm, on the West side of a hill, plenty of shade always seem to be cooler than surrounding areas...I bet I could push the envelope a little and grow a GE.

If you passed by Paul's link from 3 posts up, go back and push the button.

I went to a nursery today and picked up a one eye GE for nine bucks. Figure I'll give it a shot, now out of curiosity. I have a huge thunderbolt that grows without any special TLC whatsoever, so maybe I'll have luck in my garden with GE.

I understand that Dream Queen is a sport of Great Expectations. I bought this Dream Queen last Fall and it looked pretty poor with 2 spindly leaves. It took forever to come up this Spring and I actually thought it would not.

Is growing Dream Queen and Great Expectations a fair comparison?

PS- my foot is a size 9.

LOL, Paul that is a great link!

I think Phil & Jonny hit the nail on the head - some people like the challenge of trying to grow a difficult plant.

Ken, you need to face the facts, that this is a beautiful hosta and people are going to always be trying to grow it, either because they don't know it's reputation, or they do know and think they can be the ones to succeed. People will always either love it or hate it (I love it, BTW, and yes I live in WI). What baffles me is why you keep on frustrating yourself by opening and reading these threads on GE. Just save yourself and move on to the next thread. :)

Wendy

Need some advice. Just planted a smaller (but very healthy looking) Great Expectation. It arrived with a stalk and bud, although not in bloom yet. Since the plant is kinda small and does not have an extensive root system, would I be well-advised to cut off the bud/stalk so the plant can concentrate on growing roots?

At least I can report that GE did not die overnight! : )

Kate

It is always difficult to raise small plants. I buy multi-eye plants mostly and have no problems with my two GEs, which I have now since 2009. They are planted in morning sun, not deep, not wet. One of them gets a little afternoon sun and is brighter.
I just could not resist and bought three beautiful GEs from HD at $4.25 each, also 2 or 3 eyes each. Two are doubled up, are presently in pots, will place them in spots at the fence.
I do not like to place hostas in the sun, mine always burn because I can not afford $ and time wise to water them constantly. Life is easier in some shade, also for humans.
Have a good one!
Bernd

Dublin

You can cut the scape if you like. The only thing you don't want it to do is to set seed, so go ahead and cut that scape. Disinfect your cutting tool afterwards. With a new plant make sure it's getting water every other day and when it gets really hot every day.

Steve

Ok, steve. Thanks for the advice. With all the hand-wringing over GE, I want to make sure I don't do something really dumb that might hinder its chances of surviving. : )

Kate

I snapped the scape off of mine. I took it out of the pot and noticed that it was in a real peaty, wet potting soil, and I'm guessing it was probably overwintered in it- there were some rotten roots. So I rinsed everything off and stuck in in a coarse, well draining mix in the same gallon nursery pot. We'll see how it does....I have NO expectations so I wont be crushed if it doesn't come back.

( I got a second Email and could establish a new Photobucket account, the other PB account got lost in Cyberspace)
Here are my two GE planted in 2009, possibly I am lucky in respect to climate and soil. The first one is in more sun, with Abba Dabba Doo.

The second one gets only morning sun, to its right is Sagae, behind is Key West.

Hmm! Abba Dabba Doo looks like Sagae...
Bernd