Hi Al, I'd guess most of it comes from the building, but since there is a roof more of it gets trapped than it does on the north side. It may also get some heat coming up from the basement and garage below. The upper half of the building gets direct sun late morning and midday, but it doesn't get quite high enough to shine down onto the patio. I'd say it starts to clear the roof next door starting sometime in February, and things are thawed out completely by March in the east yard. North side took at least another month to get going last spring.

OK - that sounds good esther opal - I hope you didn't think I was belittling your information - if you did, I apologize. What is your zone? Do you get a lot of snow/frost heaving in your winter? I have lost quite a few plants, not just hosta which seem to weather the winter a little better than other, to frost heave. Sometimes almost all my hosta roots are above ground when I get to them in the spring. This year because of my back and not getting out to the garden, the deer and rabbits have been feasting! I am hoping the green stalks will provide enough green for the plants to gather a little strength. One other thread I have read suggests that I might be lucky! Thanks again for your help - and again I hope you didn't feel that I was just disregarding your information. There is so much knowledge out there - I sometimes get overwhelmed trying to sort out what could be the most beneficial path for me to take! Mind you, I understand that nothing is guaranteed. Jakki

i will yell ... THIS IS VERY ZONE DEPENDENT ... i have lived my whole life in z5 MICHIGAN ... and that is NOT NC ... read ... learn.. contemplate ... but then figure out how it works in your climate ... for me.. small pots ... can go in and out of dormancy.. if we get that typical 3 to 5 day period in february ... where we hit 60 degrees for the period ... and then return to near zero until mid march .... a hosta that goes in and out of dormancy.. in winter .. IN MI ... will eventually rot/die .. ESPECIALLY ... if it come in and out of dormancy ... the mild winter we had 2 winters ago was a nightmare ... anyway ... take 10 little quart pots... which would thaw in 20 minutes.. and instead .. pot and all pot. them into a short 5 or 10 gallon pot... and all of a sudden you have a large wad of soil.. that will stay frozen until the ground starts to thaw ... so what i was talking about.. FOR MI ... anywhere north of the MI-OH border ... is to create a mass of potting media.. that will retain the cold ... though i enjoy being the be all.. and end all .... of THEORY ... i want you to insure that you then think about how.. where you are.. is different than where i am.. and fine tune the IDEAS i provide ... one other IDEA ... with small pots.. is how to water a dormant hosta.. in a small pot ... in MI ... if i watered with a watering can ... i could freeze the whole root mass.. into an ice cube.. because it would freeze.. before it drained ... so the suggestion is to put some snow.. or an ice cube on the media.. and if a warm day rolls around.. a day where the media might thaw a bit... the frozen material.. will keep the soil cooler.. but more importantly ... will melt according to the warmth ... providing water.. when the media can use the water ... so no matter where you are.. watering in winter is something you need think about .... but the bottom line.. no matter where you are is : GET THEM DORMANT; AND KEEP THEM DORMANT ... and you will win ... i thought i had another suggestion .... but the coffee buzz just kicked in ..... and my hair is sweating .. lol ... i will come back when i think of it ... ken

Allow the plants to go dormant naturally. Maintain the moisture in the pots as you would if they were growing, or somewhere in that range of moisture but well drained. As the foilage drys up and can be easily removed (without tearing it from the crown) remove it, or snip it off with disinfected scissors. Allow the pots to freeze. If the temperature fluctuates greatly before total freeze up, move them to a location in which the temperature varies the least. After freeze up, I move mine to a varment proof room in an outbuilding (barn for me) and cover with 4-6 inches of wood shavings (the kind used for livestock bedding at fairs, etc.), and ignor till spring. If you do not have a varment proof area, it probably wouldn't hurt to add some mouse bait, although damage would be minimal since the pots are frozen. In the spring, I bring them into my heated shop about 2 weeks prior to our last expected frost date and let them thaw. If frozen properly, and with the condensation that occurs as they thaw, there is sufficient moisture to sustain the plant, but keep a watch depending on the water carrying capacity of your potting mix. I believe it is better to lean towards the dry side before watering as keeping the pots too wet invites other problems. As the new eyes appear and start to unfurl, move them outside to fend for themselves. If weather conditions (a frost or freeze) becomes imminent, move them back inside. It will not kill the plant but may make those new leaves unsightly. If you have sufficient lighting, you may leave them in longer, but I move mine out for a couple of different reasons. My lighting is not proper, and if raised in an enviornment of constant ambient temperatures, leaves & stems have no reason to develop the strenghth needed for outside conditions and besides being frail, are more subject to desiccation from wind--it eliminates the need for a "hardening off" maintenance period. If I were readying pots for the following year's use, I would make my divisions early and place the pots where they can utilize the sun to help develop good root systems and pay a lesser amount of attention to the foilage. They will reward you greatly the following year with better foilage and a root system to support it. contributed by seedseller1