So if I understand correctly, if I put the white part of the stems below ground, then the place where the roots emerge from the stems will be an inch or so below ground, correct? ===>>> not in my world ... roots in the ground.. leaves above the ground... the middle part.. the crown.. at the surface level .. in the ground ... but not like an iris ... you say.. where the roots come out of the crown should be one inch deep .. maybe on a larger hosta.. your comment is an over generalization to some extent ... but one thing for sure.. the petioles... the celery-like stalks that hold up the leaves.. which come out of the top of the crown ... should NOT be in the soil.. MUCH AT ALL ... i dont understand why you can not tell.. looking at what you got in the mail ... which creamy white parts.. have never seen the sun .... that stuff has to be in the ground.. if the parts are green.. they were and are supposed to be.. above ground .... now.. here is the real issue ... all of the above [including your thoughts] is within the realm of OK .... but the issue is whether .. when the soil settles.. they end up another inch or two deep ... and then.. all of a sudden.. they are 3 inches underground ... and that is where the problems will be .... now .... something like liberty.. a potential large.. will probably not care .... but if baby bunting ends up 3 inches too deep... you will have problems.. make sense??? it usually ends up being a function of what you use to 'fluffify' your soil.. what you amend with.. and how it reacts to ground freeze and the freeze thaw cycle ... but never forget.. they are hosta ... and but for totally ejecting themselves in the freeze thaw cycle in winter.. you are going to be hard pressed to kill them quickly ... if something just doesnt look right next spring... odds are.. they ended up too deep.. and at that point.. you will lift them.. and set them properly .... most of us.. at looking at a pic.. can quickly tell.. what is planted too deep ... [sometimes i think babka.. in tx.. with her pot culture.. forgets what a witch mother earth can be.. lol ...] good luck .. it sounds like you are already having fun... ken ps: is this your first mail order??? did it make you feel like a child at xmas again.. lol ..

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

It won't be a chemical you add, it will be genetic modification. Scientists have already tentatively studied this and know the chemicals involved; tracing, cloning, inserting and amplifying the genes would not be impossible these days but still not anywhere near dirt cheap enough to motivate some party to do it for any reason other than agriculture. There was a scientist/horticulturalist doing work related to this in DC but in conversations with him the impression you get is he moved on and sold his lab equipment because it would be hard to successfully commercialize. His investors didn't think he was a big enough party to pull it off so didn't give him anymore money, but the big parties (Syngenta, etc) will only be interested in agricultural applications for the foreseeable future. So...zone 7 hardy Date Palm? Expect it to be a college student's toy/pet project in 25 years, maybe; not a Monrovia Nursery project in the next 5. Horticulture is a very bottom line business, and is getting more so. Their genetic research will be focused on making plants cheaper to produce...not necessarily interesting for us. This post was edited by davidrt28 on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 4:08

SouthCountryGuy, you have come to the right place with your health problems. If we cannot fix it with hostas and bacon, it cannot be done. Ken keeps telling us that hostas are strong, just throw them on the driveway, maybe a little bacon grease would make them taste better when ready to harvest your crop. Little did I know when I put up the picture of my DH's bag of Hormel bacon bits that it would lead the forum down the pig trail so happily. Perhaps BK could find a cold storage locker to put her pots inside, she has connections with foodies I'm sure. For me, I have not tipped a single pot this winter. We sat in my hosta garden yesterday, and from what my DH said about it looking good, I realize he has a vision problem, added to his hearing problem, and his knee problem, Perhaps by spring (which comes early in this zone) the remodel will be over and I'll be in gardening mode. I'm having the professionals paint the house so I can go straight to the garden. My computer was on the blink from unexpected power on/off/on/off so often now has come back to life with a few strange issues. Overall I can now use the computer, no problem. It is bringing home the bacon with remodel in progress that is occupying my time. Once the process began, it does not want to stop.