I am so happy to find this post. I have almost the opposite problem - I live in the hot wet tropics, never cold. I purchased some Crocus (Saffron) corms (was very expensive here so trying to not make mistakes). I put them in my veggie drawer in the refrigerator (all fruits removed from fridge) at 3C/37F. I read that they must have a cold period of at least 15 weeks to have a proper healthy bloom. After being in the fridge less than 3 weeks, each are having a white sprout coming out the top, but no roots. So do: 1. Ignore and wait the 15 weeks (will they starve to death?) or 2. Plant now (they are going in a pot) being very careful not to break the tender shoots and water only once until green shoots emerge from the soil? Thank you so much for the help, Christa

Ok ,Thanks,when I looked up Paulownia Tomentosa,they said Princees tree or Empress tree,I watched a short video,evidentally the adult tree looks nothing like mine...real small leaves ,heart shaped leaves and blooming blue flowers.So ,the way I see it is ,when it is immature as mine...only a few months..started watching it grow late April, the leaves are huge, some about 2 feet across and not really heart shaped as the adult tree is. I guess I should rip it out then...since it appears to be invasive...thanks again ....Tom

I thinks it look OK. Right now they are going through transplant shock so they don't look perky. The arrangement does look a bit 'tight' though. I would leave them for now. Hosta are slow growers and they won't need to be moved for a while. The big blue one will get 5' wide and 2' tall. The others, at least 3' wide so do plan a spot to move them to down the road. Your DH did a lot of work and I would just live with it at least until next year. What he did does not look bad at all. I do see your point on how you feel with the mix of Hosta looking cluttered. The rest of the property has mass plantings and also a rather symmetrical arrangement to them. You may be happier with a mass planting of one or two Hosta variety under the tree. It is just a personal preference to a style - some people prefer and 'orderly' look and some prefer a more naturalistic look. When the blue Hosta get too big for the spot just move them to another spot and leave just one or two variety under the tree. The only thing I would do now at this time is to bring the edging out a bit. Pull the edging up and move it out and add more dirt. That way the hosta won't hang over the edge and it will give the arrangement some 'breathing room'. You won't have to worry about shredding the leaves with the mower then. Moving the edging out a bit will help balance the tree against the plantings. Plantings under trees should take up two thirds of the space under the drip line or it looks unbalanced. Have you ever seen how some people plant a little bitty ring of Pansies under a huge Maple and it looks "off"? When you said the tree was "right in front of the house" I had imagined it was smack dab in the middle of your lawn, in front of the door. This tree is set way back and the plantings link the tree with the shrubs. It's going to look great once things settle in. I am also wondering that since your DH got the Hosta from his parents house, that he may have a sentimental feeling about them. Are these very old Hosta that he grew up with? I would not say anything to him about them at this time. He said you can move them and he will probably agree with you when they get too big for this spot. He will probably do it on his own. *About that Ivy............Ivy is VERY invasive and difficult to eradicate. It is banned from sale in some states. Make sure you keep after it since it comes back fast. You may have to resort to both manual and chemical means to get rid of it. It can be very persistent.

"If you see signs of root rot it means the location is infested, see discussion I linked to for more." All typical gardening locations are infested, at least on the east coast. 'Nova Zembla' is a known susceptible variety and should not be sold outwith the PNW or cool summer areas north of Boston. Unfortunately idiotic and greedy wholesalers continue to promote it for most of the country. A hot, dry summer in MI could certainly trigger root rot. There really isn't a sensible cultural practice to avoid exposure to the organisms themselves. It is going to happen at some point if they are planted into the ground. You have to plant resistant varieties and/or follow cultural practices to minimize it. (Make sure soil is well draining, up to and including planting on a mound or rise.) There are better reds, both in color and root rot resistance, but I wouldn't know one to recommend for as far north as Michigan. Perhaps 'Henry's Red'. Yes as mike said, you need to open up the root mass when planting container stock. Next spring you might dig the other one up (if you decide to keep it there) and untangle the roots. I would do that down here in fall but your winters are colder, better to wait.