Hey Mocc- Show me more after 3 years in the ground. ;-) All the old old OLD info I read back in the 90's said you can grow them in the South, but they diminish after 3 years. Perhaps you will be able to write the NEW book on how to grow hostas in the ground in the South. Part of the problem, however, is more likely to be that people in the South (or slight frost Winter regions like me) don't like to look at bare dirt during the time the hostas are dormant when they have so many flowering broad leaf evergreen goodies to fill those spaces. That is part of the deal here in Silicon Valley, CA. -Babka

Fay, the external USB hard drive was the one which failed. I thought as you did, that I'd put them all there and have more control over it. I had gone through the difficulties of my Windows 7 computer denying me access to the pictures while they were on my computer, even though my account was of course the only blasted one there, and of COURSE I was the ADMINISTRATOR. So after that fiasco, I pulled them off the computer and put them on the WD Ambassador 1.5T (1500 gigabyte) external USB harddrive. That was the drive where I also had my backups, the optical image of my computer as well. What I did not figure on what that Western Digital (WD) Ambassador drives were not manufactured by themselves but were "no-name" stuff that were well known in the industry to have frequent failures. No wonder they were cheaper than others. And that information I learned from the online links from Tim Fisher on About.com where he featured services which could possibly salvage data--FOR A PRICE. The cost depends on how delicately they must access the failed drive. Of course it is possible to TRY. I still have the drive in its original box waiting until I decide if it is worth the gamble. I mean, I could use that $500 to $1400 estimate on the house remodel, or on the garden. Why the wide estimate range? Because the bloomin hard drive could be a total mess, or one that is not so bad. If they cannot get anything, then I believe it is no charge. But they need it in hand to even guess. In my hands, it is a BRICK. So if you have all your eggs in one basket, I suggest putting your pictures on a DVD and checking it to be sure it plays. Making two copies might be fine. I know I had several CDs of pictures from MoccasinLanding, before I began hosta gardening, and they may be in storage somewhere. Having homes in two locations, moving, storing for a remodel, it is so hard to keep track of stuff. At this point, I am trying out a cloud storage for the photos off my Android tablet. The problem with that, I have yet to discover how to get the tags for identification on each shot before they are automatically uploaded to the cloud.

Thank you every one of you for your kind support. I knew that fellow hostaholics would be the ones who would fully understand how I feel. I just had to share with you. That was a terrible situation you had to endure moccasinlanding. I hope your neighborhood plant thief stays on her medication too. I felt that I could start a new thread ("My hosta was stolen!"), but then I thought against it---we want to stay on the positive in life not the negative, right? So towards the positive, this is what my dear husband built for me last year for my spring birthday. Needed more room for hostas and that side of the house had more sun. It was also here that my Birchwood Parky's Gold was---near the ground, on top of the window well cover. Irawon, I will still take away any hostas that are special to me. I did take away Goodness Gracious. I need to take away High Society too and maybe more.

What's all the fuss about removing roots from a tissue culture plant that needs root pruning? Yes, Ken's method of freeing the root mass with force can be illustrated many ways, but the goal is to open up those roots to air and moisture movement so they will grow into hardier roots. Those fine hairs are good for getting the plant started but they will not provide the required nourishment for the needed extended plant growth to further establish new leaves, blooms, more crowns, etc. The other reason to smack the roots or rough them up is to make new nodes for the roots to grow - force them if you will. Older hosta clumps will have dead root hairs where the roots either rotted off or just withered and dried up over the years. Any time you clean up old iris or daylily roots - same as hosta, you cut the old dead stuff off and bleach the whole root mass. Take a clean sharp knife and remove dead or diseased roots all the way back to the crown, Scrape off any tissue that is grey or red or brown from rot or disease or deadness. Yes, I am currently somewhat limited in internet but will clear up as much as possible. And I have a big Doberman watching my hosta garden back home while away. Those who visited my mother's gardens or mine may recall Banyai gardens have been protected by Dobermans for years. Ann Kulpa was John's mother (hope she is still alive). John and my late mother Pauline Banyai had many fun days talking and hybridizing hosta in her garden. John was a fantastic hybridizer for showy and fragrant hosta. John's most famous hosta introduction was Whirlwind, which was a sport they discovered one day. Yes, Ken is correct that my mother's hosta business was based on our dividing her stock plants in early Spring, potting the healthy divisions and growing them out on the driveway. This growing practice was before tissue culture, when they began to do the same, only never growing them out in the ground. You can imagine how beautiful our driveway looked with 2-3000 4-6 inch pots in the driveway for 6-8 weeks until they were sold at the Royal Oak Farmer's market and also the Eastern Market. One Eastern Market May Flower Day we sold 7 vanloads of hosta! Ken's story about planting too deep early in his hosta life is true; I have helped others like that in too many gardens to remember Bruce