does your ground freeze???

where are you.. big city ...

bare root to plant .. crown at surface ...

ken

I think the ground does freeze, yes.
I live West of Cleveland in Ohio. On the edge of the so-called secondary lake effect Snowbelt.

best friend had the best ever garden in avon oh ..... GRHS .... jon ...

late planting can be a problem for small stock.. that might pop out of the ground in mid to late winter ....

so thats the issue.. so get them in ...

just wing it ... they can be moved next summer.. for whatever you missed on placement ....

ken

For placements, the first thing you should do is look at the expected MATURE size of each particular hosta. For example, Sagae will be bigger than some of the others you listed.

When they are mature, do you want them to touch each other? Some people do, some don't.

I like to mix mine, as far as color and texture. Do you?

The sooner you plant them, the sooner the roots can take hold which would minimize winter heave. Freshly planted plants tend to settle so keep an eye on plant depth and tamp soil firmly around the hostas.

Space is at a premium here so I tend to crowd my plants (virtually weed-less) resulting in having to move something every few years or so...which I enjoy doing. I like to have the hostas touch, creating a tapestry effect....but I also like Delaware Donna's execution of hosta placement - where each hosta has ample space to grow and where one can appreciate the different forms. Littlebug's advice re spacing based on maturity is important if you don't want to disturb them.

A wonderful collection of hostas, Allison! I have BH, PG, L and S, all growing well in my garden. Have fun playing with different combinations while they are still in their pots. Enjoy the unpacking of your new babies tomorrow - so exciting! Looking forward to seeing photos of your new acquisitions! :)

Ken: I live very close to Avon so that's good to know. I can certainly wing it.
Littlebug: Mature sizes I do have in my info/planning spreadsheet. I like knowing at least that much lol.

I'm okay with some touching but the main reason that I ask is because I know the result of poor planning and I don't want my hostas to suffer from being too squished if avoidable. I might be extra paranoid because the first hostas planted on the property were so incredibly squished together.
I'm a numbers person and I like to have a general formula to guide me. If I imagine each hosta as a circle with the mature measurements, what's a reasonable amount of overlap?
Beyond that, I'm excited to play around with color and texture.

josephines167: Thank you :) I'm very excited.

I would probably be doing the same thing. I feel fortunate that after redesigning a bunch of planting beds I have a fair amount of space to work with. But of course if I continue to add more, which is very possible, that space will decrease xD

I would place the large hosta first, leaving ample room - say 5 feet or more between them. It is hard to move large hosta. Then plant medium and small between them. You can move the smaller hosta when it gets too crowded. Hosta keep on growing. If you garden long enough, they will get crowded.

Growth rate will be important to the look of your garden. I have two little hostas growing in sunken pots nears slow-growing big ones that have not filled out yet. They'll be easy to move eventually.

Sagae, Montana A, and Liberty are known for slow growth, so when you place them they'll look not so different from year to year. Think in four dimensions and give the fast growers their space now. Old Glory is a fast grower in my garden.

When siting mine I paid as much, if not more, attention to light requirements than I did eventual size. Sure large ones are hard to move, but they won't be large the first year or two and by then you should have seen who needs less sun and who needs more and shuffled them accordingly.

These are all very helpful tips and I really appreciate them.

General Strategies:
ken : Late planting of small stock is the biggest issue so get them planted and wing it if necessary. See how it goes then move them if you need to.

Littlebug : Keep in mind mature size measurements and decide if you want color/texture mixed and whether you want the hostas touching.

Josephine : Be mindful of the space available. If space is limited you can plant them closer together and expect to move them every few years as needed. You can also give them ample space so that each hosta can be fully appreciated.

beverleymnz4 : Place largest hostas first, leaving ample room around them. Then plant medium and small hostas and move them if it becomes overly crowded.

zkathy : Be mindful of growth rate and give fast growers their space early.

carbhaill : Focus on lighting requirements and shuffle as necessary (especially while young) based on which need more sun or less.

Oh wow. That's really cool. Thank you for telling me about that. I'll see if I can go this weekend.

cancel everything.. INSURE you go ... ken