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Perennials Midwest Gardening Hostas

Is this hosta planted too deep?

Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa)

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I have two of the same hosta (grandmother’s old noid hosta but GardenWeb thought Big Daddy possibly) planted close together. One is unfurling nicely. One is shooting up without unfurling. Any idea why? (don’t mind the cut off pip. I accidentally crushed it while checking on my clematis behind it. If it would have been unfurled, maybe I would have noticed it.) 😬 Pics of not unfurling hosta, well behaved and unfurling hosta, and pic of locations of both.

Thank you in advance!

Featured Answer

bragu_DSM 5

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I do not believe it is big daddy, it would be more blue, with rounder leaves. Love how stuff is starting to pop here ....

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
first pic.. i would make a rake of my fingers.. and lightly scratch the soil.. and see if i could find the crown ... and find out if its where its supposed to be ...

second and third pix .. too straight down pix.. to see the side.. and how it looks .. or to see the leaf stalks ... also.. a pic or two in a month or so.. might let us see ..

ken
Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa)
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks Ken! I’ve just never seen a hosta unfurl like that, I’m wondering if it’s sinking or Settling due to being moved a couple years ago. Also strange that (what I believe is the same hosta) right next to it is already unfurled. As are most of my others. It is in a bit more shade than the one to the left, I guess.
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one of the reasons i am leery of fertilizing too late in the summer ... if the plant was growing too lushly, instead of slowing down in fall ... it can lead to rotting of the crown ... though crown rot is usually a specific mid to late summer issue ... its rot.. just a different rot ... did you fert??? otherwise.. some hosta just hate you .. and gratuitously die ... ken
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The shrub is the double flowering plum that I mentioned. It is close to the ground because that is the way it grows. I do want/need/intend to trim up a bit, but only one or two branches. The shrub will not be removed, it is one of the foundations of this particular garden bed. If GA needs to be moved further out, that can be arranged. No, the dog did not lay on it, but I can't say whether any rabbits or woodchucks or others might have done. I will examine it more closely to see whether I can tell It sounds like most of you think that Liberty and Sagae are just babies and will need time to establish. I am surprised because others that were planted last fall are bigger and stronger. GA was planted in 2009, so would have expected more by now. At least as big and nice as irawon's. ken, I usually can wade through your unique writing style, but I don't understand this one: if you have a leaf.. of a given size.. and you see plants with similar leaves.. and yours is half as short.. well.. its too deep Are you saying that if I find another plant with leaves the size of GA, they should be the same height? Even if they are different ages and varieties?
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I have seen no vole holes anywhere near either location, steve. And I thought about the sun warming the concrete sidewalk but it gets only very early morning sun. When I have pulled the hostas by my daughters there were no roots to speak of. The grade there is about two inches below the sidewalk so I want her to get them raised up. They have no drainage. I have excellent draining soil by my garage. I hesitate to pull my Tokudama Aureonebulosa: it would set the slow developing plant back even further. Les
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Yeah, a little too late to completely remove it. I'd dig a big root ball, lay it back, ad a few inches of soil to the bottom of the hole and re-plant, being sure to step the soil in around it. THEN, most importantly, remove soil from on top of the crown so that the crown is level with the soil. Mulch with several inches of organic mulch... You could even wait till the ground freezes and put a bag of mulch (bag and all--like, don't empty the bag) on top of the plant. This will likely keep the frost heave away. In the spring, as the ground is thawing, you can remove the bag-o-mulch.
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undertheoaksgardener7b
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Great advice, Ken! Sydney, I was thinking that it may be a few days to a week behind the other one due to more shade. Also, if you stepped on that spot before the hosta pips were visible above the surface, that may have slowed it down some.
Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa) thanked undertheoaksgardener7b
Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa)
Original Author
4 years ago
They were visible, everything just kind of blends together on the ground. 😳

I’m just used to see them unfurl as they come up. The leaves seem almost like they’re stuck in a tube, but they’re big leaves so maybe they’re just not all the way up yet. Patience is not my virtue.

Thank you!
undertheoaksgardener7b
4 years ago
Bragu, very nice specimen! Give Big Daddy a couple more weeks. The blue will come in as the wax layer thickens, especially if there is still some chill in the air in your region.
Sydney (Zone 5B, DSM, Iowa)
Original Author
3 years ago
@bragu_DSM 5 @undertheoaksgardener7b I read the tag wrong from afar. It was ID’d as Blue Angel, not Big Daddy. It’s turned blue in the last couple days with warmer weather. (And now cold weather again! Iowa is annoying.)

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