just wait ... oak are one of the last to leaf out ... though we have no clue where you are .... and if they are dead.. or nearly .... fertilizer isnt going to do anything ... even perhaps kill them if they are borderline... this bothers me: Appeared that they wanted to leaf but stopped. in my z5.. that is usually associated with frost or freeze issues ... and then.. if they live.. you have to wait for new buds to be stimulated ... and yes.. frost/freeze can hit only some plants.. and not others .... e.g. in the bottom of a swale where cold gathered... etc ... can you ID any pattern as to which were effected??? those were some giant transplants.. i hope it all works out ken

I have two pin oaks and one has gotten some type of leaf fungal disease for several years now. Unless the disease defoliates the tree three years in a row, there is nothing to worry about. For example, I have about 8 large Sycamore trees around my borders at woodedge and they all have a terrible leaf disease. Most likely, some type of Anthracnose, which pathogen causes it makes little difference. Of course, if it is a smaller tree that is not yet well established, then some type of treatment should be considered. This site may help, http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2831/EPP-7634web.pdf

Well, to start let me welcome you to this wonderful obsession that is Hostaholism. Questions: 1) Since there are 4 stalks in this pot, can I divide it to make 2 plantings instead of 1? (GH owner kinda laughed at me when I asked and said "very carefully") :( Sure, you could do that. Be careful, and water them well after they are planted. 2) Is there another variety of hosta that would compliment this one in same spot in opposite garden? That is a question that TRULY is in the eye of the beholder. There is no right or wrong way to group your plants in your gardens. Im a big believer that symmetry is too formal, therefore I only plant in odd numbers. Call it weird, but then again arent we all?:P 3) Or... should I just find a smaller variety of hosta, buy two of them, and put this one somewhere else (lots of light shade around here; tall oaks)? Again, eye of the beholder. You must also remember that it will take several years for your plants to get to the size you are expecting. This also will be determined by how much sunlight they get. I have had a clump of 'Sagae' growing in full sun for three years now and it is HUGE!!!! Some do grow faster than others but they can always be divided to keep them in check. Im a gardener, so I think that my gardens are NEVER finished, so Im always putzing with something. You could plant a few bigger hosta with some small ones staggered between them. Look around and find some that really catch your attention and then ask yourself how would that look in my gardens. Ultimately it has to be pleasing to YOUR eyes:) Just remember to label them SOMEHOW. If one day you decide you really are crazy like the rest of us here you will want to know what they are and it can be VERY frustrating when you cant remember. I hope this rant was in some way helpful:P Dave

It's good to know that peeling bark is normal. I haven't observed that yet on this tree but I won't worry if it does start to do that. Regarding watering I've been watering it every day since planting. I couple days here I'll probably slow that down to every third day for a couple iterations and then go to a normal watering cycle of once a week. As of today there aren't any wilted are brown leaves so I guess it wasn't too shocked by all the root work I had to do. Regarding the mulch. I use planner shavings as mulch. They are inferior to normal large wood chunk mulch but are free and keep the ground moist. This planting I was running low on shavings and mixed in some shredded paper. I've read on line that paper shreds make a great mulch around trees. I find that it's not so great and tends mat down into a hard paper mache. So I mixed it in with the shavings and that seemed to work decently.