and a glorious perfectly worded searchable title .. my.. you are a fast learner ... WELCOME to the world of participation ... WE WILL ENABLE YOU FURTHER .... when i moved.. up here in z5 ... i potted and moved 1500 hosta ... 65 miles SW .... half went into the polebarn ... and the rest stacked on their sides on the west side of the barn ... the ones inside the barn ... sprouted out 2 months early .... which is a gigantic problem up here where it can freeze thru april.. and frost through may ... never underestimate the effect of pots, per se ... next ... you claim they will come up no matter how deep you bury them ... first.. never compare what a species can do .. and what a foo foo plant can do ... but regardless of the type.. the deeper it is planted.. the longer it will take the soil to warm.. to the level needed ... to trigger active growth but the bottom line.. they are hosta.. GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO WORRY ABOUT ... crimminy sakes ... they will come up.. when they come up.. and not a minute sooner ... no matter how much you worry about them and as you noted.. the longer it takes for them to come up.. the smaller your chance of getting them frosted is... so see.. there is an upside ... and.. as a further example... on the south side of my house... i can put a shovel all the way in .. on the north side ... its frozen solid ... good luck ken

The grower doesn't believe in releasing new ones until they have remained stable for at least 10 years! (Old School). Rb I think this attitude is simple BS, hosta are so unstable which is why we have so many and why hosta are such fun to have. But waiting 10 years should mean that nothing ever gets introduced and if one waits 10 years then divides this "stable" plant it is likely to sport off that division. Tell the grower I think he is trying to carve out some superior position and is selfish, fat, ugly and his mother doesn't dress him well. Send me a division NOW and I will tell him when to register the plant. Wow, that felt good. As soon as I post this I'm going to tell Ken off real good.

If I am not mistaken the flat look of a hosta leaf is the result of the waxy bloom that covers the leaf, some more than others' which gives them the glaucous look. Later in the season this washes off, which is why blues seem to turn more green, since it is the bloom that gives it the blue color. I suspect your Liquid Fence uses a wetting agent to help it coat the leaf more evenly but causes the bloom to loose adhesion and be washed off more easily by rain or when hosing the plant. Les

I grow mine in pots as a temporary means until I am both satisfied with where I want them to live in the garden and also the soil where they will be planted is decent enough to not stall any progress they might be making. It sort of gives me a flexible buffer so I donâÂÂt feel pressured or rushed to get them in the ground. I also pot them up to allow me the opportunity to âÂÂbabyâ them, if need be. There is a down side to that though. Sometimes I fuss too much and I know if I just left them alone they would be fine. But, I am still so new to hostas that I feel like I would be a bad parent, throwing them straight out into the wild unknown that I call my front yard. I want to tame the jungle before I let the kids out to play. That sounds corny, but you get the point. :p I think the biggest perk though is when they are in pots I can take the whole plant and plunk it in the garden where I think I might like to place it permanently. Once I have a plant anchored I will then plan around it, and slowly the garden grows. I have tried to sit down and map out an entire bed, but I always end up more frustrated than satisfied. I need to SEE them and the other plants around it to know if itâÂÂs a good fit. Plus, I can leave them in the spot in the garden while still in the pot to test out sunlight and wind. If they end up blanching or breaking I know it might not be the best place for permanency. Ludi