Hosta Help

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by Kris, Aug 7, 2011.

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  1. Kris

    Kris Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi all i'm new here :D, I bought this Hosta a couple of months ago but over the past few weeks the leaves have started going yellow/brown. I am new to gardening but have read that they don't like too much sun or too much water. The plant gets around 2-3hours of full midday sun so i am wondering if thats the cause. Is there anyting else ie lack of nutrition, soil type etc that could be too blame? Do they require any additional fertiliser to thrive my soil i think is fairly alkaline.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
    Kind regards,
    Kris.

    [​IMG]
     
    Kris, Aug 7, 2011
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  2. *dim*

    *dim* Head Gardener

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    they don't like sun and do like lots of water (dont overwater, but try water twice a week to keep the soil damp) ...

    3hrs of full sun may be too much .... perhaps see if you can move it to a shadier spot as under a tree or similar

    and use snail bait pellets to keep snails and slugs at bay
     
    *dim*, Aug 7, 2011
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  3. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Not so easy to answer. :scratch:

    It depends very much on the variety. As a general rule of thumb the bigger the variety the more sun they are happy with.

    We have a large number of hostas and about a dozen in large pots in full sun - all day long. The smaller ones we tend to keep in the flower beds with a little bit of shade.

    If they are in pots they can be watered every day but only if you have good drainage.

    These are in pots, in full sun, and watered every day. The pots have fairly large holes in the bottom, covered in broken crocks, and stood off the ground so they drain well. They also get fed with tomato feed.

    [​IMG]
     
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    • catztail

      catztail Crazy Cat Lady

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      Mine always start to look a bit tired by this time of year.
       
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    • *dim*

      *dim* Head Gardener

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      from what I have read, many of the yellow leaved hostas do well in a sunnier position ... the others, which include the blue leaved varieties prefer denser shade

      I planted several large leaved hostas last month .... of the ones I planted, these are the ones that prefer a sunier position:

      day break
      midwest magic
      gold standard
      fragrant boquet

      here is a good link to a site that lists the hostas that can tolerate sunny positions:
      Sun Tolerant Hostas

      they don't have all the hostas listed as there are hundreds
       
      *dim*, Aug 7, 2011
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    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      Good link there, dim :dbgrtmb:

      All those in our picture are listed as 'four hour' ones but they seem very happy in full sun. Maybe the combination of regular watering and feeding with good drainage makes all the difference. One of them produces a lot of seedlings in the pot every year :hapfeet:
       
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    • *dim*

      *dim* Head Gardener

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      thanks ... and from the same link in another section, they list hostas that are slug resistant and hostas that are loved by snails/slugs:

      Dealing with Slugs

      I have been lucky, as I buy from a hosta specialist off ebay ... 10 large leaved hostas for £25 ...

      many of the ones he sells are slug/snail resistant, however I still use snail bait and next year will be using the garlic recipe to spray the leaves
       
      *dim*, Aug 7, 2011
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    • Kris

      Kris Apprentice Gardener

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      Ok Thanks guys, i have a position on the other side of the garden that is shielded from the sun by the house and a fence. It only recieves dappled shade in the evening but i was planning on getting some more exotic specimens of hostas for that space. I found a site called Bowden hostas that seem to have a good range, the garden centres i have been to only have a few varieties in. I want them to be like the ones in those pics Shiney! they are beautiful. I water regularly making sure the soil is always damp. The soil in my garden seems quite 'heavy' if that makes sense i think theres quite a bit of clay in there. So from the pics would you guys say it's sun damage? I was puting slug peelets down but they haven't really been a problem. Any other tips in terms of feeding requirements? Sorry for all the questions:o i really like Hostas and want to grow some big healthy ones.

      Kind regards,
      Kris.
       
      Kris, Aug 7, 2011
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    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      Hi Kris,
      What pics? :scratch: :what:

      dim, that's another good link - I'll keep that :yess:. That's a very reasonable price for hostas. What size are they? On our open days I sell potted hostas, at least 12" high and six leaves for £3. They sell like hot cakes :D
       
      shiney, Aug 8, 2011
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    • *dim*

      *dim* Head Gardener

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      pleasure ... the hostas I buy are 2 years old and are in 2 litre sized pots ..., pots are removed and soil is removed when shipped ... the plants are still small but are healthy with a very good root system ... I planted the last batch approx 3 weeks ago and all have made new growth/leaves

      I have been buying the large leaved variety of late, as I have had to fill big spaces ...

      some of them such as blue angel have a height of 1 meter and a spread of 1,2m when fully grown ... the last batch that I received had approx 4-5 leaves on each hosta, and approx 8-10 inches high, but a very good root system ...

      of the last batch, the smallest hosta in the collection was fortnei aureomarginata which grows 550mm high but has a spread of 1 meter (according to some hosta sites on the internet)

      this is the guys link to the auction:

      10 large leaf mixed variety hosta perennial selection | eBay

      he also sells smaller and mid sized hostas ... currently, my local garden centre sells the same sized individual hostas for nearly £10 each, so when buying 10 hostas off ebay, you save £69 (that includes the shipping cost) ...:thumbsup:
       
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      • Kris

        Kris Apprentice Gardener

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        Hi Shiney the pic of your hostas in the pots the very healthy ones :dbgrtmb:

        Regards,
        Kris.
         
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      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        Kris I was referring to the pics mentioned in the highlighted bit :heehee:
         
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      • *dim*

        *dim* Head Gardener

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        Kris, this is what I normally plant together in a bed in shady section of the garden ... it might give you some ideas ... these are for a large area, but the plants such as the hostas and dryopteris ferns can be substituded for smaller species

        hostas (as per my previous posts)
        ------------------

        Heuchera:
        Huechera ... they provide colour most of the year, change colours as the weather conditions change and look superb with the hostas etc

        by choosing 2 main colours for the 'theme' such as red and yellow, it can be pretty bold and provides a focal point in any area

        the combination that I currently favour are Heuchera berry smoothie planted with Huechera electra or Huechera Electric Lime ... I normally plant several of the 2 in one area for maximum effect

        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie'

        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Heuchera 'Electric Lime'

        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Heuchera 'Electra'

        there are loads more vivid colours that will brighten up the area

        ---------------------------------------------

        Brunnera Jack frost (2012 perennial plant of the year)
        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Brunnera 'Jack Frost'

        -------------------------------

        Cyclamen
        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Cyclamen Sweetheart™ Splash

        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Cyclamen Magic™ Mirror

        ----------------------
        Hakonechloa (japanese forest grass) planted 350mm apart on the border edging is a definate must have IMHO and should be planted in all gardens ... does best in part shade ... won perennial plant of the year in 2009 ... looks good as a stand alone accent plant aswell ... there is a new variety that has red leaves, but I have not seen one yet ... there is also a purple one that looks interesting

        http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/2009_POY.pdf

        http://www.blokkermeijer.nl/nieuw/Hakonechloa macra Nicolas.JPG

        -----------------------

        dryopteris affinis fern (the ones I planted last year remained evergreen right through winter in cambridge):

        http://the-plant-directory.co.uk/images/dryopteris-affinis-400.jpg

        ------------------------------

        add a few japanese painted ferns and you will have a very interesting combination (these also won perennial plant of the year a few years ago)

        Terra Nova Nurseries - Home Gardeners - Athyrium 'Pewter Lace'

        http://www.primrosebank.co.uk/plantimages/a/Athyrium_niponicum_Ursula_Red.jpg

        http://image.gardening.eu/giardino/singolepiante/Athyrium/athyrium1.jpg
        -----------------

        and depending on the size of the space and your budget, you could include palms, tree ferns and a fatsia somewhere in a dark corner
         
        *dim*, Aug 8, 2011
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      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        dim, if it's not too far for you then a visit to Park Green Nursery Park Green Nurseries Hosta specialists is worth a visit.

        If you can get a group together Richard will show you around and discuss and explain all about them. We were there three years ago and it was very interesting. Richard said he doesn't bother about shade or sun. He plants all varieties in both situations and gets fantastic results from both.

        For a day out you could go there and some other places not too far. Bressingham is only 20 miles from there and Anglesey Abbey (NT) is 40 miles (but dual carriageway all the way). :dbgrtmb:
         
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        • greencuisinequeen

          greencuisinequeen Gardener

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          Lovin this thread as I love Hostas too. I bought my first one at Shiney's open day this year and did as the Good lady Shiney advised and so far so good :yess:

          I even found a small shoot and managed to pot it up, give it some TLC and wow am over the moon as it took and have a new leaf on there (makes 5 now) I am watering daily but have drainage in there (crocks)
          Saw some fantastic ones at RHS Tatton last month pics 2 & 3 but Shiney's are beautiful and the pic he added just doesn't do them justice           :D
           

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