I have a gravel bed with a lot of good dirt beneath, can I put my hostas in this type of ground?

No personal experience with growing them this way, but have seen many others that do...I think you will be ok.

Yes, however, use alfalfa in the hole before you plant it. This is the perfect way to feed your hostas for the next five years.

Will Hostas grow with mulch around them? I was told mulch had too much acid in it, although I had never heard that before. So with some new landscaping I did put the red mulch around the hostas.

I am hoping they will grow in small river rock mulch as I am afraid the HOA landscapers would blow away the wood mulch.

I have tried containers and they do not survive the winters here.

I don't think there is any problem with hostas growing or not growing because of the mulch but some mulches provide perfect places for slugs to hide; so it's wise to keep the mulch back the the crown of the plant.

I am a landscaper. I see hundreds of yards. If there is one thing I know Hosta don't mind growing in...it's bark mulch. Bear in mind though, the Hosta should be planted in the ground, with the mulch being a top dressing, not just planted in deep mulch.