WOW,JEFF

I would like to join. I have read about H. ventricosa but I have never been able to find one nor can I find any seed. I figured they just don't have them any more and I would never be able to grow a real Hosta
This is really good news to me
I was on a seed swap that just ended and I have hundreds of seeds coming but my plan was winter sowing. (btw, I didn't get any hosta seed)
Can't you winter sow hosta seeds?

susan

Paul2032 said:The 'Tiaras' clump up relatively fast...there are several colors. You may already be familiar with them. I like 'Twist of Lemon' also and 'Lemon Lime' is good. I wish I could give you a big shovel full which you could separate and quickly cover the area.
'Golden Tiara'.

PAUL

I planted a border with 'Grand Tiara's' they were not very showy last year because I bought 'one year plants', that is how I was able to afford 8 of them. Hoping for a good picture to share this spring.
susan

Jeff...wow...what exciting streaked seedlings. Do you have any a few years older that you are proud of that you could show us? Susan...I have sown seed in the house at this time of year. I put the seed in a container of moist sterile seedling starting mix, cover with clear-wrap and put on top of the kitchen cupboards where it is warmer. Some germinate within a few days. After they germinate I leave the clear wraps on a few more days and remove. I bottom water with very week fertilizer.

What a great thread! Thanks to all of your for sharing your thoughts and information.

I love propagating but have only divided hostas...guess I better get on with starting from seed.
Jeff, I guess growing from seed is one great way to begat a "new" variety, eh? (Except with H. ventricosa.)

I was about to order rooted/divided plugs for next years mkt sales...so many to choose from. Now I guess I should wander about my flower beds and see if I have any hosta seeds to play with.

Shoe (hosta lover.)

Well Susan... you can 'winter sow' hosta seeds but I don't see a good reason to do so. First off they don't start to germinate until the ground is near or above 60 degrees (80 degrees is what I use with success with germination in 4 days common, the cooler the longer it takes). Hosta seed is very small and is surface sown or with a very light covering and while waiting for the warm temps in spring all kinds of problems like washing away from rain, snow melt ect...getting eaten by bugs, birds, ect... trampled by whatever travels through the garden. What I would do if you want to sow them outdoors is wait till spring to do so. Like Paul said you could do a flat or what have you and start indoors late winter early spring and then plant the little seedlings outside or into pots/cups and take outside once it gets warm enough. I do have ventricosa and would send you a division this spring if you are interested....just send me a reminder. Mine came to me from my Grandma Pearl's garden.

Yes Paul I am fond of the streaked plants and most of the seedlings I grow are streaked. This is one I am going to donate to the upcoming AHS fund raising auction. I have named it 'Pretty Persuasion'.

Shoe....yes it is and it is just a fun way for me to pass the cold snowy days of the Iowa winter by. You can and there are lots of hybrids from ventricosa out there, most from using it's pollen but you can emasculate the near ready flower (like the evening before it would open) and pollenate it that way.

Gorgeous hosta...great name. A number of years ago I ordered some streaked hosta seed over the net. I raised them and got a number of streaked seedlings. When they bloomed the next year i put pollen from them on all my favorites in the garden. Oops! As I went to plants them later I realized that the pod parent should be the streaked one. Just lost one year.

Beautiful hostas, Jeff, and such great info. I was looking at the plants you submitted pics of to the database, and I just love the form of Cascade.

Pretty Persuasion is outstanding.

Wowzers! That Pretty Persuasion is a keeper! Very nice, Jeff!

Working with hosta flowers is how I work with tomato flowers, both being self-pollinizing, both needing emasculation. Right down my ally. I just developed a new hobby because of this thread.

Paul, your pic above of Dick Ward has the puckered leaves like one I got last year, Great Expectations, or supposedly is. The plants/divisions are still young and not showing any "pucker" yet. Was Dick Ward like that, too....young leaves smooth, older/larger leaves finally puckering up?

Shoe

Paul2032 said: Susan...I have sown seed in the house at this time of year. I put the seed in a container of moist sterile seedling starting mix, cover with clear-wrap and put on top of the kitchen cupboards where it is warmer. Some germinate within a few days. After they germinate I leave the clear wraps on a few more days and remove. I bottom water with very week fertilizer.

Thanks Paul, sounds like a good idea

BlackHawkGiboshi said:Well Susan... you can 'winter sow' hosta seeds but I don't see a good reason to do so. First off they don't start to germinate until the ground is near or above 60 degrees (80 degrees is what I use with success with germination in 4 days common, the cooler the longer it takes). Hosta seed is very small and is surface sown or with a very light covering and while waiting for the warm temps in spring all kinds of problems like washing away from rain, snow melt ect...getting eaten by bugs, birds, ect... trampled by whatever travels through the garden. What I would do if you want to sow them outdoors is wait till spring to do so. Like Paul said you could do a flat or what have you and start indoors late winter early spring and then plant the little seedlings outside or into pots/cups and take outside once it gets warm enough. I do have ventricosa and would send you a division this spring if you are interested....just send me a reminder. Mine came to me from my Grandma Pearl's garden.

VERY NICE HOSTA JEFF
Thanks for the advice about the germination of hosta seeds, makes sense now that I think about it. Gives me something to grow over the winter
I would love a ventricosa division and I will be intouch in the spring. I have never heard of Grandma Pearl's Garden, I will be checking it out also.

susan

Shoe...many hosta including Dick Ward and Great Expectations become more textured as they mature. Some are not even recognizable as juvenile plants. GE is.
'Dick Ward'

Thanks, Paul... I was hoping that was the case.

I can hardly wait to see the mature leaves. I love the textured look as much as many of the variegated leaves. Some of the really blue ones get my attention, too.

Shoe

JEFF I found some H.ventricosa seeds on eBay! I will try to grow some over the winter and let you know how it goes.


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY
............ AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR !!!!!!

Very good Susan..... I wish you lots of good luck and I will be waiting to hear of your succesess.

polly I just found a hosta that spreads so fast it might be considered 'invasive' !

This is a quote from 'Hosta Clausa' see data base.
Hosta (Hosta clausa)

clausa is highly rhizomatous and can become invasive in the right conditions. Grow it where nothing else likes to grow!

Thanks Susan! Hard to believe a hosta would spread like that. Wow!!!!!

I know! Right!

Hmmm. I wonder where someone can get those H. clausa. (Maybe Dave could add that feature to the database one day.) (Sorry, Dave! More work, I know, I know....)

Shoe

I googled H. clausa and there were some sources there....

Maybe we could put in the members names and addresses that have large clumps we can raid?