Hostas south of Gainesville?

I met a woman in Walmart last week who said she successfully grew hostas in the Orlando area. Has anyone heard of them living south of Gainesville? I was recently sent seeds but don't want to put in the effort if they're just going to die on me.

Thanks for your insight and experience,

Leslie

Leslie,

Growing anything in Florida that is not native can have it's challenges. While visiting my mother in Maryland last May, I took a clump of her beautiful hosta, and brought it back to Florida, and planted it. Because hostas prefer a rich soil, I used my compost soil, when I planted it. It has done well, and even bloomed, but I have noticed from the cold weather we have had lately, that the leaves are turning brown around the edges. Up north I know hostas need the cold weather to look their best during the summer months. I have it planted in the shade of my live oak tree, and where it gets early morning light from the east. Unfortunately, I can't give you any more info. Hopefully it will come back big and beautiful this summer. I am a Master Gardener for St Lucie County, and I usually say try anything once. If it doesn't work out, to the compost pile it goes, LOL. Happy Gardening, John.

Leslie - I live just north of you in Columbia County and have had no luck growing hostas like they do up north. The ones I have tried are those that I have bought in Lowe's or Walmart as container plants. I planted in deep shade and basically they survived, but remained the same size with no growth or spreading. This year I mixed some good rich mushroom compost in the soil and will see what happens.

John - good luck with yours - if anyone has a variety they were successful with, please share the info.

Well as a 'Master Gardener' you should have known that Hostas are perennials go dormant, not because it gets cold, but because they want to sleep awhile. That's why they are turning brown and appearing to die.
I got 60 Hosta liners in a co-op about 18 months ago and also picked up another dozen in a Hosta Farm co-op about the same time. They all went to sleep and they all woke-up last spring. They are not as lush as the ones in North Carolina, but they are still interesting and do get a little bigger each year.
If you are really interested in having lush ones get an extra refrigerator and cycle them in there about 40 days somewhere between say October and April.
To do their best, they need about 40 nights below 32º.
Jack Driscoll of Atlanta, Ga was featured last year on HGTV's "A Gardener's Diary" and he grows quite a few Hostas in pots and they were lovely on pedestals around his great yard.
I have a stack of pot's with soil against the neighbors garage that will all come to life in a month or two.
Sidney

Well Sidney, glad we are on the same page. I don't remember saying that my hosta is "appearing to die". Being a "Master Gardener", the first thing I learned, is to speak in terms most people would understand, and try to bring a "mental picture" to their mind. Amazing how you contradict yourself. "Hostas want to go to sleep, not because it gets cold", and yet you say "they need around 40 nights at 32 Degrees". Last time I checked, 32 degrees is cold BRRRR. In fact, around 35 degrees here last night, BRRRR. I am sure you were colder up there. Maybe cold, and dormancy, have a connection in some way? LOL. I just wanted to give Leslie an idea of what to expect, since she is in the same hardiness zone as I am. Happy gardening, and "sleep well". John.

Isn't it all relative? And I've seen it written that the hours of daylight plays a part in this "dormancy" thing.

Darius brought her hostas down from N. Carolina. I brought mine up from Lauderdale. We both planted them in the ground. Her's shot up thinking it was spring, mine died back thinking it was winter.

Now last night temps went down to 21 and her poor hostas got the frost bite on the leaves. Mine are still sleeping quietly in the ground.

Leslie, I would give it a try. Granted, I've heard they don't get as huge and robust as the ones grown up north, but they hafta do better than the ones I grew down south. I have a Guacamole that did very well in it's first year in S. Florida. I hope it will do better yet here in zone whatever I am. I kept it in NO sun, with an easterly breeze and watered every afternoon about 4 to cool them down, in summer.

Take a look at this article about hostas in the warm zones. It might help you. http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/warmhosta.html

Molly
:^)))

Well, Just Master Garden us to death then John. Edited to add, John click the 'Home' tab above for a link to a D-mail I sent you last night appologizing for being rude.
;)

This message was edited Feb 13, 2006 12:53 PM

Somewhere along the line, in another thread I'm looking to find....I showed pics of Hostas I was growing here in Orlando, in water only. I had them in vases with a few tadpoles, in the full Florida sun, and they did very well year after year. No soil at all. I do agree, they don't go crazy and spread, like they do up north, but still do infact get large and lush.
MerryMary

How interseting MM, I recently purchased a JUMBO pot to put fish and a/some plants in. Do the hostas float? What size pot did you use? Was it clear or Opaque?
I also wanted to add that the info about 40 nights was what I was told, and needless to say I don't think mine will ever see the 40 nights below 32º here, or atleast hope I don't. My hosta liners were delivered in a mess and I threw them in the ground and said "Live or die!!!" So far they are doing well. I do try to give them as much shade as possible.
Sidney

Sugarweed....the pots I have been using are old McCoy pottery vases and planters. They are clazed and hold water well. I usually use a healthy large crown, about 3 or 4 inches, and just put it in, fill with water, and add a few tadpoles. They keep the water sparkling clean by eating any vegetative that falls off, so you never get rotting anything. They clean up fallen leaves and stems, and pick off any dead roots. As they get a bit older, they will even take care of any mosquito larvae that may enter the water. There are a few pics listed under hostas-sun tolerant- feb 21, 2005. I don't know how to put the link here, using a laptop with only a touchscreen mouse, and not a regular mouse. I have never been able to grow hostas in the ground here (Orlando-9b) so this water method has proved very successful.
MerryMary

I'll hop over there and take a peek, didn't find it.
How to post a link.
Go to address where picture is
With right finger put arrow on addy,
with left finger click on left pad,
then click right pad.
bring arrow down to copy & click.
Come back here
decide where you want to put that link,
right click and click paste.
Hope you can show me that way at least to the thread it's in.
Thank you for putting up with me.
Sidney

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/546052/

I'm not sure if this link will go through or not. The hostas in water are listed under "Hostas" ... then "sun tolerance" as the thread, the post is November 21. Maybe the above link will work?

Merry Mary, those are really neat and I am looking for some small tadpoles.
I have several pieces of pottery that will work and boucoos of Hostas.
When I had a pond 30 years ago in ElPaso I purchased 2 large black tadpoles in Las Cruces. When they grew up they were real pond hopping leapers, used to scare the pee out of me by making a big splash in a time of solitude. LOL
Sidney

As soon as spring has sprung...you'll most likely be able to find tadpoles, or if you have water around, they'll find you.
If not, they really are listed on Ebay! I saw a nursery in Maryland that carried water supplies for ponders, and they had large tanks of them. I haven't see that anwhere around here in Florida though.
I collect the toads I see hopping around the driveway at night, and relocate them to the backyard, around the pond. Then there's at least a buddy system to perhaps spur a little flirting and eventually toad-poles. Although the jumbo bullfrog tadpole sounds like fun, I really don't want them, as the actual bullfrog they become eats all the other frogs and fish, so nah....

Maybe you'll have some for Corky's RU???
Sidney

If I do, I'll bring some along! Most of my "trade" things got hit really hard by the freeze the past 2 nights, so if the weather ends up warm enough to get the little leapers going, I'll bring some along for those of you who want to try my water only planting method.

Tadpoles that is what I want. LOL
I have a pink brug rooting for you and some coleus cuttings.
Edited to add; Sorry about getting off topic folks.
Sidney

This message was edited Feb 16, 2006 10:07 AM

Sidney,

Just let your pool go. I've had tadpoles more than once in mine. LOL

Leslie

No pool in this tiny yard, I just want em in my water hosta crocks. If not I'll go with goldfish. (Got a huge one at Goodwill for $5.)
Sidney

My dad had a little koi pond in his back yard up near Tallahassee and a heron came and ate them all. LOL He was so mad. I laugh every time I think about it. He has the worst luck.

I gave him a couple dozen seedlings for his birthday this year and an armadillo has dug them up then rabbits or something ate them after he planted them the third time. It cracks me up. He's the Charlie Brown of the garden world.

LaLamb, give him a dog next, then give him the garden stuff.

With the dog scent around, the predator/seed eating critters won't come round.

:^)))

Good idea.;)