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| Keeping Track |
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Often people
don't realize they are starting a hosta
collection till they are already there.
While we remember (at first) who everyone
is, loosing track of who's who is a common
problem. |
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To get an
idea of what you have, visit a good nursery
or www.hostalibrary.org to see Hosta and
also check when they were released for sale.
It is likely the Hosta you got across the
fence from your neighbour 5 years ago was
not released 6 years ago. |
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A dedicated
notebook with careful records is one way, or
a looseleaf binder (where sheets can be
inserted alphabetically). Information such
as; Name, Date purchased, notes on eventual
size, performance and so on can all be put
on the sheet. |
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A more
modern solution would be a spreadsheet in
excel, with as many headings as you like. |
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Before
heading out on a collecting trip, it is good
to know what you already have. Many
collectors come with a printed sheet showing
what they have, which we can then compare
with our availability. |
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A small
flattish riverstone can be written on with a
SHARPIE marker, then left writing down
beside the plant. This will help you know
who's who when in the garden. The aluminum
plant stakes from Lee Valley are also useful
using pencil (hint, write name on underside
as well) although the can easily get raked
out of the garden. |
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| Miniatures |
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Miniature
Hosta are a fun way to collect while not
taking up large amounts of space. Be careful
not to put them where they will be covered
or crowded out by larger Hosta. They are
less tolerant of wet feet than their bigger
cousins so a slightly sloped area can work
well. One hole from a slug can take up a
whole leaf on a tiny variety such as Itsy
Bitsy Spider, so careful attention to slug
control is a good plan. |
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| Wintering in
Pots |
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We winter
over 1,000 Hosta in their pots outdoors each
winter. To do so we have found some tips
that help our survival rates; |
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It should be cold
out when you are putting them to bed. Mid
November works well for us. |
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We
have the best success when we leave the
foliage attached, although we do trim flower
stems. |
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Choose a
shaded area where snow usually collects, for
instance the north or east side of a
building, fence or hedge |
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The Hosta
should be neither dry nor overly wet.
Usually fall rain has been enough, but if
very dry we might water as late as Oct 30th. |
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| 5- |
We lay pots
on their sides, close together and
interwoven, trying to create the most
contact with the ground. By laying pots down
we prevent the over wet frozen plant cycle
of late winter, which is a real killer. |
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| 6- |
Rodent
damage is a big problem, we have found that
leaves, blankets etc. seem to attract moles
and mice. We have less damage when we use
leaves aroung the edges of the pots but not
over. Using bark chunks in our potting mix
has really reduced rodent burrowing over
winter. |
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Tops of the pots where exposed
should not face south or west. |
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| 8- |
An
indoor non-heated dark space is ok, but
plants seem to be much more likely to dry
out. |
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