Pic of the Day--Fire and Ice

[Hank Zumach]

Hi All--It took me a while to find the right growing conditions for Fire and Ice. I am reluctant to relocate hostas because it seems to retard their growth but Fire and Ice just wasn't doing much in it's original spot where it only got a couple of hours of direct sun. It sat there from 1999 when I got the plant to the spring of 2002 when I moved it to a spot that gets as much as 6 hours of sun. You can see the effect from the 1st pic, taken in 2002, and the way the plant looked in 2003 and 2006. Along the way, it went from 13x9 in 2001 to 29x13 last year. A mature plant is listed as "small to medium". Perhaps best of all, unlike many of the other white centered varieties, Fire and Ice has not had a burn out problem, even in that much sun. Slugs have not bothered my plant.

Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... 0and%20Ice
MyHostas - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Fire+and+Ice
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/f/fireandice.html

Fire and Ice 6-26-06c.jpg (68.63 KiB) Viewed 3206 times

Fire and Ice 6-25-03c 005.jpg (58.98 KiB) Viewed 3208 times

fire & Ice 6-24-02c 005.jpg (63.44 KiB) Viewed 3206 times

[Tkzone7]

I have never seen a better looking Fire and Ice! Just outstanding!

[newtohosta-no more]

WOW! What a difference! My Fire and Ice is still quite small. It looks great, but just hasn't grown much. I'm planning on re-doing the bed it's in, so I think I'll consider moving it somewhere where it will get lots more sun. It's in a pretty shady area right now.
Great looking F&I, Hank.

[jgh]

Considering the trouble I got into by suggesting that I thought just the NAME of a good hosta was bad... how much worse will it be when I admit I don't actually like a HOSTA... even worse, a FAMILY of hostas?

I will move my F&I and give it one more chance, based on your observations, Hank.

But I just don't know if it is worth it. I don't much care for white centered hostas, and I sure don't care for F&I. I'm enjoying Remember Me and watching it go to white, but I've found it to be a good grower and it is, after all, part of the June family.

But F&I... how touchy can you get. I started tc in 1999. The pics are from 2005. To be fair, it really wasn't still one eye after all that time. It was two eyes - but rabbits seem particularly attracted to F&I.

OK - I'll admit it - part of my response stems from my disappointment with its parent, Patriot. When Patriot hit the hosta market, it came on like gangbusters. Registered in 1991, it was already hosta of the year by 1997. It pretty much replaced all the other white edged hosta in nursery sales.

And for the life of me, I can't see what the excitement was about. We had lots of really good white-margined hostas. Both Undulata and Fortunei albomarginatas are easy to grow - and free. People leave them on your doorstep, like zucchini. And there's Crispula, Francee... pick your own favorite golden oldie.

I think Patriot is supposed to have a clearer white edge, a stronger green. Ho Hum. As an adult, I just don't see it being that much of an improvement. Truly - I think it is all marketing. Patriot looks better as a young plant in a pot in the nursery early in the season than it will ever look later... and that makes it easy to sell.

In my humble opinion...

OK - not so humble... I'll admit I'm very opinionated and I know lots of people LOVE Patriot and its sports. I've got a whole family of Patriots and Minutemans and Fire and Ice and Loyalist and Paul Revere and I don't know what else... and if I had it to do over again I'd just skip the whole bunch.

But I'll move that stupid 2 eyed 8 year old F&I one more time - but only because Hank dared me!

[nanny_56]

Gee Josh, I would be glad to take that off your hands!!

I agree with you about Patriot. I actually did have one several years ago, but ripped it out. Just didn't do it for me. I do love the look of Fire & Ice though. I hope to get it in the future as I am starting from scratch here with hostas.

I thought it might need more shade than what I have but I guess not!

Claudia

[Nathalie23]

Wow! I can't wait mine looks like yours!

[thy]

Had to take a deep breath befor I opened this topic

I forgot to move mine last year

6 years old I think they are- and people fall in ave for their size.... they are babies compared to Hanks beauty
Someone have to send me a PM in 6 to 7 weeks saying move your FI

So Jim, you are brave this year... is the reason I got no spanking for my Guacamole statement this year
Mostly agree with you, but My Patriot, growing in mostly shade here up north is beautiful, was told Minuteman was better and accepted more sun- so gave it sun, and after 3 crispy years It walked out of the garden last summer
Crispula is one of my top favorites and if you do not have it- bye it- 3 or 5 $ and forget all about it for 3 years... then we talk.

An other thing- for me the white centered and wide white marginated hostas are difficult to use in a planting with other hostas.

But that Fire and Ice beat all other Fire and Ice I have seen or heard off
6 hours of your sun... if it wasn't you Hank- I would have thought it was a mistake

Pia

[eastwood2007]

I agree, that I had never cared much for F&I because some I had seen places weren't doing very well. I got one last fall for $4, so I thought it was worth a try. It looked great in the pot and it was one of the dozen I didn't get planted last year, so I will be sure it gets a spot with more light. Thanks for the info! As good as yours looks, Hank, I am really encouraged.