What hosta do you have trouble growing?

[morgansrgr8]

The hosta having the most trouble in my garden is White Christmas. Hoosier Harmony isnt far behind. It doesnt grow well but it hasnt died yet either. I moved a couple small eyes last year into more sun. Will see how it does. For some reason my Sagae isnt to happy this year either. So its moved. Seems a little happier, gets a little more sun there. And Pandora's Box just hangs on.

[Mark Raw]

I have had trouble with Sagae and P box. Sagae got smaller and smaller til I gave up on it and P box never came back. Just managinf with Dream weaver luckily it came back this year my Great expectations never did. I have heard White Christmas can be troublesome (never had it myself) and its sport Night before that did quite well but I wasn't that struck on it.
Good luck

[nanny_56]

My Touch Of Class is slow and the only hosta I ever had die on me was Queen of the Seas. It just never seemed to get happy and finally it just died...put us both out of our misery!

[morgansrgr8]

If it wasnt so hot and dry I would move my White Christmas now. But its dry and suppost to be in the 90's for the next 3 days. So hot. thinking of snow. LOL

[jgh]

I always try to make a distinction between bad individual plants and hostas with poor genetics in general. I've lost a few... mostly white-centered ones... which is why I actually have some affection for good old Undulata. The real little babies are always iffy in the ground in our miserable climate... winters aren't kind to those tiny ones.

About those already mentioned... yup, White Christmas is difficult. Hoosier Harmony has never done well for me... never dies, but never really fills out either... not a lot of substance to the leaves...

Pandora's Box has never really done well for me, though one from the same batch makes a nice 18" clump in my friend's garden every year. Again, small and white-centered... actually, none of that family have been strong growers for me... Hope, Cherish... I think more light would help... I think they were the precursors for Blue Mouse Ears and its sports... similar in cuteness but stronger growers...

I hate to see Sagae make the list... it is slowish, but generally not difficult... either you got a bad plant or there was something going on beneath the surface that was damaging that crown or roots.

Touch of Class? It is one of those tetraploids that doesn't grow as fast as the diploid members of the (Halcyon) family. But it isn't supposed to be particularly difficult. Actually, with the increased substance and wide green margins, once established it usually does fine. I'd add that the one I have in a lot of light, even some midday sun, has grown much much better than the ones in deep shade.

And Queen of the Seas? Not touchy at all in my experience... I wonder if you got a poor plant from tc. My QoftheS wholesale plants were pretty good, I think...

[thy]

Fire Island is a no no in my garden, wanted it to grow so very much, but after 3 dead plants it was time to find some who would grow here.
Darn .. look like I have problems with Designer Genes too.... but it is only after one plant
Do not ave White Christmas and Hosier dome.. other wise I see the same proos and cons as Jim

Pia

[rockNhostas]

Masquerade and Fireworks are flat out gone.

I have a Morning Light that is about 15 years old and never amounts to more than 4 or 5 leaves. Why I don't just put it out of it's misery is beyond me.

Great Expectations is scheduled for a mercy killing. It is a ten year old plant and is about 3 inches tall. I can't bear to watch it struggle anymore. At least Morning Light has some charm to the 4 or 5 leaves that are there, but my Great Expectations isn't going to be spared this year. I just keep forgetting to finish it off. I forget about it on most days and fuss over the well behaved hostas that are giving me some satisfaction. This was my second attempt with GE. The first one finished itself off. I'm not going to waste anymore time trying to raise this one anymore. There are so many beauties that are great growers.

Maruba Iwa was one that barely hung on for years for me. Then when we moved, it seemed to like it's new home and almost appeared to be coming back...but then it suddenly vanished.

Since the move, I have a few that are struggling to bounce back from the stress. These are some that were put in a makeshift nursery while I prepared beds. I don't think they got enough light in their nursery. Among those are Robert Frost, Whirligig, Cutting Edge, Metallica and Elvis(barely)Lives.

[ViolaAnn]

Several years ago I got rid of 'Brim Cup' and 'Center of Attention' as they just did poorly. Last year my 'Tokudama Aureonebulosa' didn't thrive. I dug it and divided it and found virtually no root growth since I had moved it a couple of years before. 'Island Charm' nearly didn't come back this year - very, very tiny indeed and 'Lakeside Paisley Print' which was new last autumn, doesn't look at though it will make it through the summer. Oh yes, while I got rid of it because of nematodes, my 'Fair Maiden' was NEVER very fair.

OTOH, I have NO problem with 'White Christmas'.

[ogrefcf]

Dream queen is the only one I have had problems with.

[mikencarol]

Hmmm...so many years, so many memories of hostas with promise going by the wayside. What does Tony Avent say, it isn't hardy if I haven't killed at least three of them (paraphrase). But seriously, I could never grow Shade Fanfare (how's that for an oldie?). I finally seem to have a White Chrstimas last more than one season, but it's in a pot (probably just jinxed it). I once had a beautiful Spilt Milk, but the voles got it. Haven't been able to grow one since. Cheery Berry - forget about it. They die at the nursery when I just look at them

[Chris_W]

Some very familiar names have come up here, so some of these are repeats but these are the plants I've had trouble with in the past and actually have regrets for growing and selling some of them. Sometimes plants will grow fine in containers but then wither away in the ground, so that's part of the reason we went completely to field grown. Pandora's Box, Little Jay, and Teeny Weeny Bikini are a few that almost make the cut, but they do grow for me, just stay so small they are hard to sell. In pots they would probably grow much better. And with Fire Island and the other yellows I find that keeping the crowns just barely covered seems to help a lot with their growth and survival for some reason...

Anyway, here is a list of ones I would never try again:

Blue Ice
Blue Beard
Crystal Tiara
St Elmo's Fire
Cherry Berry
Fireworks
Remember Me
Morning Light
Hoosier Harmony
Lonesome Dove
Summer Music
Great Expectations
Stitch in Time
Masquerade (grows, but sports to solid green too often to be worth the trouble)

There are a few others that I considered adding to this list, but I think that their problems were due to the Elle paper plugs from Walters Gardens. Those included Alakazam, Clovelly, and First Mate, but when I started finding rotting roots and crowns on Captain Kirk, Striptease, Elegans, and Pineapple Upsidedown Cake too, I realized it was the Elle paper plugs that were causing so much damage. Now we rinse off all of their paper and soil before planting any of them, and thankfully Walters has gone to a much thinner paper now so it rinses off much easier. Since doing that we've seen a big improvement in a lot of their plants.

[jgh]

I should have followed your lead on those elle papers, Chris. I finally got to see what Clovelly is supposed to look like - one plant in my holding area must have freed itself from that terrible first year tc syndrome. I thought they'd solved the problems, so I plopped a row of Alakazam in two summers ago... I think maybe half will survive, all small with one tiny eye... too bad as it is a pretty cool plant when it thrives.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who lost Stitch in Time - I got some and sold all but one... lost mine and I think everybody else did too - expensive waste... oddly enough, Mango Tango is growing just fine for me. Summer Music - the family is so good for color - I like Dance with Me a lot... too bad SM has a little too week tissue in the center. I can grow it - but there always seems to be some mechanical damage even before melt-out season kicks in...

I'm with you on most of the list. I can grow St. Elmo's Fire - but aside from that early season color, it isn't anything special. Remember Me is one of the more striking plants in the garden right now... actually one of my best among the very light centers... gets a lot of daylight and some direct midday sun...

You know how I love to plant reverse sports together... nobody has mentioned the notoriously weak Yin that goes with easy to grow Yang. Yang is a nice enough plant, but not really special - and without Yin... which has always stayed tiny and may be completely gone this year... it doesn't mean much. But perhaps the worst in that vein is Twilight-Morning Light. Twilight is supposed to be the tetraploid improved Fortunei Aureomarginata-on-steroids... for me it hasn't been any real improvement on the original - which sells wholesale for something like $1. And Morning Light - totally disappointing... doesn't grow, doesn't look good under any growing conditions I've found...

I've found Fire Island... and now Paradise Island... to grow reasonably well with no special care - but I do have them in well-drained raised beds. They are worth some extra effort, I think. And, of course, I will probably add some pics to the current thread on Great Ex - I have two nice ones and one that has never recovered from some unknown damage that affected an area of my oldest plants. But Great Ex has always grown OK for me - of course on the slow end, but much more vigorous than, say, Dream Weaver or Thunderbolt.

[morgansrgr8]

I've had Cherish since 08 and it hasnt done very well either. A couple weeks ago I moved it to a sunnier location and it has perked up and looks better than when I bought it. Actually it was almost dead when I moved it because I accidentally stepped on it.(it was so small I didnt see it) It now gets about 4 hours sun. I was surprised it didnt burn up and wither away. So that might be the ticket for that little stinker. LOL
I had GE at the other house. Was told to try and leave it in the pot. If I remember correctly it was doing ok. But after the move I have no idea what happened to it. One of my sisters probly took it home and planted it. I suppose I could do a recon visit to their gardens but getting it back is like pulling teeth. Easier to go buy new ones. Altho one of my sisters gave me back 5 this year for my birthday. LOL funny my own plants back for my birthday.

[Chris_W]

Jim, you reversed Yin and Yang. It is Yin that grows great, and Yang that doesn't grow at all. Thank you for reminding me about that one, I should update the list I posted to add that one.

[nanny_56]

Gosh...I had forgotten about Capt. Kirk....I had that one and it just did nothing. I finally just dug it up.

[ViolaAnn]

Of Chris's list -

Cherry Berry - grows beautifully for me. Go figure!
Fireworks - doing OK, though very slow growing. Should likely get more light than where I have it.
Remember Me - after the first 4 very slow years, it has taken off and is gorgeous
Morning Light - gets morning light and still melts out on occasion, but most of the time it does OK
Lonesome Dove - VERY slow for me. Might be slated for a mercy death
Summer Music - again, a slow grower for me, but doing better since I moved it to get more light
Great Expectations - mine doesn't get as much light as it should, but it keeps on going, growing slowly
Masquerade - one of my VERY first hostas and very slow growing, but I've not had problems with it reverting to green.

I looked at my little Lakeside Paisley Print this morning. The two leaves are limp. I'll dig it up later and see if it can be salvaged, but I think it's a goner.

[jgh]

thanks for the reminder, Chris... I meant to walk out and check it before I hit the final button...

[Noreaster]

Ann, my experience with Remember Me is th e same as yours....slow, but thriving now.

Fireworks, Lonesome Dove, island Charm and Pandora's box are gone and won't be replaced.

[irawon]

If I can grow 'Island Charm' and 'Pandora's Box' in my garden, then I think that your plants must have been duds to begin with.
Just thinking that the plants you bought weren't mature enough before they were put into the ground.

[wendys_garden]

I have had poor growth on Clifford's Stingray, Revolution (seems to get smaller each year), and my Last Dance is a dud. I finally put my Tokudama Aureonebulosa out of it's misery last year.