Home Depot has many Virused Hosta in Mt. Pleasant!

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » May 06, 2005 2:11 pm

Had to run in to get more stain and low and behold, they have a ton of hosta they didn't have last weekend in there! Imagine that. I wonder if they were received from another store!?

A Blue one (can't remember which one), Gold Standard and another one (sorry, I was so nervous explaining it the manager, that I can't remember now) Not a confrontational type of person unless it's about kids or animals!

Anyway. They had virused hosta in both their boxes and many, many more that were on the shelves. I gave them some of the pics I had printed off, but I think I need better ones and some info. Anyone have an article we as consumers can share with managers at these stores? I think we've got to really beat this thing down and no better way than word of mouth!

Just remembered, there were Sum & Substance and some of the variagated ones that are 'generic' just called that.

Blackkat · Post by **Blackkat** » May 06, 2005 2:41 pm

Last year in early July, a local garden center chain sold some really sick looking hostas. Shade Fanfare, Ginko Craig, elegans, and Sun Power had mottled leaves (I took pictures, but have to find them on CD). So I informed the manager, who blew me off. He wasn't interested in the least despite my trying to explain the magnitude of the virus problem.

Yesterday, they had a few hostas in and sure enough, there was Blue Cadet looking just as sick as the hostas I saw last July. This place not only sells infected hostas (can't say for sure it is Hosta Virus X until they are tested), but they routinely mislabel them or rename common varieties. I don't even want to go back anymore for other plants.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » May 06, 2005 2:50 pm

Jane...looks like you need to put in a call to the complaint number at HD. And maybe both of you should call the Dept. of Agriculture in your states and report these places.
Let's hope that HD will start to take notice and action like the Lowe's stores are doing when they get these complaints.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » May 06, 2005 4:23 pm

I'm going back in the morning with my camera and it they are they, get some pics for precisely that. We have an extension office here, and I'm hoping someone there might be able to tell me where or who to contact also.

Sherri · Post by **Sherri** » Jul 15, 2005 7:04 pm

Blackkat wrote: This place not only sells infected hostas (can't say for sure it is Hosta Virus X until they are tested), but they routinely mislabel them or rename common varieties. I don't even want to go back anymore for other plants.

I know that I'm replying to an old post (and I'm a newbie here too

) ...but I wanted to mention that I had the EXACT same experience at my local Home Depot yesterday. I was told VERBATIM that they can't say for sure it's HVX until they are tested AND that they couldn't "in good conscience" remove the plants from the sale floor while they wait for the company rep. to come and test.

I did call the corporate offices in Atlanta and got a prompt call back this morning, followed within minutes by a call from the local store manager. I was assured that the sick plants have been removed and that they are notifying other stores in the area to do the same. I'm sure it's not the end of it by any stretch, but calls to higher powers helps. Even if more diseased plants are on the shelf next week, I get some comfort that at least 50 or so are not going in anyone's garden this weekend.

....I did tell them I'd be sure to check back, but abandoned my cart with 4 sale roses in it and told the garden mgr that if they're willing to sell sick hostas, maybe they sell sick roses too....

Post by **Chris_W** » Jul 15, 2005 11:03 pm

Welcome Sherri!

Sounds like you made a real impression with them. Congratulations! Hopefully they will follow through with the checks to the other stores and I really hope they follow it back to their supplier too. The buck has to stop somewhere, and I hate to say it, but some companies may lose their shirts over this. If Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart stop buying for a while that might get their attention!

Sherri · Post by **Sherri** » Jul 17, 2005 8:46 pm

UPDATE

After I spoke with the local manager, he told me the plants would be removed. He called back to let me know what was done, but my newfangled digital answering machine garbled the whole message.

So I buzzed down there yesterday and met with the store Mgr. He couldn't have been nicer. He grasped the problem immediately and explained to the dept. manager that even though it didn't kill the plants or affect the ones around it, it could be spread in the customers garden. He gave me the name of the district plant buyer and has already spoken to him about checking with all the other HD stores in the area that get plants from that grower. I don't remember the name of the grower...someone out of Connecticut. He urged me to let him or the garden mgr know if I ever see sick plants in the store again. He definitely seemed like he meant it. I can usually spot a schmooze when I see one.

I gave him a bunch of materials that I printed off the internet including Chris' article and the Hosta Library article (with full color pics) I think I'll print more copies to keep in my car in case I run across a similar situation in the future.