robyn514
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Different Kinds of Hosta Bloom at Different Times in Spring?

Do different types of Hostas come up at different times in the Spring?
Thanks in advance for any info.

harleysilo
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I have several different types, they all come up within a few (2) weeks of each other.

Newt
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Hi Robyn,

Soil temps, moisture and amount of sun will also effect when they sprout.

Newt

vwgirl
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Hi there,
Do hosta have to be in the shade at all times? How fast do they spread too?
Thanks,

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Jess
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Hi vwgirl :D

Do you actually have a VW? Modern or like myself an old VW van? Just being nosey sorry. :D

Anyway back to Hostas. No they do not need to be in shade all the time. They are quite happy in semi-shade or dappled shade. What they don't like is the hottest part of the day so morning or late afternoon sun is fine. They do not spread particularly fast and stay in a nice clump that should be divided every few years.

vwgirl
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Hi Jess,
Thanks for the reply back. I have a VW Jetta Wagon TDI which I love to death...Wouldn't trade it for anything.....
I'm a newbie so I'm learning a lot....Will at least trying to. lol!!!!
Do you know how long they can stay in the pot for?
thanks again.

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Jess
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Haha! Just googled your wagon. Lets just say it is slightly more modern than ours. :lol:
There is a growing craze in England for old (1970s) V.W. buses. I love the fact I can make a cup of tea in mine when stuck in a traffic jam. It actually causes most of the traffic jams as we do 60mph max and that is down hill with a tail wind.......Right Hostas.... Fine in pots.
Top the pot with fresh soil each year and divide when it is busting out the sides. I can't tell you how long as it depends on the size of the pot and the Hosta. Much better in pots as well, as it keeps the slugs and snails off. If you can, get copper tape to go round the pot. Then you won't have any holes at all in the leaves as slugs and snails won't cross copper.

vwgirl
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my boyfriend wants an old vw van so bad. He loves VW's a lot.
It was just the other day when I saw the Hosta's in a pot on someone's front lawn and I was like what are they doing.....Needless to say that, it's a lot better. I'm thinking that's what I'm going to do. But when it gets cold do I cut them down and bring in the house?
Sorry I'm really new to all of this.
thanks again.

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Jess
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No cutting required unless you want to when they are withering and disappearing in the Autumn. They are perennials and will die back naturally every year and in the Spring lovely juicy thick nobbly bits ( I'm sure there is a proper word for it but I don't know it) appear through the soil so you will see nothing all Winter but don't panic. They will grow back. I have no idea what zone you are but hostas are completely hardy which means they can survive temps down to -15C (sorry don't know F) Unless you get colder than that then fine to leave them outside.

Tell your boyfriend that he either has to be very good at mechanics or have pots of money. They take a lot of looking after but they are sooo worth it.

vwgirl
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thanks again for your great help!
:wink:
We have a good friend that only works on VW's we are really lucky there. Plus the boyfriend know's a lot about cars to. Thank god I picked a good one lol...... :D

wingdesigner
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VWgirl--the hostas may all come up at the same time, but they may flower at different times during the summer. Also, some will take up to 1/2 day sun in the a.m., usually the chartreuse or yellow ones, but some of the variegated ones, too. Just watch for colour breaks--if they suddenly deviate from what the catalogue photo looks like, or look different than past years they're probably infected with Hosta Virus X. Google it and you'll see what I mean. It's spread by direct contact, not thru air or soil, meaning if you deadhead an infected plant and don't sterilise the pruners before moving on to the next one then that next one will get it too. It usually takes a year to manifest in the plant. I had to rip out one whole bed of different hostas because of that. I was able to keep some because either they bloomed at a different time or they were in another bed in the back yard, and I keep a second set of tools back there. But hostas are a great partial shade plant and come in sooo many variations; they're like potato chips--you can't have just one! Enjoy and Happy Gardening.
Wingdesigner

vwgirl
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wingdesigner wrote:VWgirl--the hostas may all come up at the same time, but they may flower at different times during the summer. Also, some will take up to 1/2 day sun in the a.m., usually the chartreuse or yellow ones, but some of the variegated ones, too. Just watch for colour breaks--if they suddenly deviate from what the catalogue photo looks like, or look different than past years they're probably infected with Hosta Virus X. Google it and you'll see what I mean. It's spread by direct contact, not thru air or soil, meaning if you deadhead an infected plant and don't sterilise the pruners before moving on to the next one then that next one will get it too. It usually takes a year to manifest in the plant. I had to rip out one whole bed of different hostas because of that. I was able to keep some because either they bloomed at a different time or they were in another bed in the back yard, and I keep a second set of tools back there. But hostas are a great partial shade plant and come in sooo many variations; they're like potato chips--you can't have just one! Enjoy and Happy Gardening.
Wingdesigner
Thank you so much for your great help. :wink:

wingdesigner
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You're quite welcome. Folks here (not me so much) are astoundingly knowledgeable and fun. I think you'll like it here :D .
Happy Gardening,
Wing



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