I have planted daylilies at this time of year, and they've pulled through fine - even with how hard of a winter it was this past year. I'm not sure aboout hostas, though. It's one thing to take a gamble on one plant or so if you see it at a greenhouse, but it would be a real shame if you got a whole order and then we had an early fall (which we might, this year). I'm also a zone warmer then you, so that may have made a difference with my daylilies.

I bought my first potted hosta last year (it was about 3 inches tall) and never got around to planting it at all.

In late fall I dug it a hole and buried it pot and all, to the brim of the pot. It's doing fine on the front step in a larger pot because a volunteer tree is taking up the space where I wanted it. I'll probably dig it another hole this year just to see if it'll survive twice =:)

I don't know if it would work for you, but depending on the price you'll pay, why not give it a whirl ? If it works, you'll get less expensive plants than if you bought them in the spring. If it doesnt work, then you'll know what your limits are. I guess it depends on how much risk you're willing to take.

Daylilies I've also planted quite late near the house, and they were also fine.

As Weeper said though, I'm also in a slightly warmer zone.

I transplanted 10 or so daylilies in September and they all did fine. I had no choice, I was moving. I would go for it with the DLs as long as they can ship fairly soon.

As a matter of note, I buy all my DLs field-grown from Canadian suppliers and I have never lost one.

I have planted potted hostas as late as November here in Edmonton and bare root daylilies in October. All did fine. Lots of snow cover and leaf mulch. I have also potted up my hostas until late October. If they are well rooted, I put them in the ground. If not then I winter them in the garage.
Last year I left lots of daylilies and hostas in pots out in the yard. I lost a couple of the lilies that were very exposed but all in all they did pretty good. Hope this helps.

Ginny

Ordering from Pat Vinish, the Hostageek, is wonderful!

Last fall I took advantage of the sale he had on. I ordered my hostas, 150 or so of them, and received them in the first week of September. Huge root systems, wrapped well in moss, elastic holding it together, inside a plastic bag. I received between 2 and 6 eyes each. Everyone of them made it thru our long cold winter.

Last week when I also received his email, I had no hesitation in ordering from him once more. This time I ordered something like 44 new ones.

Just some details on his sale...

He is offering free shipping Canada wide. Last year when checking out his prices I found that he was equal to or less than other hosta suppliers/nurseries. Now, his sale this fall....he has highlighted selected solid green, yellow or blue hostas in his long list of the hundreds of hostas he carries. These are 50% off. Then for every hosta you order at 50% off you can order any other hosta, not highlighted, for 25% off.

He also charges no provincial taxes or GST and guarantees his hostas to be hosta virus x free. He has a regular booth at the Halifax farmer's market. He is starting to ship the third week of August, depending upon when the orders come in. Mine is coming in the third week of August.

Here is a list of the ones I ordered....trying to get solid colored hostas with thick leaves, lots of corregation or shiny leaves. With the 25% off ones I tried to get hostas that would stand out in the landscaping like White Ray and Aristrocrat.

Here is the order I placed.... showing the regular price in one column, the % off and then the price I will pay....

Allegan Emperor $9.75 50% off $4.88
Aristrocrat $9.75 25% $7.31
Celebration $8.75 25% $6.56
Center of Attention $11.75 25% $8.81
Dark Star $7.50 25% $5.63
Deep Pockets $11.75 50% off $5.88
El Capitan $9.75 25% $7.31
Ellerbroek $7.50 25% $5.63
Emerald Ruff Cut $14.00 25% $10.50
Faithful Heart $9.75 25% $7.31
Ghost Spirit $14.00 25% $10.50
Gold Regal $7.50 50% off $3.75
Green Fountain $6.50 50% off $3.25
Green Wedge $9.75 50% off $4.88
High Tide $14.00 50% off $7.00
Java $7.50 50% off $3.75
Lakeside Ironman $9.75 50%off $4.88
Lakeside Kaleidoscope $11.75 25% $8.81
Little Sunspot $8.75 25% $6.56
Lullabye $11.75 50% off $5.88
Marilyn $7.50 50% off $3.75
Moon Lily $8.75 50% off $4.38
Moonstruck $9.75 25% $7.31
Morning Light $11.75 25% $8.81
Neat Splash $9.75 25% $7.31
On Stage $9.75 25% $7.31
Paul Reviere $14.00 25% $10.50
Pearl Lake $6.50 50% off $3.25
Peppermint Ice $14.00 25% $10.50
Piedmont Gold $8.75 50% off $4.38
Pineapple Poll $7.50 50% off $3.75
Powder Blue $11.75 50% off $5.88
Raspberry Sorbet $8.75 50% off $4.38
Restless Sea $14.00 50% off $7.00
Rich Uncle $8.75 50% off $4.38
Salute $8.75 25% $6.56
Serendipity $6.50 50% off $3.25
St. Paul $11.75 25% $8.81
Striptease $14.00 25% $10.50
Summer Music $11.75 25% $8.81
Treasure $7.50 50% off $3.75
Ultramarine $9.75 50% off $4.88
White Ray $8.75 25% $6.56
Winfield Blue $8.75 50% off $4.38
Winfield Mist $14.00 25% $10.50

Brenda

Wow Brenda!
I ordered from him in the spring, and the hostas all arrived in great shape and are all doing well.
I guess I'd better get busy on my order.

So how do I get ahold of this guy to place an order or even find out what he has available? What is his email address?
I checked out his site but it is not safe to enter.

Ginny

Here's his email address, Honalee. hostageek@gmail.com
He mentioned in his email that the website is under construction.

Which hosta did you get from him in the spring?

Ginny, if he doesn't reply asap, just email me and I can send you the 'green sale' listing.

Brenda

Thanks guys
Brenda - Just sent him an email. I will let you know asap. I would love to add to my collection. I thought I was the only one who ordered so many plants at one time! Being fairly new to plant collecting, I am beginning to see that it could reach epidemic proportions! With me anyway! :)

Ginny

I'd have to work three jobs to afford all of the plants some of you buy! Of course, then i wouldn't have time to garden! LOL

Marcia,

That is why I have a table (selling perennials divided out of my yard) at the farmer's market each summer...it almost pays for all the new plants I buy each year.

Brenda

I'm hoping to have a garage sale at some point this month, and was going to try to sell perennials at it and see how that goes. Usually i have trouble giving things away - seems most people around here don't want anything different.

Well I went ahead and placed a small order.
For hostas I ordered:
August Moon
Blue Mouse Ears
Gold Edger
Olive Bailey Langdon
Moon Lily

Daylilies:
Bonanza
Brown Witch
Ed Murray
Salieri

So now I'm wondering where I should plant them. I imagine I should try to find a holding bed for them before settling them into their permanent homes?

What do you do Brenda?

BTW, I also have been having a plant sale in the spring. It's been very successful, but it is a lot of work. But fun at the same time.

What I do is....

I make up a mixture of garden soil/old manure/peat moss and have it in a wheelbarrow ready to go all the time. When receiving a hosta/daylily/other perennial I immediately pot them up with the mix. I repot all perennials bought at nurseries in order to get them out of the 'junk' that they are growing in...that soilless stuff that doesn't hold any moisture and doesn't have any nutrients in it and dries out so fast. The perennials in pots are all placed in one area and so are very easy to water and work with.

Then, once the garden is letting me have a bit more time (right now I seem to be spending all day picking raspberries instead of doing anything in the flowerbeds!), I start planting out my new acquisions into the landscaping. This usually starts about the end of August and then I am planting all the way thru to October.

So, when I get my hostas from the Hostageek in the next few weeks, I will plant them all up into pots and then when spots are ready for them in the flowerbeds I will tip them out of the pots and into their permanent homes at that time. Water well, mulch them and make sure that they each have a copper name tag and that their location is recorded into a book to be transferred into the database next winter.

Last fall, close to freezeup I did sink some of the pots of various perennials into the ground for winter as the flowerbed that they were going into was not ready yet. They all made it thru the cold long winter that we had last year.

I already have an eight year old August Moon hosta and love it! Olive Bailey Langdon you will absolutely love. I got this one from the Hostageek last year. I planted Touch of Class, also from the Hostageek, near to it and the two compliment each other, color wise, so well. Blue Mouse Ears is so cute...I have this one planted in a few places. Bonanza and Salieri have been here for years. Salieri is so so dark. You made some good choices!

Brenda

I'm glad to hear August Moon was a good choice. It was the whole point of my order. The others I just picked to make up a decent size order. I couldn't believe there wasn't a minimum to receive the free shipping! I got Touch of Class in my spring order along with Liberty, Niagara Falls, Sun Power and Brenda's Beauty. I was impressed with the quality I received so was inspired to order again.
The daylilies were totally impulse purchases. Good to know at least 2 should be hardy for me.

Each time I look at my Liberty I think of Papou....

I also got Niagara Falls and Brenda's Beauty from Pat last fall. Love the ripples on the edges of the leaves of Niagara Falls. Had no choice but to get Brenda's Beauty!!!

I realized that I also have Ed Murray. It was only $6 from Montfort last spring. It made it thru our winter but will not bloom this year.

Brenda

I had based my whole spring order, with the exception of Brenda's Beauty, on recommendations from Papou's site. They are all planted together in the same bed, so now to me it will be Papou's corner.

I was just outside roaming around my yard wondering why I'm even trying to grow hostas though. Wrong climate, wrong kind of trees with roots everywhere, slug issues, etc. What am I doing? But........I like them.