there is nothing wrong with bare root plants. don't be afraid to try them, you may end up liking them. direct source is one of the few i know that offers plants in small pots.

Not knowing what your collection is.....if you are just starting out or not, Gilbert Wild & Sons offers hostas at a great price and they have collections of popular hostas at really great prices......I think it was caliloo - another member who pointed that out.

Otherwise, where in zone 7 are you. Perhaps other members in your area can steer you in the right direction.

Teresa

Hallson's has excellent hosta's and they come bare root. Nothing wrong with bare root and I have only had one vendor send potted hosta's.....I think the norm is bare root.....greenguy is right...don't be afraid....

Good Luck!!

I've had great luck with bare rooted plants...most of mine came that way. I think it's more important to find a reputable vendor. I've received plants from Hallson's, Jim's and Naylor's. All came perfectly packaged and are doing great.

Same here- I've ordered bareroot from Northern Grown , Green Hill, and Hallson's, and all plants arrived in excellent shape. Less shipping cost, too, because of weight.
Have you had a bad experience with bareroot plants?

Bridgewood Gardens and Hilltop Farm also send out the hostas in pots. As does Walters Gardens (wholesale). If you soak the bare root hostas upon arrival then pot up or plant out you shouldn't have any problem, Just protect the newly planted bare root hostas from direct sun for the first several weeks to get aclimated to your surroundings. I ship all my hostas bare root and have not had problems. Much cheaper as stated above.
John

I've never had a problem with bare root hostas either.

I think DirectSource, Hilltop, and Bluestone all send plants in pots.

My vote goes to Hilltop Farm. They ship larger Hostas in Gal. size pots, and smaller varieties in quart size. They cost a little more...but shipping is always free on Hostas.
A pic from last year:

{{gwi:936792}}

Hostarox, Wow, those are some nice plants!

Here's a pic of the Gold Edgers that I got last yr from

MADE IN THE SHADE GARDENS.

Paid about $5.00 each, PLUS shipping.

They say, "Pictures are worth a thousand words."

hostarox what is the second hosta in the pic? it looks great.

you may as well name them all

Yes, that big one is especially attractive.

you will almost never get the good or the rare stuff in a pot ...

of the 1500 odd hosta i have/had ... probably 1400 of them came in the mail .. bare root ...

who needs to pay shipping on dirt ...

ken

Since I am expecting my first ever mail order hosta and they will be bare root, any tips on
what I am to do with them upon arrival?
Do I just put them in water? For how long, if so. I will probably plant some in the ground,
but in case I can't do it immediately, how long can they sit in water.
Some I will put in pots, at least until I decide where in they garden they will go.

Janet

Janet, I put them in water overnight, plant the next day..or pot the next day, whatever you plan to do with them. It's always a good idea to give them a good drink. Don't leave them in water too long. They will get slimy and die. (not that I have ever done that before LOL!) If they have to be in water a few days, change it every day.

Greenguy, I can't find the invoice for that order. :-((
But, I do know the back row is Galaxy, Blue Lightning, and Christmas Candy. The smaller one that is streaked is plantagenia Athena, which is the streaked, double flowered form.
I don't want anyone to assume I only buy potted Hostas. I was just answering the original post as to where to buy potted ones...and you can't beat free shipping, so you aren't paying for "dirt" to be shipped. I have bought far more bare root plants in the last 10 or so years than potted ones, and over time, I have found what I think are the best Nurseries for bare-root plants..many are mentioned in this thread already so I won't go there....
Attaching a pic of the Blue Lightning after it was planted.

After seeing the pics that were posted from Hilltop Farms, I decided to check out their website. I was very impressed with their prices. Considering their plants size and the free shipping that they offer,...size wise, they offer exactly what I'd get from the nurseries that I buy from here in Ohio. The difference in ordering from them vs buying locally would be: Hilltop Farms have a much more variety, it would save me a 90 mile round trip, plus I can do it from the comfort of my desk chair.

Last year was my first online order (bare root) and I just wasn't impressed at all with the size.
So far I've ordered more bare root plants for this spring planting from 2 other places. I'm hoping that they'll have more size to them than what my Gold Edgers were. But, if I do anymore ordering I think I'll give Hilltop Farms a try. Hostarox's plants impressed me!

Kiflar,

I share your concerns about bareroot hostas. I ordered some for the first time this year, and I'm concerned about planting them too deep, or not deeply enough. It may be obvious to some folks where on the plant the soil needs to come to, but it's not obvious to me.

Deanna

adding new questions at the bottom of another persons note.. may not get you the best answers ... some peeps .. like me.. don't come back to a given post forever ...

upon arrival of bare root stock ... i open the bottom of the plastic sleeve ... and put them into a pail of cool water for no more than a day ... and hopefully just for an hour or two ....... they are not water plants ... they probably wont care if they are left in a pail for a few days ... but why risk it ... rot starts in too much water ...

if i am expecting more than i know i can handle on arrival day ... i either have a small area to 'heal' them in ....spacing is not an issue ... just put them into the protection of mother earth ... for a day or two ... until you have time to properly site them .... or i have pots and soil ready for immediate potting ... again .. a sloppy job can be redone.. a rotted plant can not be saved ...

only one caveat ... if you are expecting arrival before last known frost date ... pot them .. and put them in a wagon .. so they can be brought into the garage at night .. and back out during the day .... some of the providers grow them in greenhouses.. and they come fully leafed out.. and they are tender ... and if they came from south of you.. and from a greenhouse.. they may not appreciate a MN night e.g. ....

in cool spring... they will not need a lot of water.. after the first planting ... cold and wet is not conducive to a healthy plant ...

ken

I have left them in water for almost a week with no bad results but ken is right only keep them there as short a time as possible.
I have a large pot that i put them in with potting soil when i don't have time to put them into the ground right away. they can get packed in pretty tight in spring but then i can take my time to plant them.

this pot is a little over 2' across with 9 hostas (one order) i put another order in a few days later - All came bare root