hmmmm ... that pic is really testing these sick eyes this morning ...

did this flower last year... it MIGHT look like where the flower stalks were attached.. rather than a prior bud ...

the color doesnt bother me..

regardless.. its pizzazz ... wouldnt be surprised if it commits suicide soon ... lol ..

ken

I think it likes Texas. It grew like a weed last year. I bought it as a 6" pot last year and it will have 5 or 6 eyes this year. That orange thing looks really odd, though.

bk

Does it need more soil on the roots ? On my computer I can't see any orange.

its ALMOST.. dead center ...

ken

ps: see what i did there????

Argh! Ken used Caps!!!!!!

Bkay- Are there any new eyes coming out of that old crown? It looks to me that that part might be done producing new eyes, and is drying up. Keep watching it and see if anything green sprouts there. If those roots aren't all dried up, you might want to cover them just a little.

-Babka

My crazy dog has turned them over so many times, most need work that way. I was going to make up new potting soil yesterday, but it was cool and damp - no fun to be outside. She's as sweet as she can be but she loves to chase squirrels and half the time, it's through my hostas. I've been waiting to see what survived her kill day, when she emptied a bunch the pots and shook the contents in mock killing exercise. Except it wasn't mock in this case. Maybe she will grow up soon.....

bk

Perhaps she needs to be confronted by more weight of the pots, like larger pots with heavy rocks in the bottom.

Can't answer your question bkay, but as to the pup, don't hold your breath. My galloping gardeners are seven and eight years old now and they are still digging up plants (gotta destroy the underground varmints, don't you know) and knocking things over. Even heavy rocks and huge boulders don't deter them! As long as she still makes you laugh, it's a trade-off! :)

I think that it may be naturally occuring. I washed off the soil to mail one of my hosta and it had an orange spot in it. But it was under the soil. So, maybe as Babka said, it just needs more soil. I have a bag of good potting soil that will work just to top them off until I can get my repotting done.

The thing I just did to deter Cleo was to put 4 feet under each of the pots. I used to use 3, but it makes them easier to knock over. Our soil is so dense, only earthworms and grubs can navigate it. We have no soil borne animals. I'm surprised that she hasn't caught a squirrel yet. She spends a lot of time stalking them. We'll see what it takes to save the hosta from damage.

bk

plants put their roots where they want them ...

and if it wanted them at soil level ... and you go burying them..

well.. who wins????

i would tip it out of the pots.. and if their are a bunch of happy roots below.. i would NOT mess with those on top ...

the thesis is: do NOT fix what aint broken ...

ken

bk-I can't gtive you any answers. But comments are free, aren't they? My problem is that I can't begin to fathom hostas breaking dormancy on this date. It is your environment, not mine. But could our unusual weather be causing what Les photographed in Bobbi's 'June' with bright orange patches on the leafs last summer? What did you say it was Ken- a rustymold or something?

Theresa

no link.. no memory.. lol ...

i dont think you can equate leaf problems.. with this ..

but who knows ..

we havent gotten an answer if there was a flower stalk there last year.. perhaps on old pic would help bk recall ...

ken

Ken, I don't know if there was a flower stalk there last year. I had to look at my photos to know if it even flowered. I see a bud on it, so it did bloom. But, as I said, there was a very similar orange patch in the Sugar and Cream I send Don In Co. It was under the soil, though.

That's not where the soil should be, as the dog has knocked them over repeatedly this winter. Whatever loose soil was on the top fell out. The roots do tend to like to be right up at soil level, though, in my environment.

bk