I agree that Sun Power will do fine in a barrel.

And I'm about to put Sum & Substance in a barrel. I've had it since 2010, and this year, I think it leaped! Wow. It sure does look good in its container now, but I'm sure those roots need more space.

Here it is last July.

And now, same pot, this spring. In May. Think a whiskey barrel is next container for this one. So far this year, it's been in full sun, showing some bleached spots, so the new container will be in a moderate sun location.

Sum & Substance in the ground outperforms any S&S in any container. You will flip out.

Patann, a whiskey barrel is a container, albeit a large one.

bk

I think regal splendor, gold regal, alex summers, ie, anything with a nice vase shape would be lovely.

Niagara Falls would do nicely, I'm sure. McTavish has a dandy.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: McT Plant

Sun tolerance will be important here - not all day sun, but at the hottest time - probably about 11 am until 3 pm.
Regal Splendor is on Don's list, but not Alex Summers or Gold Regal or Niagara Falls. I agree that a vase shaped one would be a good choice.
Jan

I consider Victory a vase shape. And, the fragrant Old Faithful, which is a greenie, has a very upright shape as well.

My Niagara Falls is in a tub shared with Aqua Velva and will soon evict the 2nd hosta! It is a gorgeous hosta, and I thought it would take longer than one year for it to crowd out the other one. I love it when they grow quickly!

Victory...here since 2011.

That's a nice Victory. Mine has not done so well. I assume the problem was not draining well enough.

It was probably the nicest hosta in the Dallas Arboretum trials in that year that was so hot and dry.

bk

I would think any hosta that has a cascading form would look good in a barrel.

Paul

Yes, cascading certainly works. This one is my favourite - probably 'Antioch', but it doesn't get any direct sun, so it doesn't bake.
Jan

Jan ,your Antioc looks beautiful in your barrel. If I hadn't planted wave petunia in my two half barrelsI would love
that next season or........ MMMm , I could move them this year. Antioc is such a nice hosta
Faye

This post was edited by almosthooked on Thu, May 23, 13 at 12:54

Faye - It was a happy accident - a friend gave me a great big shovelful and I didn't have a spot to plant it, so I popped it 'temporarily' into the barrel which was left from a decommissioned water feature. It settled right in, and has survived several winters with absolutely no assistance.
Hope I'm as lucky with the next barrel project - it's left over from a decommissioned herb garden. (Hence the sunny location.)
Jan

I like both cascading and vase shapes in the barrels.

With the vase shape, you can plant annuals around the rim, and let them trail over the side. Hiding the barrel will help reduce the heat getting to the roots of the hosta.

I really like light colored pots, because the dark ones, like nursery pots are black, always get hot. When I tump out the plant in such a pot, I can feel the heated soil slow cooking the plant's roots. If you also have a LOT of container hosta, you can hide the pot behind a border of something, like for me it is liriope, and that keeps the black plastic from being exposed to the sun's heat.

For some reason, although the temps here are not in the 90s yet, it is really getting to me in the mid 80s. My daily schedule is about to change to the relatively cooler morning hours for my outdoor chores.

Heck, I still have at least ONE order to arrive, from Wade Gatton in Ohio. Maybe today, who knows. MORE fragrant hosta, all dug out of the ground, probably by Mr. Van Wade himself. I wonder if he is like the nurseryman here in town, who has all these great plants back in his secret growing area, but he is attached to them (he is about 90) and will not bother them, and instead orders new things from a grower. That is what he did for my 40 trachelospermum jasminoides (star or confederate jasmine).....his were sitting right there, but he did not want to disturb them. He is a sweet old guy, originator of one of the last family owned nurseries inside the city limits. I know some developer is smacking his lips thinking about getting all that prime real estate to divide up for condos or apartments or perhaps large single family homes typical of that area.

Anyway, I get my barrels and terra cotta pots from them, and my trees, and azaleas and camellias. I'd rather pay a few cents more and keep them going. They know their plants, and know the area as well.

BKay, thanks. I got Victory from the Solbergs in 2011 when I ordered it "2 for $20" and I thought that was a good deal. Originally, I potted each separately......in 3 pots because one of them had a 2nd loose eye. But, as time went by and I had so many pots to water, I decided to combine and conquer, so to speak. That's why it looks so full. I potted it all into one fairly large insulated tub with plenty of holes on the bottom. And it is really starting to look like a big boy hosta now.

I'd go with Sun Power if it's readily available. I grow mine in sun from 11:00 am until about 5:00 pm.

Gesila

Thank you Gesila! I know where there is a great big 'Sun Power' but I couldn't rationalize buying it because I already have a rather small one. If it's still there, it may just be the winner. Yours is stunning.
Jan

Thank you Gesila! I know where there is a great big 'Sun Power' but I couldn't rationalize buying it because I already have a rather small one. If it's still there, it may just be the winner. Yours is stunning.
Jan

Jan, that 'Antioch' is divine. I actually used that pic as a wallpaper at work for a while last year. Fantastic photo.

Don B.

Don - You have no idea how much that thrills me! Thanks so much!
Jan

Jan, that picture made my day, beautiful btw. I recovered a NOID from the woods this spring. It was in a 4" pot when I got it and always looked blah. . I never knew what to do with it. It even looked awful in my holding area, so off to the woods it went. I had just purchased these 3 huge barrel type faux ceramic pots for super cheap and into one of them went that clump of emerging pips. It's Antioch, it's beautiful, it's big already, and hopefully it's going to show me up for banishing it to the woods. Well, at least I didn't throw it on the driveway, Ha! WW

WW do you have a picture? Banished Antioch in the woods?
Jan

Yeah, I know, I'm bad. No pics yet, I'm technically challenged, what can I say. It is definitely Antioch though, I remember putting the poor thing in the woods and then short term memory loss until it started growing and then seeing your pic... I have to figure the picture thing out. Would love to share pics of 2 beautiful slow and steady GE's, 3 Fire and Ice loving the afternoon sun, and Rainforest Sunrise smiling pretty in front of Dress Blues. Would also love to have what I thought was Paradigm id'd. It also gets a lot of sun so the margin is almost nonexistent. It's very chartreuse right now, was thinking I may have picked up Piedmont gold instead?? It's 4 years old and has never been moved. With no pic it's hard to say. Thanks for your pics though, I have truly enjoyed them as well as all the others. Here's to June! WW

I have Sum And Sub in a tall square ceramic planter and love it:

I also like Earth Angel in the wooden planter on my deck:

I also have June in. Whiskey barrel on the deck and it is beautiful, too.

Whatever you choose, it will be stunning!

Jan & Raven, I would love to put those 3 big barrel pots in my strangulation ( vinca & LOV) garden. I just dug up and detangled Mr. Watson today. I also need to dig up 2 Big Daddy's, several Gold Standard, 2 Striptease, several August Moon, Guacamole, Blue Cadet, and a Klopping Varigated. Everything is up but I know by their size and the mess around Mr. Watson they are getting choked. Will invest in the bags for fall transplanting. Any good suggestions for the barrels, or should I bag the idea all together? I like Moccasin's landscape fabric mulch idea, but not sure that would work, or sinking the pots. This stuff is crazy invasive to my poor hosties. These guys will not go in the woods BTW. WW