Lou, all I want to know, is that you in the picture?lol

They have a lot of hosta varieties in this website, maybe you find something in either the sun tolerant or fragrant varieties, let us know if you find them.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: hosta varieties

I've tried a few varieties of hosta because I loved them when I lived up north too. None have survived more than three years and none of them thrived. Each year the plants were more and more pathetic. I'm afraid what they mean when they say SunHosta thrives in the Southeast is Georgia/South Carolina, not Florida (although the attached ad says they'll even survive in south Florida!). But if you try it and find success, please let us know!

Here is a link that might be useful: SunHosta

Sylvia,

That is a young man in the picture, there's no way it could be me... I'm ancient of days ;-)

I lifted that picture off a hosta site as I browsed the net and was amazed at the size of it. It is a fairly newly discovered plant named Empress Wu Hosta. The site says it is possibly the largest hosta discovered.

Lou

Lou

You are just like a good wine...(that is what your wife would said) When age comes with wisdom is all good!

Silvia

Dang, now I guess I will have to build a refrigerated greenhouse to grow hosta..... bummer!!

Lou

Believe it or not, I've seen these for sale at the big box stores over the years - never tried one, cuz I didn't think they would work.
Now that we're all interested, they'll never show up again in the stores!
Such beautiful things and I had so many varieties in my other life "up there".
Get going on that greenhouse!
Hester

I think it's not just the sun and heat but the snails and nematodes in the soil here that prevent them from growing.

I have had a little variegated Hosta growing about 3 years on the north side of the house. I cannot say it is thriving but it is alive Not sure of the variety I got it on HSN or QVC as a package deal. I learned there are way more beautiful things I can grow down here that I really do NOT miss Hostas at all!
good luck and happy growing!
tanya

had these for sale at the hd a couple years back, sold a ton of them. i bought a bunch, reading the label they were suppose to equal a northern hosta,....not! one season, gone. my dear wife...:)...grows a couple kinds of northern hosta in pots, does ok but a slow decline.

yeah but those way more beautiful things turn black and the roots die at the first signs of cold whereas the hostas I grew had no problems with 20 below zero, they always came back in spring. I'm having a problem with finding plants that can take the Florida heat & humidity of summer and the occasional drop into the teens that I get here in winter.

Lou

"...I'm having a problem with finding plants that can take the Florida heat & humidity of summer and the occasional drop into the teens that I get here in winter..."
Yeah, that pretty much describes gardening in Florida!

Kate

Don't know if you would want to come this far south (Bradenton area), but this nursery had some a couple years ago. I can't recall if they had any last month when I was out there or not...

Here is a link that might be useful: Accent Nursery

Hostas stop growing as a perennial in zone 8. There are probably areas in the northern end of zone 9 where, in shade, you could make a go of it, but you'd be lucky. Buy them from a nursery in Georgia or South Carolina and use them as annuals, if you must.

It's not so much that I specifically want hosta, I'd just like to find foliage, flowers, plants that don't turn to mush and root kill in my zone 9a winters that go down into the teens seems every winter. I have 10 acres so there is no way I can move plants in & out of barns and greenhouses for winter protection. Landscaping just a small portion around the house would make it look unnatural and funky to me. I've never liked the looks of a few bushes jammed up next to and around the house while the rest of the yard is a sea of grass. Being out in the country, 20 miles inland from the west coast, the temperature swings are much wider than in the cities. In my 10 years here I've seen 15F for the low and 101F for the high.

Enough of my rambling,
Lou

Lou-
I'm with you - I don't like manicured areas. My style is free form.
While, where I've lived and gardened, the temps haven't gotten as cold as yours,except for last years. I've always had luck with irises-yellow walking (which flowers on and off all year, in sun or shade)African Iris, and a few others whose names I've lost. - They never freeze or get mushy and the spikiness of the leaves is interesting - different sizes too.
Just a thought..I too, am looking for that perfect "no freeze" group of plants!
Hester

Lou- ever try hydrangea? They do look a little rough this time of year, but they will pop up in the Spring fine without worrying about covering them and such.

Lou, I bought six Sun Hostas from Knox Nursery in Winter Garden two years ago. All my gardening friends said they wouldn't last. Now they are saying I won't have them a third season. We'll see.....

It's hard to break the old ways of thinking, just like many still think you cannot grow fruit trees in Florida and have them produce fruit. Even when they see it with their own eyes they still stay in unbelief. Do they think I'm super gluing peaches and apples from Publix to my fruit trees? Good Grief!

Lou

Hostas are something I truly missed down here until I got into gingers and cannas. Now I'll miss my gingers in zone 8, and if I ever do get a yard, it will have to have shade so I can grow hostas.

I garden just north of Gainesville and tried a lot of hosta varieties through the years, all of them dying out after a couple of seasons. I finally quit wasting money and did some research on varieties that might grow here. H. plantaginea has done well for me. I am somewhat cooler here than you are, but you might want to try it. Also, Royal Standard has been reported growing as far south as Lakeland and Orlando. I planted one this past year in a shady border with ferns and hydrangeas that gets a lot of water. It did fine over the summer, but the jury is still out to see if it gets enough chill over the winter. cottgardens.com has H. plantaginea and some plantaginea hybrids that are listed for zone 9. Also, if you ever get this way on I-75, Garden Gate nursery in Gainesville carries H. plantaginea. I haven't heard of sunhosta before but will keep an eye out for that variety. Hostas are probably just something you're going to have to try out and see how they do in your climate, but I would definitely start with the plantaginea.