Most of the pot gardeners are in the far South. In your zone Hostas are mainly planted in the ground unless there is some special circumstance that a pot could help, like excessive tree root competition. Enjoy your new hostas!

Kathy

yes dig them out.. pot them.. and put them in the garage ...

they need to harden off to temps.. and harden off to light ...

garage for a week ...

for the second week .....somewhere in full shade where you wont forget to bring them in at night ..

and then temps ought to be about right to go out to the ground.. but who knows right now ...

these are not plants that had a normal winter.. they have been sitting in a plastic bag.. in bigboxstore ... etc ...

ken

I'm gaining some experience with this bare-root/bagged hosta thing, growing indoors temporarily, so I'll add my two cents as a testimonial, if you will.

Ken's comments read like he's been through it...whether he has or not .....he is spot on with his advice IMO. I couldn't have said it better myself if I tried!

Two years ago, my first attempt growing bare-root, bagged hosta... the two did not return the following spring for whatever reason. This year, as luck would have it, it looks like I've succeeded - all 2014 br/bagged hostas planted and grown indoors during March and April have all emerged ..they survived winter, tipped on their sides, are still in their pots, pips are very evident, and things are going well! They may have a future in my garden! Lol

If it were me, I'd follow Ken's advice to the letter and enjoy watching them grow for the rest of the season and for years to come!

Happy potting! and happy gardening! ;-)

Jo

Jo...please don't try...it could be harmful to us....all.

Wow, I'm glad I didn't advise, since my hostas in the shade have three leaves up and the ones (planted by previous owner where they don't belong) on the sunny south side of house, are nearly ready to bloom from the look of them. Such a difference from you northerners.

Come on, ken. These are hostas! If the temps aren't going to frost levels and they're already in the ground, babying them by covering at night or even putting a loose woven basket over them for extra shade ought to be enough, right?

Kathy

Kathy, normally I'd agree with you because we all know hostas are just about invincible, but when you are talking about these bagged babies, it is a little different to my way of thinking....but then again, I'll admit that I do all sorts of things under the guise of gardening that a lot of other people don't! Lol.

The shock of going from indoor conditions directly to the ground outdoors at this time of year...well, in zone 5 anything is possible....like the return to winter weather with little warning! I guess it might depend on how the up-to-now-pampered (being snug in peat moss and enclosed in plastic, indoors) roots would react as well.

Proper hardening off is the key to success IMO.

Leave them alone and don't fiddle with them anymore. They already were stored in the garage, said the OP. I doubt that the garage they came from is heated, so not exactly indoors. I am in total agreement with zKathy above. "If the temps aren't going to frost levels and they're already in the ground, babying them by covering at night or even putting a loose woven basket over them for extra shade ought to be enough, right?"

-Babka

I am also in zone 5, 80 % of my hostas are still not showing, the other 20% only show pips. We had several nights of frost last week, will be better from now on, but in zone 5 there were frosts until Memorial Day in the past. So there will be a good chance leaving leafed hostas in pots outside or in the ground will freeze off those leaves. I like to get some bare root plants early, so just got 2 from Bob Solberg's Green Hill Farm. I planted those in pots and bring them outside in the morning, back into the garage at night. Hosta growth supposedly will stop when temperatures get below 50 dgrs. My seedlings are still in the basement. Bernd

crikey peeps.. did anyone read this part: ' the yellow/white premature leaves'

so basically.. she has indoor plants.. that have grown in the dark .. aka leeks ...

and you think they are primed to go outdoors ...

go for it ...

they are not ready for the driveway either ... believe it or not ...

i know you peeps are messin with me.. glad you feel comfortable enough to do so ... paybacks are heck ... lol ...

BTW kf ... you can do a lot better than BBStore boxed hosta.. stick around.. we will enable you ...

ken

Well, like the song says, they'll get tough or die. Most likely they will turn green and unfurl. Now I am getting curious. Ken- Leeks grow in the sun. Do you mean white asparagus?

Kfless- All kinds of "advice" here. ;-) Can you take a photo to show how happy they are in a few more days?

-Babka

Thanks everyone. Ken-I have planted "real" quality hostas up until now from great dealers, but sometimes at Costco with rock bottom prices you think-what the heck- I might grow a bigger garden for less. I bought them a month ago and they have been in my cold garage growing in the bags. Since there are opposing viewpoints here-I'll keep the 5 already planted in the ground where they are and cover at night. I'll leave the rest in the peat in the garage, harden off in a week or two, then plant outside in mid-May. We'll see what happens. Thanks for the advice. I'll send pictures later this season.

Bernd got 2 hostas from Bob Solberg. I can't resist asking: What'd ya get, Bernd???

Looking forward to your pics, Kfless. :-). . I'm glad you reached a decision that makes you comfortable. Reading opposing views from zones 7 and 9 in response to questions relative to zone 5 sure makes life on the forum interesting! :-)