Aaaaahh, life! What a beautiful sight! Things are on a roll at your place. Looking at your photos just builds the anticipation at this end.

Wow, things are popping your way.

Here is another version of "early riser", lol. The only hosta I could find at my local nursery earlier this week was a bare root H. 'Loyalist'. I bought one in 2011 from a fella who split his own plants and sold them but it didn't survive.

The only reason I bought this one was so I could "garden" indoors, lol. It has been in water 3 days and the tips (3 mauve-coloured eyes) are slowly showing a speck of green albeit barely. I will pot it up once the shoots are about the size of Dave's in the first photo.

This snow is driving me crazy already! I had to do something!

some of my minis and last year's Hosta Choice acquisitions buried in snow...all you can see is some humps of snow! :( the trough that housed the minis is sitting there empty of hostas but full of snow. The pots are all on their sides. We had 13 one day, then two days later we are -12! Bah, humbug!!!!!!

Jo, don't leave them in water, pot them up in Pro-mix BX or something like that. Keeping them in water for too long is the surest way of rotting the roots......

Pieter

Hi, Pieter! What's new in your garden? Do you have anything sprouting yet?

Thank you for the heads-up re leaving roots in water too long but I have a story to share that I hope you will find interesting.

For the past several years I have been leaving hostas in water for various reasons but mainly to rehydrate, as in this case without any repercussions. I have also left hostas (that need transplanting but nowhere to go immediately) all summer in pails of water (ensuring crown is above water level) and I have posted about this previously and included pictures. 100% survival rate.

Roots could potentially rot if the water is not kept fresh and changed frequently and/or there is soil or media still attached to the root system.... otherwise, they will actually survive in just water for months on end. They may even sprout dormant buds ahead of time. At least, that has been my experience. Golden Sunburst is a fine example in my garden.

I have also frozen exposed hosta roots in water during the winter, outdoors and the plant has survived once planted in its permanent location in the spring. (admittedly a bit radical but no damage or loss)

Leaving roots in water also produces additional root growth as well....based on first-hand experience in several instances. Go figure, huh? :)

Hey Jo, yes I have things finally coming to life out west, but man are we late compared to last year. 'Chinese Sunrise' was almost completely unfurled this date last year, this year it's barely broken ground...

We've had a cold and long winter and I cannot believe the difference between last year and this year. My wife and I have been doing table sales at a couple of the local plant clubs over the past few years and the first one of the season is always the first Saturday in April. Last year we had a decent looking table, this year I'll be lucky to have anything at all, very discouraging.

Interesting about your bare root experience, thanks for sharing.

Pieter

There IS colour in the yard right now but last year we had these in bloom 20 Feb....

Good to see your Chinese Sunrise up - I can hardly wait to see mine.. The annual table sales sound like fun and a great way to greet spring! Certainly not the typical mild temperatures for BC for this time of year and I sure hope it warms up for us..and soon. Beautiful colour shot, Pieter.