I’ve started growing mine in window boxes.

what is your media mix??? ..they are not all created equal ...

is this a new way to do it for you ... or do you have background with pots ...

where are you.. big city name ... usually the biggest problem with plants in pots.. is winter storage ... welcome to the hosta forum ....

ken

Pine bark perlite peat moss With a little lime and osmocote. I live in a small city of less than 30k people. Been using containers about 4 years and placing them directly into the ground.

I live in a small city of less than 30k people.

==>>> doesnt narrow it down much for us ... texas?? .. vermont???.. pacific north west???

if you are using osmacote... why are you also using plantone???

and why are you sinking the pots.. tree root competition???

ken

Tennessee. Most of my plants have been in pots for 2-3 years and their in the ground because of tree roots.

annpat -- overwintering in Maine in window box?? Or what do you do? I've wondered about hostas in large above-ground pots overwintering here in Central Massachusetts, but chickened out. Might try that this year with some prolific and not-too special ones, just as an experiment.

That window box is gorgeous!

"weakly, weekly" is the watchword.......once a week at half strength." That sounds like a good suggestion for water soluable fertilizer , gardengal. I have to wonder though when to begin and when to stop using the fertilizer. And maybe midseason the fertilizer can be stronger? I would like suggestions on how to fertilize pots in the most efficient way. My way (water pitcher) takes too long and I seem to be wasting a lot of fertilizer as the water pitcher pours out too quickly! Perhaps Mike you would like to know also?

You begin fertilizing containers as soon as new growth is evident and stop at the end of the growing season before the plans start to shut down. So in my climate, that is April through September.

I use a 2.5G watering can to fertilize. I remove the rose and pour the dilute fertilizer directly to the top of the soil, not just pour over the foliage. Note that the fertilization does not replace the watering but is in addition to so you do not need to soak or flush the plant when you fertilize. Rarely is a drop wasted using this method.

Sounds good gardengal. My watering can is an 8 liter---so just a bit smaller than what you are using. I find the hole is approximately 1 inch (?) and a lot of fertilized water comes out at one time. It seems too fast to control very well. I wonder if there are better watering cans.

NHL, go to Lee Valley or order on line: Hawes Plastic Watering Can , I use 2 of them in conjunction with my rainbarrels, one can on the north side the other on the south. I've had them for probably 7 or 8 years and have replaced the roses once. The link is for the smaller of the 2 available.....

Pieter

Thanks for the suggestion Pieter. I have been to Lee Valley occasionally and I actually remember seeing that watering can. The large outdoor one is rather pricey, but it must work really well since you like it. With Mother's Day coming soon, I could put that on my wish list!

I had a weird thing happen with a dwarf hosta in a pot. Perhaps someone could shed some light on where I went wrong. I potted it in a small-ish pot in (probably) Miracle Grow potting mix, indoors in a west facing window. It sprouted, grew well and looked great, until it reached full size. The leaves went from perfect to dead in 2 days, then it re-sprouted and did the same thing and died.

Roxanna, no, I can't winter them in the planters. I put them in the ground, then dig them up each spring to put them back in the planter. I've only done it a couple of years, but I noticed a friend of mine in Philly uses a lot of perennials in window boxes that do not over winter. I bet you could overwinter them in containers, by laying them on their sides and building a crib over them and surrounding them with leaves.

Roxanna, I take it back. I can overwinter Hosta in my window boxes and here's how I did it---by mistake and poorly. I emptied the soil out of my window boxes last year and turned the boxes (pictured above) upside down on the ground under my roof run-off, supposedly temporarily. I turned the planter over yesterday and found a large clump of soil bunched up in one corner with a very healthy piece of Hosta breaking forth. I'm thinking if I were to bury my planters, laid on their sides, under some boughs and leaves next year, they'll come through.

Don't know if you will see this Pieter. I did get promised a Haws watering can from Lee Valley for a Mother's Day gift. Is this the one you have?

Haws Heavy-Duty Plastic Watering Can

Item XB911, Plastic Can, 7l (1.8 U.S. gal.)

Bravo to whomever in your family gave you such a useful/needed Mother's Day present! And I'm happy I made the suggestion!

Pieter

I am a big fan of Osmo-cote Plus, for both my outdoor plants and my houseplants. I apply Osmo-cote in April and one dose seems to be enough for the entire growing season.

I have a 1-gallon watering can on my balcony, but I only use that for spot watering if one of the smaller pots seems dry. It was such a pain to go in and out through the vertical blinds on the balony window to keep refilling the watering can, I did myself a great favor and ordered a hose reel for the 50' hose I brought with me from NYC. I got a wall mounted hose reel and then designed and built a freestanding mount for it, as I could not drill holes in the apartment's brick walls to mount it! I designed the frame so that it would fit inside the 2 x 2 garden shed I put in the corner of the balcony to hold all my implements, fertilizer, small pots, etc.

I also bought a quick-connect for the kitchen sink (the closest water source) and a very nice new hose nozzle made of steel. I bring the connecting end of the hose through the balcony door, through the living room and into the kitchen, and quickly snap it onto the kitchen faucet (I have a quick connect which looks just like the regular faucet strainer, so I leave it in place). After turning on the water, I go out onto the balcony and voila, I start watering the hostas and other plants with ease with the hose. This is particularly useful for the 2 hanging pots of fuschia--I can't imagine lifting a water-filled watering can over my head to take care of those. Naw, it's much easier to set my hose nozzle on "spray" and aim it upward.

Here are some pics I just took of some of my balcony garden. It's cloudy outside, so it appears less vibrant than it really is. The window box of annuals on the shelf is obscuring a lot of smaller hostas in their pots. I'm waiting for the balcony rail brackets to mount it on the railing Monday. The long window box on the plant stand is only there temporarily, before I put it on top of the tall wire shelving unit next to the garden shed.

Some of the 40 hostas and heucheras on my wire shelving units.

This photo does not nearly do justice to the gorgeous colors of the shelved hostas. They are vibrant eye-popping green. Darn the cloudiness of the day when I wanted to take a picture! You can see Paisley Print bursting out of its pot on the top shelf right, as is Gypsy Rose on the second shelf on the right.

mblan13, first, Hosta are not house plants. They must go through a cycle of seasons. They come up in the spring, bloom sometime in the summer, die to the ground in the fall or at the first freeze. THEN - they must have a winter rest. If they don't get those cold days (how many days and at what temperature depends on the variety), they won't survive very long. I'm in Texas and I don't get enough cold days to grow some varieties.

I would assume that your loss is related to not having a winter.

It's also possible it had a bug or disease that killed the top growth. Hosta generally have enough reserve to re-sprout. How long that re-sprout will last will depend on your growing conditions and the time of year.

I'm sorry your post was ignored. If you would post it to it's own thread, you might get some different answers.

bkay

Pieter, I so glad you made the suggestion of the watering! can too! Can't wait to get it!

Esther, you have organized an excellent set up for your plants! They are looking so good! Clever idea about the watering hose. You must be inspiring others who can see your balcony. I bet they're saying "I never thought of doing that!"

I am in zone 6. I over-winter hostas in pots, no problem. I think they are hardy to zone 3? And I think you can over-winter things in pots that are rated for 3 zones lower than your zone? It was just laziness--I split a hosta and put half into a pot and I didn't think about it and it stayed in the pot outside all winter and came back. This is the third year it has come back. I have since grown other hosta divisions in pots (it's free!) and over-wintered them. I'm emboldened now and have decided to try yarrow in a pot this year, because it doesn't seem to like my soil and it's rated to zone 3, so, I'm giving it a shot.

Thanks, newhostalady. Having a balcony instead of an in-ground garden presented me with a logistics challenge, but it was challenging and fun.

Here is a side view of the balcony garden taken from the master bedroom window. The window box, when the plants have settled in, will follow the "thrill, fill, and spill" plan, with the variegated vinca and portulaca spilling and the heliotrope and lantana thrilling and filling. I made the white parapet on the shelves out of PVC pipe from Home Depot and attached it with rubber coated twist ties, because the top shelf is even with the railing and I didn't want any pots being blown over the railing and hurting someone. The hostas on the top white-fenced shelf are Smiling Sailor, Cracker Crumbs, and Hideout (on the right). That big boy on the shelf beneath is Raspberry Sundae, which is enormous. I never knew it could get 5" leaves!

Just found this thread. Pieter, I never got the Hawes watering can because it got sold out and covid began. Have never seen this watering can available until now. And it's changed both in size and price from a:

5 litres (1.3 U.S. gallons) for $36.50 to

4 litres (1.5 U.S. gallons) for $59.00! (https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/water-and-irrigation/watering-cans/114142-haws-plastic-watering-can?item=XB935)

Covid has changed prices on many items.

So sorry NHL, I was happy to hear you were going to receive for Mother’s Day. Covid has changed sooooo much, I agree. Hope you find one that works for you.

debra

Just found this thread. Pieter, I never got the Hawes watering can because it got sold out and covid began. Have never seen this watering can available until now. And it's changed both in size and price from a:

5 litres (1.3 U.S. gallons) for $36.50 to

4 litres (1.5 U.S. gallons) for $59.00! (https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/water-and-irrigation/watering-cans/114142-haws-plastic-watering-can?item=XB935)

Yes, I saw this earlier and noticed a glaring error in Lee Valley's description: 4 litres is 1.05 US gallon, not 1.5 and if indeed it is 1.5 US gallon then it's 5.678 litres...regardless, the ones I have are indeed the 5 litre one, use 'em every day this time of year!

Pieter

Ester, I remember that beautiful decorative curtain that you made to protect your hostas getting too much sun…..hopefully you will have a use for it in your new garden as it was sooooo pretty!
debra

I've ordered the Hawes watering can. I'm curious to find out what size it really is.

I saw the Haws 2 gallon watering can at Goodee for $139 but it's not available until September. Guess I will have to award myself a birthday present and order one.

Miles, I guess you're interested in the metal watering can. I think the one you are referring to is:

Model XB903 $169 Canadian. Holds 9 litres (2.4US gallons). That would be a nice birthday present!

Djacob, no, the curtain was not brought to the new house. I have a shady side of the backyard and 2 sunny sides which present a different situation and therefore different needs. Right now I'm waiting for a guy who's supposed to dig out my extension to the French drain (the house behind mine is on a hill which sends rainwater cascading into my yard) and dig out my front garden beds. And I'm waiting for some help knocking together the 9 raised cedar beds for the backyard so I can plant my hostas, heucheras, Japanese painted ferns, etc. The progress on my house's interior remodeling is simply crawling, and is virtually non-existent on the outside remodeling, due to my contractor only being to work a very few hours a day with a torn ACL. Today he had a case of stomach virus and was not able to come to work today at all. I am dying to plant the beautiful plants I have accrued, but there is a sequence which must be followed and I haven't been able to get to Square 1 quite yet. Yeesh!

Don't give him any advances or you may never see him again.

bk