Are you sure those two aren’t planted too deep?

tj

Thank you, tsugajunkie, but no, they are not too deep.

REVISED: I've been thinking about what you said - and why not? It's early in the season. I've just dug them up & replanted them, raised up higher than they were. And I'll see how they do this summer.

Paul's Glory grows like a weed in my yard. It all depends what color, what size, etc

Paradigm, June and Blue Angel have been good growers for me.

debra

Earth Angel, Brother Stefan, and Spartacus grow super fast for me. Also Stained Glass. I have Etched Glass; it has been slow to increase.

doesnt guacamole do well in more sun?

Ken - my Guacamole gets morning sun. I re-planted my slowpokes a few days ago - I thought they were at the right depth, but maybe not. So now they are less deep and I'm optimistic.

it can be grown in near full sun.. provided it can get the water it needs .. morning sun is not going to grow it to specs, nor perfection ...

its highly fragrant ... so its has heavy plantiginea parentage ... and that one is completely full sun ... until you start getting very much further south ...

usually i cant talk peeps into looking at a plants roots be they in pots or the garden.. crikey man.. youve been out there digging them faster than beer disappears at a hockey game.. lol ...

ken

Oh, Ken, you don't know me! I think nothing of digging plants (perennials, shrubs, trees) up and dividing, moving, re-planting! That little Guacamole should be happy where it is - I have soaker hoses in all my flower beds, it gets full sun until early afternoon & then filtered shade. When I dug it up to raise it, it was obvious that the roots were much too spindly. After 3 years it should have had hearty roots. So I think tsugajunkie was right poor little Guac. was too deep.

My experience with "poor performers" among the hostas is that it's almost always a question of light. Many of the more lately introduced hostas actually *require* some direct sun, or at least dappled light. Of the ones you mention that are not doing so well - Guacamole and Golden Meadows - I have the Guacamole, and it grows *fast* here. Very fast. It has dappled light all day, and in the two locations where I have it, it gets either early morning or late afternoon straight shots of weak sun.

I have had a number of hostas that I've had to shift around, to find their ideal light. I had a Sagae that languished for five years in full shade. The only thing I can say for it is that it never died. So I dug it up and moved it into dappled light with early morning full-shot, and it utterly exploded with exuberant joy. It is now a showstopper in my garden; people come over and marvel at it.

Of the other cultivars you mention that are doing well, I recognize two, that for me have done well in full shade. Not *dark* shade, mind you, but places where there are few if any direct sunbeams.

So it sounds to me like you are working in a fully shaded area. My recommendations for some hostas that would do well there are Gold Standard (which in greater light gets a bleached-out appearance that I hate, it's *perfect* for full shade), Honeybells, Crowned Imperial, Golden Tiara, and Night before Christmas. All of these have grown rapidly for me in full shade, and look great every year.

Joan

Yes, and my Etched Glass isn't a strong grower either (especially after frost even though it was covered).