I couldn't grow it well, either. Mine didn't look as bad as yours, but it never got to any size. I contacted Olga Petryszyn about her Viva Las Vegas hosta. She was surprised that any of her plants survived here. I'm in Dallas, sometimes zone 8 and sometimes 7. (I lost almost all of my hosta to a fungus about 4 years ago.)

bkay

I have 2 Brother Stefan in zone 7B. They have grown well, but my MIL in the same zone is having regression of hers. I bought them all from the same vendor. My one in the ground (shady) is doing the best for color and size, and the one is a pot (part sun) is doing well with extra watering. It does look like yours in getting too much sun. That said, you may have gotten a weak plant. Sometimes that happens. For a plant I would really like to grow and is not expensive, I try 1-2 more times with a repurchase if the first try fails. Sort of a "three strikes and you're out" for me.

Heres mine ! im zone 5

mid to late july is root growing time... to grow roots to store enrgy to come out of the ground next spring ....

when the time comes ... dig it up.. beat it on the side of a tree to bare root ... throw it around the yard [when doing this i find loud cussing soothes my soul.. though i am not sure if it does anything for the plant ...]...

and then throw it on the driveway after the high heat of the day.. and leave it there over night..

in the morning.. repot in fresh media .... water it in good .... fert in a week or so ... and place in bright shade until the latest planting time in your area ...

some of these plants just need to be taught who exactly in in charge around here.. and you have to make very sure they understand its you ...

i doubt you deal with ground freeze or late winter heave .. but get it in the ground in ???... what late sept.. and lets see what it looks like in spring...

i mean really ... could it get any worse... lol ...

ken

ps: glad you made it over here ... whoever recommended you get out of the general garden forum was brilliant ... dont you think .. lol

Thank's Ken for the information. I have really gotten into Hosta's the last few years (especially during the pandemic). I guess that's what happens when I go without any kind of Sports on TV for 6 months. I have a bunch of them growing really good that's why it is so frustrating that some are not doing so well. I come from a horticultural family. I grew up on a 500 acre pecan farm and so far I have been surprised at how well the Hostas are growing here (FYI, hostas grow really well in the shade of pecans trees - pecan trees roots grow down so no roots for them to compete with).

I bought a lot of the "Hosta of the Year" varieties thinking they would be the best to have. So far most are doing good except for Brother Stefan. I have a Paul's Glory, Rainbow's End, Abiqua Water Gourd and Striptease that are growing really well.

But are you serious about throwing it out on the driveway after the heat of the day? What is this supposed to do. I have seen this from other posters. Is there some kind of joke I am missing here?

djacobz568sewi I already have the protector cat - just need the umbrella.

The driveway thing is related to a now departed hosta grower, Pauline Banyai (Gold Standard is her best known.). Ken knows the story well, so he needs to tell it.

bkay

The roots of hosta can benefit from some stressful treatment. It triggers them to grow more roots. It also remove any possibly contaminated soil, for a fresh start. Think about how some of the barefoot plants that get mailed to us can do so well even in their first season.

I killed Brother Stefan. But that was before i knew about the driveway treatment. In fact, I didn't realize it was this brutal. Other Hosta I just knocked the dirt off and gently placed it on the driveway in shade for a couple hours. That may explain my hit or miss success rate with it. I have a few Hosta that are still limping along in pots after the treatment, but alive and over the winter. Might be time for another treatment. Remember, MS driveways aren't like MI driveways. That's why Ken suggested after the heat of the day and not a specific time.

Dappled shade might be best for you and Hosta sometimes take a period to adjust to brighter/hotter conditions. I wouldn't give up hope yet.

ill repeat the banyai story latter..

in teh meantime take a look at this ... https://blog.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/09/no-blooms-try-beating-your-plant/

the hormone release is the idea .. the above link says:

beatings (whether by broom or hurricane) trigger the release of traumatin (a plant hormone similar to adrenalin in humans). This stimulates new growth and flower buds.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=traumatin&ia=web

sooo.. instead of using something to whack the plant... i dig up the plant.. and beat it on the closest tree ... teach it a lesson.. etc ...

im surprised as a nut farmer.. you ever heard to beating your trees to trigger hormone release ... more nuts ... of course.. the way they harvest some nut trees with tree shakers.. i guess its done annually ...

ken

Why I try: Brothers Stefan today

I haven tried the driveway treatment, but my husband blasted my pauls glory with the shotgun while shooting at a rat! should come back great next year!

never heard of the shotgun system ....

where are you.. big city name ... location matters in a lot of garden type issues ... lol

tis the season for hailstorms for a lot of us ... it will reflush.. in time to grow roots to store energy for next season .. so good on that ...

but i never heard of a lead horizontal hailstorm ... lol.....

ken

ps: either hide the gun.. or cut him off adult beverages in the yard .... you didnt really say if he got the rat ...

Ken im in coastal maine , plus he got the darn rat ,so hes forgiven!

I.’m zone 6A in KY I’ve got BS and PG within 6 feet of each other in full afternoon sun BS is fine and isnt having trouble keeping its colors PG is completely burning up and im moving it in the morning. odd how plants perform differenly in our gardens

Ken, thanks for the explanation - it does make since. And yes, we used shakers to shake the nuts off the pecan trees. My grandfather had probably the oldest pecan shaker in existence and they shook the trees 3 to 4 times a year. He only killed one tree in all the years that he shook them. I have replanted the Brother Stefan and placed it in morning sun only. I'll let you know how it does and if it doesn't do anything else this year, I'll beat it on the driveway in May of next year before it gets so hot!

One

Two

Three. All planted together.