She nearly did not make it.

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I am not sure what else I could do to improve chances of surviving another winter. I found single leaf peeping early spring, placed it in prominent spot and have been watering daily.

Any additional ferilizer? Heavy stones around during winter so it won't heave?

Featured Answer

newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada

4 years ago

I don't know the answer. I think that if a hosta has been around for over 20 years and there are only 3 pictures of it in the Hosta Library, then that tells you that (other than maybe it hasn't been available) people are having difficulty growing it. (Also, the 3 people are well known in the hosta world.) The fact that you still have it is a good sign!

I wish I could find the article in the Hosta Journal that said what to do if you have a difficult hosta to grow. I do remember one of the suggestions was to grow it in a pot and give it more drainage.

I don't know what I would do---maybe give it some nice compost and leave it alone until next year. My first thought was to take it out and check the roots and crown, but some hosta are best handled as little as possible.

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Comments (6)

lindalana 5b Chicago
Original Author
4 years ago
Hmm, you are putting my thoughts in a diffrent direction. I had it for about 3 years in previous garden and it was happy hosta, I did some hybridizing with it too with pretty babies.

But Bob Fox, who gave it to me, told me he was unable to grow them...but he also mostly into big hostas...

Am attributing my hostas failures in current garden due to transplant issues/waterlogging soil problems. Now I wonder why HL does not have more pics of it. Scarcity? Or difficult to grow?
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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
4 years ago
Interesting. If you look up Peanut there are 13 pics. Peanut has been renamed Lakeside Dot Com because they are (were) believed to be one in the same. I just checked and LS Dot Com shows a 404 not found in the HL but that could be a temporary glitch.
lindalana 5b Chicago thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
4 years ago
I'd head over to Facebook and some of the hosta groups like the American Hosta Society and search Lakeside Dot Com. Then you could also reach out and message some of the members and find out more?

Interesting about the renaming of LDC to Peanut. Well that's confusing!
lindalana 5b Chicago thanked newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
lindalana 5b Chicago
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for advice! I did not know about Peanut either, you guys are very resourceful.

So far I have been lucky with my strugglers and several that diminished to nothing but couple of leaves looking happier.

I have been applying milorganite and composted manure and watering nearly daily.

Here is another struggler with personal story.

I forgot to dig it out at old house and later my friend told me that she noted it growing, was right near the road. Buyers did not wanted anything to do with gardening and would have been happy if I took it all... Still I went at midnight after work, digging it out and bringing it to new home in grocery bag. Well, things happened and it lived in grocery bag for year. Diminished to few leaves. It was last hosta from Jeff Miller I got and a bit rare, Piecrust promise.

I found bag and transplanted it right into that heat that we had early summer...nearly killed it again...

Am getting too much attachment here.
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
4 years ago
That's quite the story. I think you are doing way better with your hosta than you realize!