What is the Hosta you're most disappointed in?

[boops]

Mine is Sun Power-here it is. Its 4 years old and is only a tiny bit larger than when I got it. I may move it from between the 2 trees.



The Runner up is Loyalist still the same size as when I got it 3 or so years ago.

[Eleven]

You mean besides the dead ones? Montana Aureomarginata. Here's a pic from two years ago, and it's smaller again now. I've had to move it so many times due to bad location that I think it's permanently stunted. Might have to give up on it.

[Eleven]

And here's what's left of my Americana. It was actually doing well the first couple years in the garden but has been going downhill for the last three. It now lives in the hospital/holding bed.

[boops]

Wow, poor Americana I lost Jewel of the Nile this year. I don't see any shrinking, just not getting any bigger. Sun Power has never flowered either. I think I am going to dig it up and check for root competition with the trees there.

[Chris_W]

Loyalist is one that I have never had much luck with - same with Fire and Ice which I can't believe is still being sold at so many places!

I was disappointed in Orange Marmalade which simply failed to grow much, even after letting some grow for a couple extra years. I think Frozen Margarita wins for my biggest disappointment though because Fried Bananas has always been a favorite and I was excited about a white edged one until I grew it It gets drawstring in the spring so it looks bad at the beginning of the year. Later the new leaves are fine but the color pattern is just nothing special and I don't understand why it is even needed when Fragrant Bouquet is such a better plant yet has a similar coloring.

I'm sure there are others if I was to think about it, but those are the first to come to mind.

[boops]

I totally agree with Loyalist, it never grows any bigger, I have Orange Marmalade since last year, it has gotten a bit bigger, hoping for it to leap next year. Too bad on the Frozen Margarita-I was going to try and start a small garden with Hosta named after drinks, so that one is out. I love my Fried Bananas, it has done well for me and the color is great.
Your info is very helpful, being in the business you can really report the honest truth to us since you give your plants top notch care and if they don't grow for you, I know not to even try them.
Thanks Chris!

[ViolaAnn]

'Loyalist' has always grown well for me, as has 'White Christmas'. I think a lot of it is the luck of getting them in a place they like.

Good to hear that your 'Orange Marmalade' isn't growing well. I thought mine was the only one. Mine is too close to my Linden tree and I've noticed the hostas close to it don't grow as fast or as large as they should. I'm planning to lift it and grow it in a large pot.

'Avalanche' is into its second summer with very tattered margins. 'Outhouse Delight' is anything but a delight. It's getting smaller every year. 'Cherish' and 'Pandora's Box' of the 'Baby Bunting' family are barely hanging on. 'Dixie Chickadee' came back with very tiny little leaves and has curled up its toes and died.

[Eleven]

Yeah, my Loyalist never grew either, so I gave it away in trade.

Orange Marmalade wasn't growing well for me. I moved it to the hospital/temporary bed, and it's doing fine now. Well, not growing huge, but not shrinking anymore.

Dixie Chickadee is okay here, and it's even in the ground. I've divided it twice since purchase in 2010, and it's about the same size as the plant I bought. Seems happy enough.

Pandora's Box did well for a couple years planted beneath the edge of Sum and Substance. Then it croaked in the heat last summer.

[boops]

My Dixie Chickadee is doing great as is the solid green it sported that I cut off and planted. One I did forget to mention was Peanut-its not doing well and shrunk from last year. I will be looking for a replacement for it soon.

[ViolaAnn]

Oh yes, 'Moonstruck' is a prissy little thing that the slugs like and it gets melt-out too. I just moved it out of the garden and to the back of my veggie garden.

And here's my 'Loyalist' which is now next to 'Patriot'. Both are doing well.

[boops]

Now I know what to expect from my Loyalist

[ViolaAnn]

But here's my 'Orange Marmalade'. 5 years old and doing squat. That's a bit of 'Undulata Albomarginata' next to it, for relativity.

[ViolaAnn]

One more disappointment - 'Red Hot Flash' is marking time and maybe going downhill. I'm just about ready to remove it from the garden.

[boops]

I always wonder why Hostas start failing.

[luckyladyslipper]

I, too, tried Loyalist. Bought one from Chris, perhaps in 2011. It didn't come up following year. Tried to buy another, saw that it wasn't in Chris' catalog, emailed a question. Chris explained it hadn't done well for him or for others so he no longer offered it, but he sent me a free one anyway. (This is part of the reason I will buy hostas only from Chris. The other reason is HVX). The freebie also never came up a second season.

But I am a Hallson's Loyalist!

[boops]

LOL-Mine just comes up and stays the same size every year. I was thinking of putting it in my small/mini raised garden. Bet if I did that it would grow. Gonna try it this week, see what happens.

[Carol O]

The only hosta that never came back for me was Lakeside Cupcake, and I was told, don't replace it, there are better ones. My Dixie Chickadee keeps trying to go all green and I keep trying to divide off the green, but I still have a nice size of it streaked.

[boops]

Dixie Chickadee only sported once for me. Although it does throw off an almost solid leaf now and again.

[NancyL]

Great Expectations - I call it Low Expectations. Both in MI and MD they have been SLOOOOOW to grow. The other is Journey's end. Slow grower and this year it turned into the bizarre looking thing. It may be at its' own journey's end if it looks like this again next year. All the others around it are robust and healthy.


8 year old Great Expectations in MI

[Eleven]

Nancy, maybe try digging up your Journey's End and checking the roots? Mine is a fast grower and huge. But I had a beautiful Alex Summers that ended up looking like your a couple years ago, pale and limp leaved. My only guess is that it sank too far in the ground over winter. I waited too long to look into it, and it never recovered. It's now a puny little thing next to the new replacement. Here's an old pic from that summer: