Buying Hostas online/bulk?

[ENVY23]

I'm new to hostas, but would like to plant a border of hostas along the woodline on each side of my driveway. Approximate length is 80ft, and it seems hostas should be spaced about 2ft apart, which means 40 hostas per side(minus the width of each hosta I assume?). The local nurseries want $20-$25 ea. for a 1 gal size and for 80 hostas that's like $1,600. Is there anywhere to get them cheaper or make a bulk purchase online? I'm a bit uneasy about buying plants online, so just seeing if anyone has bought any online or had any luck(good or bad). I'd prefer a young plant as opposed to just buying the bulbs. Is there maybe a cheaper, shade tolerant alternative to hostas? Thanks in advance.

[likeasponge]

Your question reminds me of this thread. http://aroundtheyard.com/post226625.htm ... ta#p226625

[andy10917]

I generally try not to tell people that what they'd prefer doing is not a good idea -- but in this situation I think you need to understand how hostas are grown and sold. It's a subject that I have studied and worked with for many years...

Other than the original "wild" green hostas, very few hostas are field-grown from seed. Hostas are a plant that has strange DNA, and they are much more prone to mutations than other plants. So, hybridizers play with strange hostas that are noticed when varieties are cross-pollinated. These strange hostas are isolated and grown to maturity, and then sent to a lab where they are cloned through micropropagation (sterile petri dishes and all). After many months in the lab, they are then sold to people that know how to transition them from the lab to a ready-for-sale, field-raised plant. These out-of-the-lab plants are known as "liners" and are very fragile. "Liners" need specialized care and knowledge to grow to full-sized plants, but are sometimes sold on the internet to unsuspecting buyers - the typical success rate for homeowners that buy them is 10%-20%, and even then it takes two years or so to reach what you and I would call a plant size that belongs in your garden. I strongly advise not to buy them.

Most of the plants that you buy in stores are "divisions". These are splits of field-grown plants - hostas can be divided about every third year by splitting the roots/plants into multiple plants where each has 1-3 eyes. My personal record is a plant that had 138 eyes before division. The divisions of the roots are then grown and sold as plants.

The best way to get good hostas in bulk is to buy the same root divisions that the nurseries buy in bulk and grow in the buckets that you buy at Home Depot or a garden center. If you buy them as those shriveled roots and plant them, they will look like the plant store varieties at 6-10 weeks, and will be nice plants by the end of the first year. By 2-3 years, you will have huge plants that can be (should be?) divided.

I buy my root divisions from Gilbert Wild and Sons. 100 hostas cost $100, and there are generally more than 100 in the box they send. They are good varieties but not the latest and greatest "hot" hosta creations. I buy a few of the "hot" hostas from "The Hosta Patch" as specimen plants - they come as soil-less plants wrapped in wet newspapers that must be planted right away. They generally cost $6-$30 each.

The Hosta Patch

Gilbert Wild and Sons

Please, please don't buy hosta liners -- you will not have anything usable for a few years and will have very high loss rates.

[ENVY23]

Thanks! Andy, how do I know if what I'm buying is a liner or a division? Are all the hostas sold on GH Wild a division, or are some liners and some divisions? I see in the description for the 100 for $100 that those are divisions, but the other varieties don't mention it. I think I'm just going to go with the 100 for $100. Is there a link to planting/care tips? Just something to get me up to speed on the basics? Thanks again fellas!

[andy10917]

You have to learn how to read the small print and keywords. Words like "2-3 eye", "division", "field-grown", "bare-root", etc are keywords to divisions of field-grown plants. If the keywords involve "ellepot", "liner", "3-inch pot", etc are used, you are looking at liners or very small/young plants that will take a long time to mature. The "Hosta by the Handful" deal at Wild and Sons is nice-sized divisions - the named varieties are small plants that are matured liners. That's why I buy the specimen plants from The Hosta Patch and not Wild and Sons -- my named varieties from Wild and Sons are still in the nursery bed at my home two years after purchase (I got a deal on those).

You'll understand more after you see the Hosta By The Handful roots -- there is NO WAY that they would fit in a 3" pot.

I'll help you with locating the planting tip threads, and I'll even talk to you on the phone if you need it.

PS: be careful about some of the Hosta forums out there -- there is a lot of "hosta snobbery" that will snub you if you're not interested in plant exotic expensive varieties, but just want to enjoy some nice shade plants. It doesn't need to be a crazy, expensive thing.

[likeasponge]

I'll help you with locating the planting tip threads

We just received our order from Gilbert and Sons (25 mixed hosta)and am looking for the planting tip thread?

I can see we have lots to learn and want to make sure we have some success with our new hosta.

Thanks

[andy10917]

I'll be damned. I can't find the one I'm looking for, but here is some reading material while I search...

http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/hosta-bl ... 12013.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/creating ... t4235.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/new-favo ... 12240.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/hosta-ki ... t5238.html

[likeasponge]

I'll be damned. I can't find the one I'm looking for, but here is some reading material while I search...

http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/hosta-bl ... 12013.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/creating ... t4235.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/new-favo ... 12240.html
http://aroundtheyard.com/shade/hosta-ki ... t5238.html

LOL, I to could have sworn that I knew right where it was also.....

I am currently on a trip (back in a week), would it be best to refrigerate the new hosta for a week, or soak them in water first then the fridge?

[HoosierLawnGnome]

I transplanted a few hostas from a family estate here a few weeks ago and really like them. I have what may be a future perfect hosts bed - shady along a treed creek that gets morning sun. I really like the giant ones....

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