Asked on Jun 29, 2012
Hostas in Florida
by
Sherrie S
+46
These plants have never turned out good for me but my local nursery people said these hostas are for Florida. Oh, notice the white flower? I hope I will be able to post 3 beautiful hosta plants in a few months.
36 answers
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Me Too! can't wait to see them :)
360 Sod (Donna Dixson)
on Jun 29, 2012
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I grow this one in coastal NC, it is in shade 24/7. Does well. This year I noticed something is eating it a little. Not to worry.
Kathy R
on Jun 29, 2012
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Kathy R, all I can tell you is hostas don't grow well in Florida. Seems to me the rest of the country has beautiful hostas. My problem wasn't something eating it - it was plant suicide.
Sherrie S
on Jun 29, 2012
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These are the new ones? I can't wait to see them all. I hope they do well for you.
Dee W
on Jun 29, 2012
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I love my hostas and those look beautiful! Good luck, and yes they prefer shade.
Jan C
on Jun 29, 2012
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Dee W, I have one little hosta that I bought a year ago. The three on the pic are new and were created for Florida type of weather so I am going to give them a try. Thanks for the support Dee - I will probably need it later.
Sherrie S
on Jun 30, 2012
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They just have to be in the shade or filtered sun to do well. Recently went to the Pew Gardens in downtown Orlando, FL and they had a ton of hostas all doing very well. The gardens are free for viewing on Mondays......nicely done
HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC
on Jun 30, 2012
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Handy, I already saved my only one that was in full shade and did poorly. Moved the tiny thing to morning sun only & it is doing very well. That is where I will put the 3 small new ones I just purchased. I've been to Pew Gardens & love them but they are EXPERTS so everything should work for them.
Sherrie S
on Jun 30, 2012
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Yea but YOU can have caladiums all year long!! Geez, if you can keep Caladiums going I'd think Hostas should be a piece of cake!! Since you bought a "designer" variety, specifically engineered for Fl. climate, hopefully these will meet & exceed your expectations!! This is the first year I haven't had Caladiums in container gardens on my front porch! sniff sniff :~( Be sure & keep an eye out for slugs - they'll riddle your hostas if they get a chance!! Oh, Sherrie - gotta tell ya - I was moving a few empty flower pots away from the garage wall yesterday, spraying junk & debris and just guess what hopped out of it's hiding place?? Sure was a fast little fella cause I couldn't find him after the initial sighting!! Probably a good thing cause I dunno WHAT I would have done w/him if I had caught him!! Actually, that was something I wondered about when we started our project was just exactly how do you keep these guys at home once you get them???
Susan S
on Jun 30, 2012
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Susan S, I probably am not bothered by slugs because I have slug predators like snakes, salamanders, beetles, crows, ducks, geese, toads, foxes, frogs, raccoons & other wildlife to handle them. Re: Hoppy - you should whip up his favorite dish: cooked lettuce & aphids and give him some water in a nice shady area far from your bedroom.
Sherrie S
on Jul 01, 2012
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Sherrie - yeah . . . . .BUT, you have an entire wildlife refuge at your disposal!!! The birds don't seem very interested in controlling the slug population. My hostas may be too close to civilization - located in flower bed directly off front porch. I did rescue a little lizard of some sort the other day. Miss Cleo was vigorously playing w/something on the ground and that's what it was. I picked it up - right behind it's head (NO BITING) and put it among the foilage of a hoya on the front porch Probably shoulda put it among the hostas!! Don't know where it wandered off to . . . No raccoons, ducks, geese, foxes ;<(
Susan S
on Jul 01, 2012
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Susan S, you can have a wildlife refuge at your disposal. Just invite the wildlife with water, food, shelter. Thhhhhhhat's all it takes. If you want to become a wildlife refuge with a sign so the wildlife knows you care then you can pay a few bucks for an exceptionally good looking well made sign. I bought the sign because it benefited wildlife but I know the wildlife really prefers water, food, shelter. Signs don't really matter.
Sherrie S
on Jul 01, 2012
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Hosta lover here. I planted a hosta garden under a big pine tree on the shady side of my house. Even in summer I rip the plant apart and plant little bits of root. They will take a little sprinkle of Osmocote and next spring Voile. Hosta Heaven.
Donna McCrummen
on Jul 01, 2012
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Shabby Daze, I'm wating, waiting for sucess with hostas. I do believe I finally have the right hostas for Florida. Time will tell. Why don't you post a picture here and make me feel bad? I can handle it.
Sherrie S
on Jul 01, 2012
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Sherrie - waiting for Hosta's to do their thing is a lot like watching paint dry or grass growing!! It ain't gonna happen as long as you're staring at it!! LOL Hosta's seem to be a slow grower but each year come back bigger ' better than the season before. Now, with you being in Fl. and all and don't really have the experience of 4 distinct seasons (well, THAT was true until 2011-12) like we NORTHERNERS do, it's hard to say what your H's will do.
Susan S
on Jul 01, 2012
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Sherrie, I will be watching with interest what happens with your hostas as that's a plant that we've always been told won't grow here. The times they are a changing! I think you and HandyAndy meant Leu Gardens: a great place for garden inspiration.
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 02, 2012
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Douglas, I looked at what I wrote & I'm sure Leu Gardens wouldn't appreciate it. Whoops.
Sherrie S
on Jul 02, 2012
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@Douglas Hunt I bought my little hostas 1 year ago in 3 little pots. They are growing larger as of today 7/9/13. They even have a couple small flowers but I love the look with/without flowers. Hostas in Florida are very unusual.
Sherrie S
on Jul 09, 2013
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Indeed they are Sherrie. You are blazing a trail!
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 09, 2013
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@Douglas Hunt not quite blazing the trail but at least trying to make one. I will post pics later this week. I know one thing - they like shade and a little morning sun. I want them to grow big like the pics I see growing north of Florida.
Sherrie S
on Jul 09, 2013
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I'm not sure what type of hostas you have, Sherrie. Not all of them get to be a large size: there's one called "Mouse Ears" that never gets more than 8 inches.
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 10, 2013
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@Douglas Hunt I posted my three 1 year old hostas. The name I know them by is Florida Sun Hostas. No bugs no problems and one little flower. I hope they keep it up.
Sherrie S
on Jul 10, 2013
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That's a beautiful shade garden you have going on there, Sherrie.
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 11, 2013
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@Douglas Hunt thank you for the nice comment. The shade garden is 15' long and then another 8' all of which is protected by a beautiful bald cypress tree. All of my orchids are also protected by that tree.
Sherrie S
on Jul 11, 2013
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Did you tell them that you live in FL. Are you keeping them in the small pots? I put mine in a big pot in the shade after 3yrs I now have flowers. Char B YELM, WA
Charlotte Belange
on Jun 22, 2014
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@Charlotte Belange These hostas were developed for Florida so they are planted in the ground and are doing well. They made it through winter so I expect to see flowers later this year.
Sherrie S
on Jun 23, 2014
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I posted my Florida Hostas today. Two have flowers. Of course they aren't as big as hostas grown north of here but I I'm really happy with them. This is for you @Douglas Hunt
Sherrie S
on Jul 16, 2014
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Thank you @Douglas Hunt I'm really surprised they are growing here.
Sherrie S
on Jul 17, 2014
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Oh @Douglas Hunt I've been asked what that plant next to the Hosta on the right is and I don't know. Can you tell me what it is?
Sherrie S
on Jul 17, 2014
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@Sherrie S I've been growing Hostas in No Fl for at least 15 years. I have Sum and Substance which has been divided at least 3 times and is again close to 4' across. I have had great success with some and just so so with others. They want shade but not tree shade. They don't want to compete for their water. I plant my on the north side of my house as foundation plants. I've not done well with blue hostas down here if that helps anyone.
Sandy Pudoff
on Jul 17, 2014
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@Sandy Pudoff I found your post most interesting. I was glad I found one Hosta that survives in Florida. How long did it take your Hosta to become so large.
Sherrie S
on Jul 17, 2014
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@Douglas Hunt Those plants have been here for years. They die back in winter & come back prettier than ever. I do know they like shade and bugs don't bother them
Sherrie S
on Jul 18, 2014
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@Sandy Pudoff do any of your hostas get flowers? I like the Walmart plant the best. I'm also looking at sum & substance. Thank you for your post.
Sherrie S
on Jul 19, 2014
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I live in Ohio and all of my hostas have blue flowers. Is there any specific reason to let them bloom? I think they make the hosta look kind of leggy, so I cut them off at the bottom of the stem. Should I let them grow or is it ok to cut them back?
Nancy Hetrick
on Jul 19, 2014
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@Sandy Pudoff I am just learning about these plants and I only have three little ones. I watch them because I won't repeat a mistake. Seems I'm winning this time with my little ones. I'm going to check out a few of your suggestions & thank you.
Sherrie S
on Jul 21, 2014
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I am located in west central Florida (south of Ocala but north of Tampa) and have about 46+ different varieties. Including Liberty, Orange marmalade, Sparkler, June, Paul's glory, Victory, Stain glass, Cathedral window, On stage, Hollywood lights, Dancing queen, Guardian angle, Spring morning, Devils advocate, Heat wave, Seducer, Blue Ivory, and many more. Going on year 3 for me (coming back every year lager and larger). I have lost about 3-4 this year to the huge bug's (grasshoppers) so don't give up hope if you live in Florida (we had a very mild winter this year. And they still came back better then last year)
Denise
on Jun 29, 2016
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