GIANT HOSTA MIX
Hosta
SKU: 31-020
Description
Hostas are a garden staple! They add a tropical and fresh look to the shade, and draw the eye with their stand-out leaves. Hostas are versatile, rarely need to be watered, and 'behave' in their tidy clumps.
Sadly, there are no Hostas that come true to variety from seed, especially with variegated types (types with more than one color on the leaves). This is why seed companies do not offer hosta seeds for sale. This is true of ALL hosta seeds. However, Hosta seeds do come true to size! Seeds taken from large hostas will produce new large hostas! This seed mix is taken from all-large hostas. The pictures in this listing are our own hostas! Images show large to small, though this listing is for all giant Hostas (we also sell the tiny and medium-sized hosta seeds in separate listings). We carry some of the largest varieties including Northern Exposure, Sum Of All, Olive Bailey Langdon, Liberty, Earth Angel, Dream Weaver, Blue Angel, Enpress Wu, Abiqua Elephant Ears, Krossa Regal, Great Expectations, Regal Splendor, Sagee, Sieboldiana Elegans, Sum And Substance, and more!
Type: Hardy perennial
Height: 28-42" tall leaves, and 36-56" tall flower spikes
Location: Shade, part shade or part sun
Hardiness zones: 3-8
Seeds per pack: 20
Seed size: Hosta seeds are long, flat and black. As these seeds are from the biggest hosta plants, they produce the biggest seeds, averaging about 7-10 mm long, and about 3 mm wide. Hosta seeds are a bit like a maple seed, or "key". There is a slightly bigger end which is the fertile seed, and there is a "wing", which allows it to blow, and catch the wind. Some hosta seeds will have broken wings, though this will not affect the ability of the fertile end of the seed to grow. We usually add a few extra seeds per pack also. Be sure to view our seed images. The seeds are interesting!
Germination: Start these seeds right away to preserve viability, no matter the time of year. Sow the seeds just under the surface of a sterile seed-start mix, and water in. Then cover them with plastic and place in a fridge for 5-6 weeks. Be sure they stay moist. After the cold stratification period they are then brought back to room temperature for them to germinate. Germination is generally within 60 days after the warming period, though they could take a few months. If possible, the best location for sowing in March, April and early May, is in a cold frame or cold greenhouse where they will receive the cold period and fluctuating temperatures naturally.
One interesting thing about Hosta plants, is that they will keep growing as long as they have light. This means, that if you want to speed-up hosta growth during the growing season, artificial lighting (increasing the day length) can help you get your hosta plants bigger, faster! Be sure to allow you plants to acclimatize back to regular lighting later in the season (and plant them in the ground), so they will go dormant in the winter.
Description
Hostas are a garden staple! They add a tropical and fresh look to the shade, and draw the eye with their stand-out leaves. Hostas are versatile, rarely need to be watered, and 'behave' in their tidy clumps.
Sadly, there are no Hostas that come true to variety from seed, especially with variegated types (types with more than one color on the leaves). This is why seed companies do not offer hosta seeds for sale. This is true of ALL hosta seeds. However, Hosta seeds do come true to size! Seeds taken from large hostas will produce new large hostas! This seed mix is taken from all-large hostas. The pictures in this listing are our own hostas! Images show large to small, though this listing is for all giant Hostas (we also sell the tiny and medium-sized hosta seeds in separate listings). We carry some of the largest varieties including Northern Exposure, Sum Of All, Olive Bailey Langdon, Liberty, Earth Angel, Dream Weaver, Blue Angel, Enpress Wu, Abiqua Elephant Ears, Krossa Regal, Great Expectations, Regal Splendor, Sagee, Sieboldiana Elegans, Sum And Substance, and more!
Type: Hardy perennial
Height: 28-42" tall leaves, and 36-56" tall flower spikes
Location: Shade, part shade or part sun
Hardiness zones: 3-8
Seeds per pack: 20
Seed size: Hosta seeds are long, flat and black. As these seeds are from the biggest hosta plants, they produce the biggest seeds, averaging about 7-10 mm long, and about 3 mm wide. Hosta seeds are a bit like a maple seed, or "key". There is a slightly bigger end which is the fertile seed, and there is a "wing", which allows it to blow, and catch the wind. Some hosta seeds will have broken wings, though this will not affect the ability of the fertile end of the seed to grow. We usually add a few extra seeds per pack also. Be sure to view our seed images. The seeds are interesting!
Germination: Start these seeds right away to preserve viability, no matter the time of year. Sow the seeds just under the surface of a sterile seed-start mix, and water in. Then cover them with plastic and place in a fridge for 5-6 weeks. Be sure they stay moist. After the cold stratification period they are then brought back to room temperature for them to germinate. Germination is generally within 60 days after the warming period, though they could take a few months. If possible, the best location for sowing in March, April and early May, is in a cold frame or cold greenhouse where they will receive the cold period and fluctuating temperatures naturally.
One interesting thing about Hosta plants, is that they will keep growing as long as they have light. This means, that if you want to speed-up hosta growth during the growing season, artificial lighting (increasing the day length) can help you get your hosta plants bigger, faster! Be sure to allow you plants to acclimatize back to regular lighting later in the season (and plant them in the ground), so they will go dormant in the winter.
