Did my hostas die???

It appears I have lost 3 hostas - one plant was 2-3 years old, the other two planted just last spring. There is no sign of life, no vestiges of plant.... I wonder if they might have died off during the winter. Anyone else have this experience?
I have a much older hosta that is pushing up already.....

 

I find it depends upon the type of hosta that you have; some seem to come up later than others - some of mine are already coming up while others will be up later in April (and those ones seem to explode out of the ground and catch up growth-wise to the early ones very quickly).

QUESTION, where did you have them planted? (I lost a couple of very small plants a number of years back that were planted in a very dry, protected area under cedars trees.....at least I thought that until last year when they suddenly seemed to pop back up)

 

One is planted under a tree, facing East. Usually quite moist. The two others also under a tree, but quite shady and dry.
Maybe they're just hiding under the soil somewhere.... when do you think I can expect them to pop out?

 

None of the ones our new house was "gifted with" by the builder have shown their faces yet. It was the same a year ago, when we moved in. I saw bare earth and began to dig spaces for the plants I'd brought with me... and surprise! So it must be the variety.
keke

 

It is possible they will still pop up, especially if 2 are new as of last year (you don't know when to expect them).....I have about 8 different varieties and as I said some are already showing and others I know not to expect to appear until later in April.
Hosta are unusally pretty industructable but if you want to confirm you could always, very gently loosen the soil where the plants are and check for signs of growth

 

thanks, all. I will delay the purchase of replacement plants for a few more weeks.

 

Hosta cultivars break ground at different times depending on their genetic background. Some of the most popular varieties can trace their heritage to a cv named 'Fortunei Hyacinthina' and it is notorious for breaking ground late. Some of these varieties include 'Patriot', 'Revolution', 'Gold Standard' and 'Francee' to name just a few. In my yard the FH progeny has yet to greak ground and I'm not at all concerned, probably won't see signs of life until the 1st week of April. Not only do they break late, they are among the first one to go dormant in the fall.

Some of the varieties breaking ground for me now include 'Undulata', 'Invincible' and 'Golden Tiara'.

If you're curious about the names of the varieties you have, post some pictures later in the season and I'll have a go at identifying them for you.

Pieter

 

Thanks, Pieter. If/when I get something to photograph, I'll post. I know that the two newer plants are Hosta Minuteman. Any thoughts on that?

 

'Minuteman' is part of the Hyacinthina family and is a late riser. I grow a lot of my hostas in pots, and while I have a fair number beginning to break and some even unfurl, I have yet to see either my 'Minuteman', 'Gold Standard' or 'Patriot' in pots break ground. Give 'em another 2-3 weeks or so.....

 

Sounds like good advice. Thanks.

 

Oh happy day! All three hostas are coming up. You were right... they're just late risers. I'll be forewarned for next year.

 

Once they are fully leafed out, post pictures of the unidentified ones and I'll try to put a name to them.

 

OK. I am attaching photos of two hostas. Hosta1 is more advanced. I've had it for years. Hosta2 is one of the three that has just emerged and is leafing out.
Any help you can provide in identifying them is most appreciated.

 

Hosta 1 looks to be a 'Sieboldiana' type, flower color and period will provide potentially more clues. Hosta 2 is very much like 'Patriot' and shouldn't look much different from the 'Minuteman' you have.

 

Thank you. You're right - hosta 2 looks very much like Minuteman.

 

Hi, sorry for reviving this thread but I'm asking myself the same question... did my hosta die?...

Last year, I could only see tiny buds coming out of the soil where my hosta was, but it never fully grew and became very dry. This year, when I was herbing my garden, I could not see any sign of my plant at all. I digged a little bit to see if I could see the roots or any kind of growth, but I couldn't find anything... is it really dead? Should I wait before planting something else there?

 

If there is no sign of any growth of the hostas then it it safe to assume they're a goner at this point in the season. Plant another one and keep it watered in...