Hosta's - outside/inside?

[Protea]

Having just read Pigletwillies thread on vernalisation on the allotment advice page, i was wondering if i did te right thing in bringing my poted hostas into my greenhouse over the winter?

So far the greenhouse has been heated to keep it frost free, but nothing more (overnight temp is usually about 5 degrees C). However, i have some onion seedling arriving shortly which will require te use of my second heater to increase the temp - should i chuck the hostas outside? One of them is sarting to produce shoots so i'm a bit concerned it might get a bit of a shock!
i do have a cold frame i could put them in temporarily as an intermediate solution (until the veg needs it).

Any thoughts/ideas appreciated!

[sewer rat]

I have several hosta in pots round my garden - last year I brought them all into the greenhouse for the winter, but this year have left them all outside over the winter months and they all seem to be fine - it has been very mild this year though. If you are at all concerned, I would stick them in your cold frame fora bit, but I'm sure they will be okay outside too.

[Alice]

Hello Protea, I don't know if you have some special kind of tender hostas but I have hostas in several varieties around my garden and they are planted in the ground. Been there for years and just get bigger and bigger. The only thing I have to watch out for is slugs when the new shoots are coming up.
If you've been keeping them in the greenhouse then you would need to harden them off a bit before just abandoning them outside. If you're keeping them in pots then they only need the kind of protection pots need in your area otherwise they are fully hardy - well they are here.

[JennieAtkinson]

Mine have been fully hardy for years. Some in pots and some in the ground. I don't bother to bring them in and they always come up each Spring, even last year, which was particuarly cold.

Might be a bit of a shock Protea to put them outside now. A cold frame would be a good idea.

[madderbat]

We used to grow them outdoors under the trees, seemed to do well there.

[jools]

I have several in pots (Can't grow them in the ground because of the blasted snails) and I have always left them outside without any problems.
Jools

[Protea]

Excellent, thanks everyone. I will pop them in the cold frame while its mild this week, if it gets really cold i'll bring the in again.

I'll put them outside properly in a few weeks.

I only bought them last summer and stupidly didn't think to ask about whether they were hardy or not - i thought they were but was worried about them getting waterloged in their pots. i might plant them into the beds this spring then.

[nick the grief]

I leave mine out Protea, but I do take it out of the saucer so that it doesn't sit in water thru the winter and then I'll put it back when Spring comes,