I have some under very heavy shade that are doing quite well. I planted then as plants and not from seeds. Each with a rootball about the size of a 1 lb coffee can. This particuiar spot is in a creek bottom and has plenty of moisture.

The other spots I planted get at least 3+ hours of sun a day. I do know that they seem to flourish where it's moist but I havent had any die yet even in the drier spots.

You assume incorrectly. Those two deer I posted about actually are seen regularly coming in from the public ground where they bed so they can eat where they were photographed. It may be coincidence but that bedding area is a little over 1/2 mile in on the public ground and seldom is a hunter ever seen in that far.

Last time I checked, SGL 141 is not off limits and thats where that buck has to come from to get to me.

how do they stand up to heavy browsing? Just curious.

I first discovered how much deer loved hosta when I got into a suburban hunting program. In a garden where they obviously get plenty of water and good soil, they seem to come back quite well even after being eaten right down to the ground. It seems that the deer leave em alone in early summer and hit em as the summer progresses.

This year is my first attempt at putting them in the woods. Since the suburban area I hunt has no agriculture, I wasn't sure if they would use hosta where crops were available but they've eaten em up next to corn and bean fields on my Illinois property and they're doing the same here less than 300 yards from the corn. As far as how well they'll survive the browsing, I'll let you know after this season plays out. I do feel that putting in live plants in fair quantity might be better than trying to grow them from seed in the woods. Once they get established, I understand they're pretty tough to kill.

Someone also suggested making baskets of chicken wire to protect them till they get well established and then remove the baskets. (maybe just before bow season) Havent tired that but the idea seems to make sense.

A hosta plant generally reaches full maturity in 4to8 years and its size depends on the species. Example: a 'Baby Bunting' grows 8 to 10in. in diameter. A 'Blue Angel' will get 8 feet in diameter.Hostas grow best in morning sun with afternoon shade. A rule of thumb,the darker bluish leaf variety needs more shade and the yellows and chartreuse leaf variety's can tolerate more sun. They like a rich moist soil and slightly acidic.Fertilize with a 10-10-10 or the best bang for the buck is Kmart's K-Gro water soluble. It has every trace element in it.

Thanks for the info...anybody know protein contents? I'm betting they must be decent 'cause deer always know what plants are best for them.

I did my best to search that before I tried planting them. Couldn't find squat. I googled a good bit and all I really found was a whole bunch of gardeners sites where folks were beaching about the deer eating them so I went with the idea that you just pointed out. That deer instinctively know whats good for them.

I consider this an ongoing experiment but it's been fun and very promising so far

Not sure on the protein content. Do know that deer love to eat them and so do Japanese people.

That is what one article had to say about the protein value.