How Crowded Can they Be?

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Apr 18, 2007 12:06 pm

Last season I made mental notes of hosta that needed to be moved in spring. Now it's spring and they all look innocently well spaced, come June it's another story. Even if I take out a few here and there, the rest are still overlapping, and I ran out of space 2 years ago. No, I don't want to give any away, I want more.

What to do? What to do?

Hosta12_Ia · Post by **Hosta12_Ia** » Apr 18, 2007 12:11 pm

Buy a new house with a bigger yard??

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 18, 2007 1:12 pm

Well, if you can’t expand out, try expanding up, like Leafy did. Sink some poles with crossmembers and hang pots from those. Or attach single pots to the top of fence posts and power line poles. Lean some ladders against the house and put a pot of hosta on each step. Sacrifice a tree - whack off all the small branches/leaves and hang or attach hosta pots. Rip off a pitched roof and replace it with a flat one you can set hosta pots on? Or you could tear down part of your house to make more room...who needs a garage and parking area, anyways?

Or just face reality...with that many hosta, you will have to cull out half or give in and buy acreage. Land is real cheap in my area and mostly forested...and I could really use a local hosta buddy? I am so sorry I can’t even offer to foster any for you...I already have about 100 foster hosta here and with trying to care for my MIL with dementia, my time is very limited (ok, non-existent until I can hire some gullible help).

wanda (good luck, sweetie!)

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Apr 18, 2007 1:19 pm

I tired to make the same mental notes to myself last year also. However my memory isn't so good, so I forget most of the ones that need to be moved.

I am planning on digging up one entire bed (mostly because the dogwood tree died) and expanding that bed to give everything more room. I'm thinking pots are the way to go for many of my hostas. I do want to make a rock garden area and plant many of my minis there. I've got lots of plans, but time will tell how many of my plans actually get accomplished.
Good luck with your situation. I know exactly where you're coming from!

Ginger · Post by **Ginger** » Apr 18, 2007 1:34 pm

leave them alone, they look beautiful!

Ginger

whamadiddle · Post by **whamadiddle** » Apr 18, 2007 1:47 pm

hey ma- you can creat a mary ann garden at my place and visit them often since you are so close.......

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 18, 2007 2:45 pm

I think it looks beautiful, even if they are too close. I don't know enough to know whether it hurts them or not, but they don't look hurt. Do you have places you could display them in pots?

Tigger · Post by **Tigger** » Apr 18, 2007 3:52 pm

If this was last year, then I really think it's time to reduce in some way this year. Best to just move 1/3 of the clumps (cultivars), as your plants are really making lovely clumps now (where they can). The upright (smaller white-centered) one in the center is really struggling! If you leave them in place, some of the larger ones will start to win, crowding their neighbors into ill health.

Justaysam · Post by **Justaysam** » Apr 18, 2007 4:03 pm

I know it's a lot of work, but couldn't you just dig up the larger ones and divide off some? Or that stick the sharp shovel into the clump deal and take some of them off the bigger ones? You could sell off the divisions and have lots of bucks for more purchases! Or pot them up and donate them to the AHS auction in Indy.

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 18, 2007 4:31 pm

It is lovely at first look, butr they are starting to eat each other... so if you can't move or find more space you are in troubles.

Pots do help a bit with smaller hostas if placed on the platio or in hanging pots on the wall, but a 30 inch hosta use 30 inch when ever in a pot or in the soil. so what to do

I think this would be my solution: Keep the huge beauties, take a close look at each of the others... is it really worth to keep

Do you need 5 slightly different green with white edge ones or can 2 of them leave the garden

.. I let some leve the garden last year... and love thespace I have this spring.. knowing it will last for 2 years

, then divide a lot of the medium plants and please someone else with them

Or accept survival of the fittest

some of them will be even bigger this year.

Sorry Pia

Jimmy Mac · Post by **Jimmy Mac** » Apr 18, 2007 4:31 pm

Hi Mary Ann
Tigger is right they are starting to shade each other out.Hostas are a shade plant but still need the sun light.The bigger plants will always win in a crowd.I found this out the hard way.Besides the big plants take all the moisture. Watch out for that sligh old fox Ken.He says to make a garden at his place but he would sell them and say they died.He just wears a sheep suit.BABaBa jimmy

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Apr 19, 2007 8:12 am

Wow, Mary Ann!!! They're beautiful, but they are a little crowded. Do you get the Hosta Journal? There's a good article in the latest one showing a clever system of hanging hosta pots. Maybe you could try that?
(Kathleen, I hope you don't go into cardiac arrest when you look at this!)
Linda P

playinmud · Post by **playinmud** » Apr 19, 2007 9:58 am

Wow Mary Ann! That's beautiful IMHO

...I really like the look of them touching, and not seeing a lot of mulch.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 19, 2007 10:09 am

Beautiful, Mary Ann!!

But I agree with everything that was said. [Except for Ken.

] I didn't know that there was an article in the latest Hosta Journal about hanging baskets with hostas, but that was going to be my suggestion. Go up!! Roxanne showed a pic once of a pot holder her dad built that she used for hostas to give some vertical lift in her garden. I'd like to do something like that eventually too. And you could pot some & put them on pedestals of varying heights thruout your gardens. All sorts of possibilities. Divide your bigger ones & give away to friends or make some extra hosta~bucks like Linda suggested.