cutting back hosta flower stalks

[Susie Thilmany]

Hi. I've heard differing instructions on whether it is better to cut hosta flower stalks after they have bloomed or not. Each of my sources is relatively reliable, so I'm counting on the hosta forum to give me a definitive response. Thanks.

[dragonfly 64]

I cut the scapes off the ones that do not set seed. It just makes the plant look better. That is what ever you wnt to do. Bev

[DBoweMD]

Just clean your cutter tool between plants if you are doing multiple plants, so you do not spread any diseases.

[eastwood2007]

Welcome, Susie! Glad you could join us. Some people leave the scapes so they can tell where the hostas are in the winter. Someone else said they thought the stiff scapes (left from the previous year) in early spring kept rabbits from munching on the tender new leaves.

Personal preference, I believe. But very important as Dr. Dave said is to disinfect your tools between each hosta. There are alot of viruses being spread.

[Chris_W]

Hi,

This would be a tough one to give a definitive answer on, and there are lots of opinions out there about it. My personal observations:

Some hosta scapes are just plain ugly. Cutting them down makes the plants look a lot better.

Cutting down a scape just as it comes up sometimes helps divert energy to send out more leaves instead, giving it a bigger mound that summer.

Not cutting down scapes and letting at least some of the blooms develop appears to help the plant form more dormant buds so that it will multiply more the following year. I'm not sure, though, if this is really cause and effect. It might simply be that the plant is old enough to bloom and old enough to multiply, but maybe by allowing it to bloom it encourages the next stage of growth which is to multiply... I do know that if a hosta eye has bloomed it is very often a multiple eye plant the following year.

Not cutting down scapes and not cutting down foliage will help to prevent diseases. Just clean them up in late fall or early spring after they've completely died off.

So like Charla mentioned, I also think it comes down to personal preference. Personally I don't cut down the scapes. It really does make it easier for me to find the rows of hostas the following spring while they are still dormant and those are usually the plants with multiple eyes.

By the way, welcome to the forums

Chris

[jobranch]

Susie - also personal preference: I leave them on. I used to cut them down because they looked bad, but I now leave them on until they die back.

[barbara]

I do whatever I have time to do, or feel like doing, from one year to the next

[digs57]

Well... I grow the plants for their foliage - not the so-called blooms. Though I manage to tolerate the early mostly white flowers in June, by this time of year I'm thoroughly sick of them - and so, like today, I tend to rampage through the garden, scissors poised, lopping off scapes , in bud or seed or anything in between, and I might add, totally guilt free about it (it's my garden, and I'll slay if I want to ). Every hosta looks better without those hideous gangly wishy-washy coloured things above, that turn into dirty little kleenex droppings overnight, too - ick!

For gorgeous long-lasting flowers, I grow lilies - oriental ones in fact, for the fragrance - and daisies - and roses, and....

Never noticed any adverse effects, btw.

[Chris_W]

Digs - I don't know why but I suddenly pictured you in a ninja costume going through the hosta gardens, leaving no scapes behind

Now I think we need to start a new thread showing some of the more attractive hosta blooms. You might change your mind on a few of them

Suddenly I have to blow my nose. Anyone have a spent hosta flower?

[Mary Ann]

I'm with you, Digs, ugly flowers turn into uglier debris. Where's my snippers?

[janey]

I prefer the foliage, and am not a fan of light purple or lavendar to begin w/, so often I will trim those right away. But the white blooms, especially the fragrant ones, are really pretty and can get quite large. Last year there were so many that I would cut them to bring some inside and really enjoyed them....

Regardless, once the flowers start looking "raggely" they come off....the plants do look much neater....I like the varieties too, that have the shorter scapes, so the flowers are clustered more in the leaves...Wish more hostas would do that....

Chris, here, have a tissue...(culture??)

[Spider]

I like the flowers, just another bonus to the plant. (mostly lavender or not)

[DBoweMD]

Chris you mean pictures like this One Man's Treasure?

[Susie Thilmany]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. This whole thing (online forums) is new to me & I was surprised by such a response. Thanks too, for the excellent advice, and the kind correction from stalks to scapes.

[eastwood2007]

WOW!!!!! Awesome, Dr. Dave! I have never considered that one as I don't care for red pets, but I think I will reconsider just for the flowers.

This isn't a very good pic, but my Blue Mouse Ears has had the most photoworthy blooms at my house this year.



We may need to start a new thread for beautiful blooms rather than hijacking this one...

[Patrushka]

Welcome to the forum!

I like the flowers so I leave the scapes. If you cut off the scapes you don't get the bonus of seed pods.

[Primroselane]

One more thing to think of, My Hummingbirds visit the flowers and I do enjoy the Hummers.

[hagranger]

I really enjoy the flowers as well as the leaves ... but would often cut back the scapes in the front yard if they became "ratty" ...
It was done more because I wanted that front yard to look neat-as-a-pin for passersby.
I only cut scapes off in the backyard when they started to dry down and would often leave the scapes until spring because I liked the way a wet sticky snowfall made them look.
The front yard I always kept as neat and tidy as possible and was careful to remove the foliage that browned, etc.
Helen

[VThosta/daylilylover]

Helen, did you notice any difference in growth between the front and the back yards that might be due to either removing or leaving the scrapes? As I remove the stalks from my daylilies I also began removing them from the hostas too as it doesn't look right to me to see the empty scrapes and stems sticking up.