I'm Back and Need Mega Help - Digging up Hosta & Sun Iss

[Lisa]

Woo. I've not posted in at least 3 years. Hi everyone!

Well, I'm back cuz I'm ripping out all my gardens and tweaking big. Basically, when I planted the hosta, I used a size guide. I'm not sure what happened but I have this sea of hosta mish-mash. A couple years later, some areas were spread out again to no avail. I mostly planted in groups of 3's.

I want to selectively remove and replant more in my 'sun garden' which is an extension of this shade garden. I also lost 2 big oaks so even the current overgrown hosta garden is now getting a ton of sun (I think this is ok).

Would these be OK in sun? These are my 'must move' triage plants:

Sagae
Cinnamon Sticks
Strip Tease (I think so) One is like 4.5 feet across!
Halcyon (probably not?)
Toku Aureo (no?)
Dark Star
Golden Tiara & the all yellow version (I have tons of these & it would make a nice border).

I have one bed that would be more full sun 10a-4p?, the other would be shade at about 2:30-3pm. IDK - I should've noted the times of the sun beforehand. This is our project for the long weekend. I am overwhelmed and amazed how stupidly I spaced these when planting. They are basically covering auxillary shade plants like hellebores, Epimedium, etc. and the beauty of each hosta is nuked by the sheer volume/monoculture effect.

[Lisa]

Forgot to mention... The area where I'd like to move the hosta is a big problem. Lysimachia chlethroides. Boy is it hard to nuke. Darned root system. I'm trying to dig them out the best I can but I know I'm not going to get every piece of root.

I'm thinking after digging, putting landscape fabric down around the hostas to help kill off any shoots that might emerge. Plan would be to cut out the fabric maybe 2 years from now. (or leave it if it works out Ok). I fear this might cook the soil and hurt the hosta though. Does anyone think this is a bad idea? Or have other ideas how to get rid of this invasive plant once & for all?

[Chris_W]

Hi Lisa, Thought you had dropped off the planet

I think Sagae would be able to take some sun as long as it gets deeply watered. This one puts down some of the deepest roots of any hosta I've grown so needs really deep watering to do best, however I think it could tolerant some light.

Cinnamon Sticks - I don't know...
Halcyon - should grow fine, probably won't be as blue as long
Striptease should be fine
Golden Tiara should be fine, but the all yellow version (Golden Scepter) will fry in the sun - keep that in the shade
Dark Star is very sun tolerant, great choice for the sun
Tokudama Aureonebulosa has struggled for me in the sun before, but if it has good roots and gets plenty of water they might do all right. Mine were young and could never handle the hot, dry conditions at our old nursery.

Good luck!

Chris

[Lisa]

OK - this is a start. Will be doing the big moves tomorrow, today I'm digging the darned Lysimachia. Good to know about Sagae's roots cuz mine are massive mature plants - stunning - and I'd hate to hurt them. Actually I hate to have to move them cuz they're so happy.

Oh - I have a Bishop's weed infestation also. Thinking of digging up the hosta, weed-wacking it down a bit, and spraying the crap out of it. THAT's even worse than the Lysimachia for removing those darned root tendrils.
Taking suggestions on how to get rid of that also.

Big mess here.

[baja220]

Lisa, if your gonna spray with round-up you can plant within a few days(read the bottle to make sure of the number of days safe to plant), but it you dry to dig up what you sprayed your gonna disrupt the process of the RU getting into the plant. Also, I'd mix the RU a dad stronger for these types of pesty plants.

[JaneG]

LISA!! so good to see you!!! You are the one who first told me about this place waaaaay back when!

Sound like a total rehab of your gardens. I don't envy your bishops weed problem. I could never get rid of it and decided to co-exist. It rips out by hand pretty easy, but spreads like crazy. If it's in a bare spot, I leave it for a while, but rip it out when I feel like it. In shade it looks good, but can get kind of brown and ratty in sun.

[Lisa]

Hi Jane! You have different Bishop's Weed than I.
This came to me years ago with a ChokeBerry and it looked nice so I let it go. Big mistake. Last year or the year before I "pulled it" but all I clearly did was make it far worse. It's coming up even 10 feet away.

I also have an ocean of Monarda but that's a joy to pull. I'm trying to go back to basics with the sunnier garden, Sedum, Hosta, short things instead of purple coneflower, etc. that is a chore in spring/fall to cut back and really just flops and looks bad. I'm going to replace it with a short type...

But mostly I want hosta and going for a neat, tidy, zen look. Guess I'm getting old. (or fed up)

[Spider]

Hi! Any chance of photos before you disrupt nice mature plants? You know, for newbies like me

[Lisa]

I'll take some pics. Will have to relearn how to post them though.

[LucyGoose]

Wow.....it's been 3 years?? I remember you Lisa!! Hi There!!

I have Dark Star in the sun and it does real goog......although my Sagae is in sun and it would be prettier in the shade, but it does okay.,...

Good Luck and nice to see you!

[newtohosta-no more]

Welcome back, Lisa! Sounds like you've got a lot of work ahead of you, but I bet it'll look great once you're all done. We'd love to see before and after pics.

[Lisa]

We are so sore. Don't make the same mistake I did folks. I found buried hellebore, maiden hair fern, and epimedium.

Strip Tease is insane! What a grower.

I wonder if I should divide them to avoid the 'halo' down the road while I'm at it. Or can I avoid the halo somehow? I can't even remember what the rule is for dividing them. So far I've been moving the mature huge clumps. Had to have hubby carry a few around - they were so heavy and my body just quit on me.

I have one I don't dare move though I'd like to. Bought it at a Burpee Garden store before it sadly closed. I thought it was Big Daddy but IDK. I swear the thing is like 6 feet across and 4.5 feet high. It's 'remarkable'. Any hosta near it would just be 'wrong' so it's presenting it's own problem.

[Linda P]

Hey, Lisa! Good to have you back. Sounds like you have a huge chore on your hands. Good luck with it!
(Passing you the bottle of ibuprofen and a nice hot rice pack.....)
Linda P

[Ginger]

Hi Lisa!!!

A hosta 6 feet across I can only dream of one that big please send pics for my fantasy

Ginger