Tomorrow is Hosta Dividing and Moving Day! The deer have "loved" my front yard hostas too much; they have to be moved into the back yard where the deer don't go (good fence). I have 2 spaces for them.
The first is just under the edge of the deck. I planted coleus and impatiens there this year , but I stuck in 2 small hostas and they thrived. So it is a good place. I will add my fanciest hostas from the front, ('June' and "Paul's Glory' and a few 'Gold Drops'). The larger ones will go into a hosta bed I created years ago along the fence to replace some that have died and increase the number of them. I have decided having more in the bed is better than just having a few several feet apart. Well, the originals there didn't grow as big as I expected.
I also have a few dozen Japanese Painted Ferns. The deer never bothered them, but I would prefer most of them among the hostas. I love the combination.
However, there was 1 large LARGE hosta the deer never bothered. It is 'Blue Angel". It is HUGE! It is 3' across and 2' high with thick bluish crinkly leaves, slug-resistant and (apparently) deer resistant. It might get larger. But the important thing is that each is large enough to divide into 4ths. And I have 3 of them. That makes for 12.
3 of the divisions went back into nearby spots a little more spread out. Instead of 3 across (where they were overlapping), there will be 2 across and 1 centered behind. They were covering my paver path to the hose spigot, so they needed to be moved anyway.
The good part is that that leaves 9 divisions for the larger landscaping box to the other side of the front steps. They will fill that box mostly and I will put some of the volunteer Japanese Painted Ferns between them.
After removing all the existing deer-loved hostas first, of course. I will leave no plant behind. I stuck landscaping flags in the center of every existing hosta last month, so I know where to dig even if the leaves are all gone. I expect 90% will survive the transplanting. Hostas are tough!
I had 4 very common boring solid green hostas I removed before a landscaper scraped the soil off a ridge leaving it flat. I divided each one in 1/4s and stuck them under the stairs from the deck there it is really dim light. 15 of 16 thrived! I expect all the other hostas I divide and move will do as well.
2 comments:
Sounds like you were busy. I don't think we could divide hostas here this late in the year. We have already had a few frosts.
I don't really understand the impact of the weather/this time of the year on the garden in your neck of the woods, but fingers crossed that everything will look wonderful come spring.
Megan
Sydney, Australia
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