My usual process is to mulch after my hostas emerge, usually in late April or early May. The past few years have been wet springs so mulching has been difficult. I have struggled to get mulch deep into my beds and in some cases, I feel I have compacted the soils.

We had dry and warm weather in St. Louis area so I decided to get my mulch earlier than normal. I applied about 1 inch of mulch uniformily over my beds. It was easy to spread since no eyes had emerged and there certainly were no concerns about compacting soils.

I report mixed results and mixed feelings. Many hostas, especially the large one flew right through the mulch and look great. However, some such as the tiaras stuggled to get through the mulch. Other hostas are showing noticeable signs of stress as they passed through the mulch (discoloration and tears or holes in leaves).

Based on these experiences, I am going to go back to the old approach of a clean surface, with relatively light litter so that I can get to good stands and healthy plants quickly. And them I will carefully mulch around them.