I move my hostas so often, I'm surprised they still continue to mature. I labored so intensely last year on my newly created beds and then this year started rearranging them all over again. I think hosta addicts are obsessed over that "just right combination" - as least I am. I also think that prime real estate belongs to the best shower. So many of the new ones I had last year have been moved from prime real estate to be replaced with ones that have a "wow" factor. I also will move hostas when I attain a new one that was on a wish list that I want to show off. So you are not alone. I've been moving hostas around since 2009.

Nearly 250 moves this year. A few have been moved two or three times this year alone. That is either for a better position sun/shade wise or because a plant does not show well where I've put it. I've made many moves because the whole grouping matures and either has to be spread out or one of the group moved to make room for the others. I plant with the spacing appealing to me right NOW. I just switched Jaz (fairly slow) with a new Rosedale Golden Goose. The RGG is right at the very front because it's small. It certainly can't stay here but for this year and maybe next it can. The Jaz had grown some and is in the middle of the border. It's labor intensive but pleasing to my eyes which is my goal. I have now begun to think of placing the ones in the Sum and Sub family (which hate to be moved according to Gary of Naylor) where they can stay. Sometimes I can do that and sometimes I can't. It would drive me crazy to see lots of open space between my plants thinking years ahead to when they mature. Just my style but you asked.

I moved some small ones to my new section of the garden this year,but I leave the mature ones alone. If you ever tried to dig up a hosta on the side of the hill,you'd know what I mean! Large hostas are stayin'right where they are! Phil

This morning I also move two . The Christmas tree was getting too much afternoon sun and burning the edges so traded it with Avocado. When Myrle comes down she can tell me if I did a good move or not . She is so experienced with this moving thing that I never wanted to do lol. I guess some may be necessary to survive

Personally, I think routinely moving hosta around is nuts! I'd much rather spend my garden time creating/planting new hosta beds. Generally, I'm content to allow reasonable space for the mature size and fill in with annuals or smaller plants as needed. I suppose if I had no more room for new beds I would be more tempted to play around with existing plants and would certainly move any plant if it wasn't thriving in its location. Also, some hostas don't really catch your eye until they have a few years on them. You're missing a lot by never seeing a clump of hosta reach maturity. That said, it's great we can all do our own thing and still share the love of a great plant. I do enjoy seeing pictures of gardens that are stuffed with plants! Probably one reason why I don't post many pictures, some of you would have heart failure seeing so much bare ground between plants!
Cj

Glad to hear I'm not the only one moving my hosta. Each year so far I have moved many. Lack of experience as they grown and need more space. Indecision, just trying to make combinations look better. But I am also realizing that each time I move them it sets maturity back, so am trying to think more ahead. I have a few that are large enough at this point that they are definitely staying where they are and I will plan/plant around them! All the pics on this forum and gallery give me great examples of combos I want to try! I was looking back at some of the garden tours from previous years AHS conventions. Love to see them.

So very glad I'm not alone!!!

CJ, I'm a space leaver too :)

I'm printing out this thread to show DP (who loudly disapproves of my moving stuff). Thanks all!

I thought that was what you did on Sunday mornings. I grow in pots so I can move plants around very easily. If I had to dig them up probably not as much. I love to mix and match colors. Have a great grow day, Paula

I just moved them again. I know I probably shouldn't have, temp in high 80's and little rain around here. But, I just got two new hosta from the auction, and I needed to make just the right place for them. And like dominoes, I had to move one, then another, and another. Ended up moving 7 in all, including a mature 50" Montana. Am I crazy?

That was yesterday. Surprisingly they all look great. Wouldn't even know they had been moved! No wilting or lost leaves. Dug each one with really huge root ball and soil, drowning them with water. I'll post pics of all including the new ones soon.

Especially when I first started, I moved them often.
Now, in year 6, I move only when I have to.... usually due to overcrowding.

Now, I plan for overcrowding by making sure that large hosta are only neighbored by medium or smalls. That way, I can move the smaller hostas without disturbing the roots of the larger ones.

Been moving things all my life. Now DH thinks of nailing the furniture to the floor will slow me down. hehehehe

But I've switched gears into moving flower pots. Having a really good dolly is a blessing. If you can extend the forks out the front just a few more inches, you don't have to worry about tipping the dolly back to cradle a heavy pot. It catches much easier without bending down to hold the pot while you tilt the handle backward.

And I'd have unloaded the car of a lot of orchid bark mix and more potting mix today, but it was raining again. Every window in the house was fogged over for several hours--on the outside which was the warm side, of course.

I'm always surprised about all the moving Hostas around thingy.

Here we only, generally, move ones that have been overgrown by ones that got bigger, badder, meaner, faster than we expected, and move the smaller one that's easier to move (Blue Angel has been the most often culprit of this problem here).

With the heavy shade, or, umm, dappled light, here, growth is gosh-awful slow, so we can't afford to start the 3-year sleep, creep, leap cycle if we can help it in zone 4 especially.

Another possible reason is to not 'move' one, but to replace it with a new one, in cases where we already have many more samples of a certain cultivar.

Just how many 'August Moon', 'June', 'Abba-Dabba-Do', JOTN, et. al. do you need? But that's only a problem in a 2 acre garden, eh? Sometimes I actually envy those with less space where dupes are not an issue, odd, huh?

hh

I am experienced in moving. When I was very young my grandpa taught me gardening, and then I moved strawberry plants every 2 weeks. Nowadays, I keep hostas in one place at least for 3 years to see how they are doing in a place and with its neighbors.
Bernd

Three weeks ago we had a "Gust Front" blow through here with winds up to 55+ miles an hour. I lost two trees in the back which was only a big deal because of cleaning up the mess.Over a week later we discovered that a large Hickory in front of the house had about a 4 foot long crack starting where a large branch joined 10 feet above the ground and extending down into the heart of the tree.
We had to have it taken down. In doing so we lost the shade that it provided for my hosta bed and they were exposed daily to 7 hours of afternoon son. They were fading before my eyes.
I don't have a bed ready for them as it is just too hot and humid to do anything outside right now.
So I managed to dig them up and potted all of them. About 25 plants. They are now sitting under our east facing, second story screened porch. They get dappled sunlight in the morning and are in shade for the rest of the day. Not a single one of them has complained.
I was afraid that I would have trouble with some but even the Fire and Ice which had a small branch fall and crush one side of it is toddling right along. Right now the Guacomole is the only variety blooming but they hadn't even put up scapes when I dug them 2 weeks ago.
I discovered when I dug up the bed that it was seething with a thick mass of fine tree roots so it seems it was only a matter of time before I would have started having problems anyway. I will probably put in a planting bed when it cools off a little in the fall. In the meantime I am considering keeping mine in pots. Southeast Tennessee isn't like the gulf coast or Texas but the summers have been pretty ugly the past few years.

troutwind - so sorry about your loss of shade, but it sounds as though you made a pretty good save. I'm quite interested in the many posts from people who grow in pots, not because of the climate here but because of dwindling space. There is space on the deck!
Jan

I appreciate that I have 3 trays of seedlings in small pots on my deck. They have zero slug damage and all plants do fine. In case it will be a hot sunny day I simply shove them under benches into shade. I have pots of recent arrivals and problem plants under a dogwood, also pots of plants I thought to donate, but now not, and they are doing fine for months now, probably until next year. Pots is a good alternative. Most probably will get planted in 4 weeks after the heat is over with. Bernd

Troutwind, I'm sorry for the loss of your trees, it suxs. Check out the pictures from the members here who have 'potted' hosta gardens, some serious beauty.

Also, like Berndnyz5 states, you can fairly easily move the pots, if need be.