Tanya, I have 100 year old maples that are sucking the water life out of the ground. Here's what I do...I build up the soil, creating a raised bed. "Lasagna Gardening" is what we refer to it...put down a layer of cardboard or say 6 newspaper layers, water it, lay down soil, manure, saw dust, wood ash, compost, leaves in whatever order and amount you wish. In between the "ingredients" lay down a couple sheets of newspaper again and water. side view would look like a lasagna. I place hostas directly into my new garden, however the book says put a tarp on it and let it 'cook'. This encourages the weed seeds to sprout and die. After I put my plants in, I put wood chips on the top and around the hostas. Rarely do I water. Plants look great. My hostas get lots of sun too, but survive with the roots protected by the layers. I have ornamental grasses and shrubs that provide some shade. You mentioned you had lots of maples...they must provide shade too?

I use shade cloth. A cable runs to each of the big trees while the corners and center have a cable coming down to the ground. I used ratcheting straps to create tension before installing the cables. I used three old wooden tent poles to hold the front of the shade cloth up. I lost a bunch of branches off of my Silver Maples and it cooked my hostas so I did this until the trees can grow some branches back. You could probably do something similar between a group of trees. It isn't pretty but it works.
{{gwi:1059215}}

link below .... as you go down the page.. you will see that &'ages vary .... i would call and discuss such with them ...

they also sell the clips to attach it to a structure ...

i can be pretty simply.. some 4 x 4 uprights and some 2 x8 crossbeams.. some clips and a couple peeps to help ... and you end up with the pic below ...

the heck with the hosta .. i had to protect the freckled red headed boy .... it seems to be 10 to 20 degrees cooler under the cloth .. go figure ...

ken
{{gwi:250981}}

Here is a link that might be useful: poly shade tarp

Thanks for the replies!

Dragonness, I do have some shade under the maples, but they are mostly downhill from the front and back porches. I would like to have the plants up next to the house where I can enjoy them. But I do love the lasagna design, might have to see where I can use that method.

Franknjim, love your yard. However, the only trees that are close enough together to use to anchor a shade cloth like this have a dog runner and a 75 lb. husky/lab mix attached to them. Big dog + hosta = DISASTER!!!!!

Ken, you are spot on! That is exactly what I need. Now if I can just get the hubs to agree on where to put it, I just might be in business!

Tanya

The photo linked below (taken at an Olga Petryszyn hosta sale) was posted on Chris W's site. It combines the raised bed idea with a simple wood frame for shade cloth.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Holy hostas, manyhosta!!!! Look at the size of that giant on the end. Thanks for the idea!

Tanya

percentage = %'age .....

does not equal ampersandage ... or &'age .. lol

listen .. if you are going to do it.. go big.. so you can put a patio set and sitting area under it .... dont you think ...

btw.. my netting has been there near 7 years.. all winter.. and looks as good as the day it went up ...

ken

I picked up my shade cloth locally at one of the two big nurseries here. If they use it, they will probably sell it too but you have to ask for it. Mine is 65 percent in black. 10' x 30'. I am thinking about replacing it with a green one.

Talynnp, I know! I think that is a 'Key West.' I am totally lusting for Olga's hostas. I only have 'Brother Stefan' now, but I am making room for some of her big ones. I hope 'Gitchigumi' is available soon!

Ken,
Totally off topic here but, is that a pig I see in that picture of the playground or am I seeing things? Was it a pig's playground? Lol.

yes.. my wife's pig from her single days..

NO FURTHER COMMENT

ken

We ordered our shade cloth over the internet...do a google search for shade cloth and you'll get many. It comes in varying quality and density and colors and widths. Some places will even bind the edges and put in grommets for you. We have 50% white polypropolene on top of our atrium. It keeps the area underneath it brighter, and also keeps the leaves from the neighbor's trees from dropping year round into my hostas. It has a somewhat slippery surface so that any leaves that drop on it, slide off when the breezes blow.

-Babka

{{gwi:1059216}}

Jim,

I am going to assume that is you in the picture.What are you standing behind? And the one on the end, is that Sum and Substance?

chris

Chris, He posted about both hostas on the thread linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Largest hostas thread

Ha! I didn't even notice the pig. I'm observant (or have bad eyes!).

Karen

Thanks! I don't have any of the very large ones so I didn't read that thread. They are glorious though!

chris

I'm in the same boat... I only have one hosta bed due to the fact that I only have ONE tree closer to the house. (I don't plant in the back of the yard.)

Now that my hosta addiction has gotten out of control, thanks to the enablers on this forum, I've planted a few Royal Empress trees this year as they're supposed to be miracle growing trees, but will be a few years before they provide enough shade. Also, I just purchased two Harry Launders Walking Sticks that will be planted at two outside corners of a concrete patie that we're fixin to do.

Are there any other alternatives that will provide shade faster? Something like crape myrtles maybe? I've decided to make a new bed around the foundation of the back of my house and thought about centering 2-3 crapes in the bed. I've also rounded up a few boulders that will be placed thoughout.

Other than crapes, is there something that will provide substantial color and that's similar in size once mature?

Emily

My 3 Royal Empress trees died back to the ground here in zone 5a after I planted them last fall when they were 12" tall. Right now they are 4' tall. The leaves on them are huge. 19" x 19". I had planned on them taking the place of my Silver Maples but I didn't research them enough to learn that they would die back here. I will see how they make it through this coming winter now that they are more established.

Frank,

When I purchased my Royal Empress, it said to cut them down to the ground in the fall the first year. I'm assuming you didn't do that since you said yours died back to the ground. Apparently this forces a better root system and promotes better growth thereafter.

Mine were only about 6-8" max when I got them and maybe 3-4 leaves, which most fell off. Now, they're about 14-16" and have 10+ leaves. I hate the thought of cutting them down, but I'm going to do it.

Hopefully next year they'll be more than just a 'stick' coming out of the ground. I had read that they can grow 6-10' the first year after planting. It would be nice... I'm ready for more hosta beds!! :-)