Perhaps this isn't sound advice, but I was thinking perhaps if you are a bath taker, you could save the water and use that for your hostas (perhaps not sound, I've never thrown soapy water on my hostas before, I don't want to be the one to cause burns or deformities to occur with your hostas... Not sure if it would negatively affect them, I'm not that much of an "expert" or even close to it for that matter). Just a thought, we've had water restrictions before (no watering on certain days, only certain hours of the day if you do water). Had to improvise sometimes.

Planto

Why are you not able to water your hostas?

We have a lot of communities in suburban Chicago that have imposed watering restrictions, including total bans on lawn sprinkling, but none (that I am aware of) have banned hand-held watering (or the use of water wise soaker hoses/drip irrigation).

I was thinking the same thing as Planto, catch your bath or shower water in buckets and dump that on your hostas if you have to. They will really suffer if they don't get any water, and although they could come back from turning completely brown they will be a lot smaller for the next couple years

Good luck!

Chris

I have been committing the sin of over watering. It was 106 degrees here. You can't over water, right? Wrong! I agree that there usually isn't a ban on hand watering just lawn sprinklers.

What happens when you overwater, Cindy?

For the OP, I would recommend getting a couple rain barrels for the future. I have two 65 gallon ones at either side of my house and it only takes one good rain to fill those suckers right up. Pretty amazing. My garden is small enough that hand watering is not hard, but I know it may not be practical for anyone with a huge garden.

We have two rain barrels, trouble is you have to have some rain to make them work.

We use dishwater, shower water, hand washing and cooking water, don't even pour left over coffee down the drain, lol! We use dishpans and keep a bucket by the kitchen sink to dump on the nearest dry plant when it gets about half full.

Wish we could figure out a good way to make a gray water system work with our house but as good as that sounds, it isn't a simple project. I did some research on it last year during that drought amd could not find a practical way to make it work.

Sandy

I have had less than 3 total inches of rain in what is going on 3 months now, and all of that has come on two occasions. I live near the tailwater of the Kankakee River (where it joins the DesPlaines and Dupage Rivers to form the Illinois River) and can almost walk across it without getting my feet wet. The Kankakee River drains a HUGE part of NE Illinois and NW Indiana. Water is drawn from it only for 3 municiple water supplys that I know of and for no other use.

Rain-barrels could better be used as makeshift composters where you lay them flat and roll them.

Les

Col 123, over watering causes root and crown rot. I lost a rhododendron to over watering and lost some eyes on a couple of hostas. Leaves turn a funny shade of yellow. Different looking from under watering. I lost a few ferns to crown rot also.

I'm in McHenry County (Illinois), 52 miles NW of Chicago. Lake County and McH have had the least amount of rain anywhere in Illinois all year. Not ONE drop in eight weeks in this neighborhood. I'm potting up as many of my favorites as I can because I'm leaving for a month in two weeks and can't rely on my poor neighbors who are trying to keep up with their own parched gardens. I think I'll put the pots in a small area in the shade (some will be BIG pots!) but I don't know what else to do. 95% of my 350+ hostas are on berms so any water runs off very fast - especially when it's like cement. Should have put a drip system in at the top of the berms years ago. Hindsight is always 20/20....

Westy

Westy, last year when you were getting a whole lot of water I was suffering a major draught. I'd become so sick of hearing Tom Skilling and the other WGN weather peeps asking for it to stop raining I'd emailed Tom asking him to acknowledge Wilmington is in the WGN listening area and we really needed rain. I have a really super weather station mounted on my house and gave him my measurements. When Skilling returned from tornado hunting he acknowledged on the air the draught here.

But again this year I challenge your comment about your having the least rain in IL. In almost 3 months now I haven't had enough rain for a normal week in April. That isn't my issue though. Having survived last year, having had 88F weather in March, having been bed-ridden with two freezes in April where I couldn't protect my hostas (my 3 planteginea froze to the ground and now are just fine), etc. I feel very strongly giving this advice.

DO NOT DIG UP AND POT YOUR HOSTAS!. They are not going to die. Give them a really good soaking before you leave and go ahead and enjoy yourself. When you get back they might not look so great but next spring you will appreciate what I have just told you. You will likely wish you had heeded my advice if you don't.

I don't think of myself as an "EXPERT", but I have grown Hosta a while both here in IL and in Arkansas. I feel you are over-reacting. If more experienced hostaholics than I disagree with me, please vocalize it. It will not hurt my feelings.

If I have misunderstood your posting I apologize!

Les

I totally agree with Les. Don't dig up the hosta. They're much better off in the ground where the roots will stay cooler. Water them deeply before you leave, mulch lightly if they're not already mulched.

IMO, potting them up is an invitation to disaster. It's going to rain again & if your potted hosta go through some toad-stranglers while you're gone, you may come home to potted compost.

Les - I DO remember Wilmington's drought last year - now that you mention that. I've driven all over this state (before I retired) and know every mile marker, so I know where you are. I'd forgotten about that. And yes, we had perfect hosta weather last Spring - I had the most beautiful garden ever. And of course I don't mind the advice of both you and 'ci lantro' - one of the reasons I post here is to observe others' opinions and comments - I've learned more here than anywhere and I've taken botany classes at Morton Arboretum! So I won't pot - I don't think I'll have the energy or strength to do it anyway. And DH will think I'm crazy and just try to talk me out of it, so I'll water deeply the day before we leave. And tonight - once again - the storms went north and south of us!!! Thanks for your advice. I'll relax.

Westy

"the storms went north and south of us" ==== But not this far south! Maybe tonight. 40% chance is better than 0, hopefully. I did some potting today, but it was re-potting! I finally have my Sun Power in an urn so it will look like a golden fountain. And I unpotted a Summer Breeze I'd purchased earlier with a solid golden yellow leafed hosta I now officially call NOID:Yellow. It will probably take me 2-3 years to ID this one.

Enjoy your vacation. Everything will be just fine.

Les