Thank you chris--I was quite skeptical about the virus diagnosis, but my fellow gardener was emphatic and insistent that our common hosta problem was caused by a virus. But it was odd how both of our hosta suddenly started shrinking during the past year.

Glad I checked here. He has thrown out all his (formerly) big beautiful hosta and refuses to grow any anymore because of the supposed shrinking virus. I moved mine about a month ago to a new bed and have been taking care to water them regularly (we had a prolonged drought last year). They haven't really grown much, but at least are not shrinking--but I'm worried about the hot blast of sun they get for a short time in the late afternoon.

I will carry on, hoping my hosta survive and finally thrive again. Most of the things you recommended I already do for my hosta, so I'm assuming they need more water! (I hope.)

Kate

Wonderful advise Chris!

Kate, you might place a patio umbrella in a position to shade your hostas from that late afternoon HOT sun. =)

Thank you for that good suggestion, rosanna.

Kate, the umbrellas work. I have 4 in my garden which I like very much. It is needed here, where the afternoon sun boils the water in the leaves without that umbrella shade.
I also bring in my sun tolerant potted plants such as palms and a ficus benjamina, which give shelter to a few hosta. The sun is on its journey southward already, so I've already moved the umbrellas to take advantage of the longer rays....not so much high in the sky, and the days are getting shorter as well.

Hosta are strong, and they will come back. Too bad your neighbor lost faith in them.

And here you see the ficus in the background, the yella umbrella standing in a new spot where I moved it a few days ago.

A 'Shrinking Virus...'

Well, whoever made that up is creative, I'll give him that...My bank account has the same disease, coincidentally...So does my lawn... : )

Don B.

Mocassin--I just love your big free-standing umbrellas! Never would have thought of that. That won't work where I have my hosta planted (shade of the western side of the house, with the property line just a few feet away--only shade I had left on my property), but for future reference, where does one buy an umbrella stand or whatever it is called that your umbrella sits in?

Now that you mention it, Don, my purse is suffering from the same "virus." LOL

Kate

Lol Don. . .I suffer from the same virus. . quite contagious, dontchathink?

Mocassin--great idea with the big free-standing umbrellas!

I have the same problem this year.I have over 100 hosta plants I my garden and this year I have noticed that my big beautiful hostas that usually spread out to 5 feet were barely a foot across. The others that I replanted in the shade where they belong aren't growing at all .I am besides myself what to do about it.I fertilize with osmocote they get enough water and I use liquid fence on them to keep away the deer

Chris has great advice.

We need to deep-water and feed the soil. You plant a young hosta in enriched soil, the nutrients get used up by the plant over the years to grow, and when little is left it no longer can support all those leaves, so it will shrink. The problem with mulch is that voles can run under it and slugs can hide in it.

I seem to notice that my hostas grew better this year after I gave them several pounds of Epsom salt and double the usual 10-10-10 fertilizer, all broad-casted.

singbird needs to start a new post next time ... tell us where she is.. what trees she grows under ... and what kind of bad weather she had last year ... and this year ...

her question really has nothing to do with this very old post...about an alleged virus ...

i have suspicions .. but will answer in the new post ...

ken

out of curiosity, of my hostas were planted last season but some of them were repeatedly eaten down to the crown by deer, would that cause them to have really small leaves this year? And now that I have the deer under control, will they recover next year?

Read Ken's advice above about starting a new post.

I have hosta beds that have grown to 500+ plants over 30 years. About 14 years ago, Creeping Charlie invaded my property. Although a healthy symbiosis has evolved between "Charlie" and my hostas, know Charlie is robbing my histas of moisture in some areas and I have experienced the shrinking problem.

I have the same problem zone 6a. I have over 100 hostas all over my property and this is happening on all different areas with all different varieties..cannot find help anywhere not even hosta society

I have the same problem here in zone 6A I have over 100 hostas all over my property This is happening in all different areas and with all different varieties I cannot find help anywhere with this problem not even the hostas society

I know why my hosta had the "shrinking virus" It was totally from the damn maple tree roots . The hairy roots were strangling the hosta and before I finally got them all dug out from under them they were q/5 the size they started at. I now potted them and are finally coming back to the size they were 3 years ago or larger

Every single time I have had this issue I have dug the hosta up and it was being strangled by roots from nearby trees. When I say nearby, they may be 20 feet or more away. Tree roots may extend to the edge of the canopy or beyond. Having said that, I am also convinced that some varieties of hosta do a much worse job of competing with tree roots than others.

Yes, this is how it looked last year and this year.