I have a couple of very large hostas that get way too much sun in the Summer months. I can't move them either so I just enjoy them for the time they look good in the Spring.

What if you built them a shade cover?

"it

Hi and welcome!

Your post made me chuckle, " it was like wrestling with a greased pig, it is happily growing and thriving in its new home." I applaud your efforts to help your hostas thrive.

I second the watering advice (deep drinks) and from my limited experience have found that on the extremely hot days misting moisture on leaves (when they are not directly under the sun rays) helps.

Based on your observations you might be right that some hostas may need a bit of dividing, but when to do the hosta crown dividing is key. Some folks say dividing the hosta late summer/early fall divisons are Ok- as long as the plant divisions have a few weeks to get some new roots in before the cold of winter sets... and yet others say wait until spring when they are not yet leafed out (in the pip sprouting stage) to divide the hostas.

Just my opinion, but for the sake of wanting to know if the division turned out OK, I would divide in the Spring and water well during the growing season rather than wondering if my fall divided hosta was rooted or Ok with whatever to survive a winter.

Good luck and yes, it is OK to remove ugly leaves- as long as you are not scalping your hosta. Your hostas are big and lovely. :)

You could move those landscape timbers out about a foot or three to make the bed bigger, then dig out half of each plant nearest the house in the spring to relieve the over crowding. Plant some small shade tree, read more of this forum, and voila! You, too, can become a Hosta addict! Grass is highly overrated. Did you read ken's post on how to move a fully leafed out Hosta? It's like degreasing the pig. Your Blue Angel is pretty.

I appreciate all of the great input. It's good to know that I can remove the bad leaves. I did read the hosta-moving post, which is why I moved the Frosted Jade (I think that's what it is) before it leafed out so I wouldn't have to do all that. They are just so big, and there are a lot of roots! I can't believe these things have flourished in such an unwelcoming environment.

I really wish I could provide some sun protection, but the grass belongs to my husband and he is weirdly attached to the stuff. The ties are stuck where they are, as the sprinkler system has heads on the other side. Moving things would cost a lot of time and money. I have so many excuses! In my dreams, I'd attach a huge pergola to the garage and have a large shade garden and sitting area. I hope the hosta live to see something like that.

Zkathy: so I take it that the hosta that is flowering is the Blue Angel? I've only found 2 tags in the bed, one is Frosted Jade, and the other is currently in hiding :-)

Lots of good suggestions here. A pergola would be perfect, and they are not particularly difficult to put up.

I would also suggest that a very light colored mulch would be a good idea. It will help keep the moisture in the ground, and won't absorb as much of the daily heat as a dark mulch or dirt.

We do red mulch, there just isn't any where that baby hosta is because it's getting moved to a friend's yard (she doesn't know it yet!) so I can plant a rose.

I crawled around and found the tag for the biggest plant- it is Sum and Substance.