No, you weren't any help! (huge lol) but I love that you can appreciate so well the mess I'm in, lol! ;-). I just had an idea - I wonder if it would grow somewhat smaller all around if it were to grow in a large pot? I could take the second Striptease out of it....

Faye, thanks, I think it looks great too! GE is lucky I love it so much otherwise it would be moved instead.....

Well Josephine....you knew this day was coming....lol a "good problem " I guess...lol

Mine is also crushing everything (including E. Wu. ) I'm digging a new bed for it along with Nancy Gill. It's going to be 13x7 feet to house 2 plants....a fall project and I'll move them next April. One on either side of a honey locust.

If you have room a new bed may be needed.

J.

Jim, good to see your "crush" too! Lol. Imagine The WU being crushed by anything!

I still have grass than can be converted but it is all in all-day sun and I do not have enough property/space to accommodate anything but the smallest of trees for shade. Time to go outside again and eyeball my "acreage" rotfl.

Josephine - how about gently pulling out the eyes closest to GE? They will look lovely in a vase, and if they grow roots you can gift them to a friend.

Could you plant the smaller plants in a pot ? That way you could set them on the outer edge of the BA leaves and move them outward as it grows. They look great alongside BA, so it would be nice to keep that coloration.

Get a Bloodgood J. Maple. They look sharp with hostas. Doesn't seem to be too "rooty".

My BA loves the sun....gets about 8 hrs a day all in the afternoon. Hasn't hurt it. (obviously).

I finally found where I did move it. I thought maybe I was loosing it( my mind) but did move it when my waterfall was made and wanted bigger plants to looks more established. It seems to like it and competing only with the large rocks now. Hope you don't mind me posting a picture or two of it Josephine but it really seems to like space to stretch .

It is centre top area at the head of the falls

move the GE and the pot ...

if you dig a big clump of dirt with the GE ... it will never know it was moved ... its not like you need to go into it.. bare root it ... etc ...

and while its out.. throw it on the driveway for a week.. just to show it who's boss in that garden ... put hubby out there too... just to make a point ...

ken

Jo,

sorry to say it, but you are really in trouble with BA, I'm afraid it will be much bigger next year...or let's say we both are...I definitely have to find a new place for mine next year or divide it, picture with napkins on top was mid of May, much bigger now...

Think about moving yours, too...

Karin

I see the ground...I'm jealous of your space :P

I know GE is notoriously fussy about being moved, but I haven't gone a single season without moving every single one of my hostas, sometimes multiple times. I get bored easily and just like digging. My GE has been moved at least 3 times in 2 years and it seems fine now...my policy with it is if that it quits on me that's its problem and I'll have more room for tougher plants.

This is just to say that I think you should not shy from digging them all up and playing tetris. It's fun!

Jo, growing it in a pot won't make a huge difference. It may slow it down for a while then watch out!

I've had mine about four years now and its been quietly doing its thing in the chorus line (love that description, thanks )

This year I had a move around and it got brought to the fore.

Now every time I go past it the size shape and colour catch my eye.

Every time I have to stop and check the label for a " oh yeah Blue Angel, wow that's grown" moment.

We forget, conveniently ,what size some of these plants are going to make eventually when we bring this cute single division into our gardens.

Think Great Dane puppy, cute but one of these days watch out!

Dave

Nice comparison with the Great Dane puppy, Dave...lol, but it describes the problem nicely...I have my Blue Angel since 2013, and this year it is going crazy...leaves bigger than big plates...

Definitely a good problem to have Jo! It is hard to sympathize when your garden (and pictures) look so good! LOL

But I know you have a special place in your heart for GE---as I do. So you are thinking about moving Blue Angel rather than GE. I get it! LOL So what would I do if I were in your shoes? I would ask myself if the Blue Angel was in a location which I thought it could remain happy for several years. If the answer were yes, then I would move the GE. Except I would not move it until late summer. And when I did, I would make sure the soil was moist and I removed as big a root ball as I could to minimize disturbance to GE. If I wasn't happy with BA's location, then I would move it. But perhaps you have no garden space to do that? Then I don't know what I would do! I currently have an Atlantis that needs to be moved. It is a difficult job when they get so big! I am planning to do it late summer.

To buy yourself time---to add a new bed---I would remove an eye or two from BA.

Nice landscaping and BA almosthooked! Karin, you also have a very pretty BA.

And I just bought a Great Dane---I mean, Blue Angel---this spring. What did I do??????

I had a reply ready to send yesterday when the iPad shut down! No matter how many hours the charge lasts, it never seems to be long enough when you are on the forum, lol.

ConnieMae, I like the point of least resistance you present!

Koffman, thanks and I like the colour combos too and would like to keep them.

Jim, I just happen to have a J. Maple planted (last spring) and love the contrast! Thanks for the sunlight info too - I am definitely moving more blues to the light!

Faye, love your illustrative photos! Your waterfall pics are among my favourites and your BA is resplendent sitting up high!

Ken, thanks, I might agree with you... if it were early May and the pips were just jutting out but I'm afraid I missed the boat this year.

Karin, misery loves company! Lol. The third year really is one to watch out for, isn't it? Great pics. (I keep buying large hostas! when they should be mediums or smalls.)

Teuth, there may be some smudges of ground still visible here and there, lol, but to the right of the pics is a path...all around and under the dogwood tree and where the majority of my potted hostas hang out. I just covered the ground underneath with dark mulch...which requires replenishing. I love moving stuff around like you but sciatica rears its ugly head and I have to whoa back on that which I like best - digging and getting dirty in the garden! :-) I have already killed a GE (I never lost a hosta before 2013 but have learned how to since, lol!!!) so I don't think I will touch GE - too chicken!

Dave, thanks for the advice re potting BA - it may buy some time only if it encounters a set-back I guess. Your chorus line must be expanding and taking up more space depth/lengthwise, yes? It would be a major rush to be able to enjoy admiring your hostas up close! No truer words..."we forget, conveniently, ... when we bring this cute single division into our gardens".

NHL, thanks for the nice words about my garden. You and ConnieMae share the same thought - to pull out an eye or two... and the not-so-subtle "to add a new bed" which I chuckled at. Maybe treating your Atlantis likewise could solve your problem with having to move it? Sure would be easier, wouldn't it?

LOL - so you also bought The Great Dane! (Dave, you started something ;-)) oh my, a few of us are/will be singing the Blue Angel blues! Too funny. Love it.

It just so happens that after my iPad died yesterday and I lost my comments, I went over to BA and took a good look at it and its proximity to GE.

I mentally recapped what y'all had recommended....moved a few leaves back... leaned back a bit to get another look ... then gave the BA area another scan, left the garden and marched up the stairs with determination.

Armed with my best chopping knife, I once again approached BA but as I lowered my arm into position, I winced and apologized ... then cut hard, right down the space between two divisions. I had to pull at it a bit but it came away - rootless! Without thinking about it more than a nano-second , I lined up the knife again and this time pulled out a two-division section - with some root this time. Another apology - this time to two Krossa Regal leaves that were draping over my diva GE.

Here is the result..

A bit of a difference... lighting changed -different time of day

Who of you thought I would take the knife to it?

Autsch, that really hurts...by the way, my BA has around 6 hours of sun, when it is really hot the wax on the leaves melts and then I have a Green Angel and sometimes it gets minor burns. But with enough watering it is ok.

Why don't you take GE out and put it in a high pot at the same place? Towering over the Blue ones...hate to say it, but the problem is only postponed...

Great photos as always!

Had to laugh at imagining as you "marched up the stairs with determination." No hosta is going to outsmart you Jo! LOL And most of all, every situation is going to have some kind of solution. You were determined to figure it out!

Having said that, I know it hurt to cut at those Blue Angel leaves and stems. How could it not? Did I think you "would take the knife to it?" Not sure. But what I do know for sure is that you love that GE, and you would do what it took to preserve it! And you have!

As for my Atlantis---I am considering making a new bed in the fall. I have two different possible locations, but neither is ideal. I'll be asking advice in a new thread soon.

Ach du lieber Gott ( as my grandma use to say ) I sure would not want you to be mad at me when baring a sharp long knife. Ha ha You did great Jo. That is determination to the utmost! . Looks great

Do plants have a soul?? If so do they bear grudges? What's the chances of it coming back larger next year because of the foul treatment wrought upon it this year.

Beware carrier of the long sharp knife you know not what you have started.

Sweet dreams

Dave

Dave, you know it...of course it will come back bigger and bolder, lol! And I've got more BA's to gift my daughters. Karin, I only bought a season of time, didn't I? Silly me. The high pot is a great idea if I didn't feel that GE is safer growing in the ground.

I want to thank all of you that responded for your helpful advice. It is always more enjoyable to perform such chores with good company on the sidelines! And the chuckles are are always welcome! Dave, I hope I sleep restfully tonight....if not, I'll blame you! :-) Thanks again, All.

Jo.

Jo, I don't blame you for not wanting to move GE but...Blue Angel is going to swallow up that whole area. I think my BA is probably 6' wide and has been in the ground since 2012.

I feel your pain though because I have too many large or X-large ones planted far to close to each other. I will have to move some before they get too big and I also have nowhere to move them. It seems that I always want the big ones and I under estimate how quickly they grow. I also have Parhelion in a big pot and it is huge, probably close to 6' in the pot. I wish I could find a good spot to put it in the ground. It's probably gonna try to bust out of the pot!

The thing is, Linda...my BA is only 3 years old this year! I don't know how you manage 6-footers in pots!!! Does your BA still have room to spread? Photo handy? ;-) (I can hear Denis/mountainyman in my head "we'll be needing pictures", lol.) You will likely need to cut Parhelion out of its pot, no?

We wait so long for our hostas to mature and reach their ultimate beauty, don't we? Then when they do we go crazy because we have no room for them all in their mature state.

I think once I take some photos for posterity of my mature ones, I will slowly start propagating them. My daughters will be happy to take divisions, lol. I think it would also be fun to have a garage hosta sale!

Thanks for commiserating with me, I appreciate it. :-)

My Blue Angel does have plenty of room to get bigger. It's planted off by itself in a patch of sweet woodruff. It really took a big leap in years 4 and 5.

Here's a pic of Parhelion from last year. This year it got hail damage and doesn't look great. It did break it's former pot which was clay and was rooting into the ground but now it's in a much bigger plastic pot. Still, it would be happier in the ground.

Don't take this wrong, but if other's BA's are producing lighters and packs of gum and yours is producing cell phones I would keep it just the way it is. I had to pay $600 for my phone. Your pics are beautiful and I hope my collection will look so beautiful some day. Inspirational!

Hartogken, your comment and sense of humour made me laugh out loud!! Appreciate the post and the compliment, thank you!

An update on the progress of root growth since the last post...June 18th methinks.

This might be of particular interest to Karin who is contemplating cutting into her BA. :-)

today - I set the division inside a water bottle so I could keep the stems erect and control the water line more easily. It is inside the planter pot for stability only....oh yes - and to catch precious water from rainfall.

I saw the bigger division planted in my daughter's garden yesterday and it looks sturdy and fabulous. This piece is going to my youngest daughter. A few years ago she gifted me with a division of Orange Marmalade that was sliced through just like this BA. I also rooted it and it is a wonderful specimen today.

Jo, so I will sharpen the Japanese vegetable knife :-) We had rain the last three days and the hostas seem to breath through after nearly 3 weeks of heat...Maybe the perfect time to slice away at least a part of BA. Even the thought hurts :-(

Funny, I also use decapitated water bottles:-)

I feel for you....position knife, close eyes, cut and pull out. It is easier than digging up clump and pulling away at the roots and less to disturb. Let me know when the agony is over, ok? Have a great week-end!

ConnieMay, that tool would certainly have come in handy! I am on their email mailing list but haven't poured over the flyers/catalogue lately. Time to look! Thank you for posting this and sharing your positive review of it! :-)

I checked them out on line and they have some interesting others too . I think the " d " one would also work great

Great idea using the water bottles Jo. I had never thought of that! I got a sport from my Goodness Gracious. Now it's in a water bottle too!

I'd love to see your sport, NHL! My GG is amazing this year - am curious to see a sport. Will you start a new thread?

Jo, I checked out BA on Sunday, nearly determined to do the job, but the leaves are so criscrossed in it's narrow spot that I can not cut properly. I will enjoy it for this year as it is and try next spring...

Prolific buds on scapes - Beautiful blooms! It will be easier in pip form to be sure. Enjoy your BA to its fullest this year, Karin. :-)

Here is the sport from Goodness Gracious. As you can see, I am a copycat!

Here are the roots:

Can I plant it in a pot now?

Karin I think you are making a wise decision in waiting until spring to divide your beautiful Blue Angel.

No reason not to pot up now, but keep it moist because those large leaves will lose a lot of moisture. Nice looking sport.

Thank you ConnieMay. I think I'll do just that!

That is a beautiful looking sport, NHL! And those great looking roots sure look good to go! I've been on the road for couple days so haven't looked to see how much longer mine are. Hope they will turn out as nice as yours! :D

Jon, love your BA beastie! She is something else! :D

I've reread this conversation and just want to say my Blue Angel is the biggest Hosta I own, and I basically ignore it. Maybe the voles haven't found it yet. A one gallon plant in the ground November 2013 the day before a hard freeze in a minimally prepared hole and all it did was say thank you and has grown to this.

I think it's already six feet wide. Jo, I'd say prep a hole in the sun for BA and get some help moving it this fall, everything else in that bed is going to get a lot bigger, too.

Thanks Jo, 6 foot 1 inch across and 22 inches high. The soil is pretty much pure sand and it doesn't get babied at all. Jon

Yeah, DON'T MOVE DA GE! We have a few wonderful ones here, but a few years ago one if them showed all these classic signs of tree root invasion. I let let it it go another year but it was evident that it would die, so i very carefully dug it out with all its roots, planted it in an rightly sized out, it died. Move the other hostas...

There's a LOT of old wives tales about hostas, but ge's reputation seems deserved

HH, so glad to hear from you - must be super busy! Sorry you also lost a GE :( and I'm definitely not moving the one by BA! As Kathy and Jon indicated, BA is far from being a diva so it will get shuffled around to make room, lol.

Thanks for the interest in this thread, Everyone. :-).

The last photo showing root growth was from July 1st (above). This is today. Ready to pot up for my daughter....root length ranging from 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length.

Fantastic!