there is a reason all hosta garden tours are in late may and june .... and thats because they start looking ratty when the heat of july hits .... and the level of heat is location dependent ....

what can i say about rats with cottontails .... you know how to fix that ... wabbit stew.. lol ...

holes.. slugs usually ... its a year around job.. and it starts now.. with full fall cleanup and perhaps a vinegar or ammonia drench around the crown ... and then spraying religiously all season long ....

browning ... usually water related.. or more specifically.. lack of water ... probably starting in late june ...

they are impossible to kill ... [unless you pay a hundred bucks for one.. then it will commit suicide on the way home from the nursery.. lol ].... and that is often summed up by saying you can throw them on the driveway ... if you wish to teach them a lesson ...

but being easy [???] ... still comes with needing to take care of them.. on some level ...

ken

ps: anyone else disturbed that your hosta are easy .... ???? ... if you get my drift.. wink.. wink.. or if you prefer ... ;) .... ;)

Location, location, location. I have certain spots on my property where hosta perform spectacularly with no effort on my part. Most areas I've put them however, do NOT support hosta growth very well, and they look quite unhappy starting in July, like yours. I do what I can/have resources for, to care for them, otherwise I just try to accept, how they turn out from year to year. I can't control the rainfall, and hosta don't seem to like our limey well water very much.

To truly figure out why your hosta look bad so quickly, we would have to know much more info about your specific growing conditions: how many hours of sun/shade, how much rainfall, soil makeup, fertilizer, etc.

Staying tuned in to this forum, and looking at past postings will help you figure some of it out.

I do hope you're aware that there's a 'Stir Fry' hosta :-o

Aside from cultural conditions influencing appearance there are varieties that wake up early in the spring and go to bed early in the fall as well as others that come up late and stay nice looking for longer in the fall. As you get to know your plants you'll notice those that 'stay up late' and might choose to use those in areas where you want them to hang around longer. I know I have several that are still looking just fine and others that gave up the ghost a month ago.

Of course emerging late doesn't always correlate to staying nice longer in the fall but the Hosta Lists might be a good place to look around the next time you are variety shopping. There is a list of both "Early Emerging" as well as "Late Emerging" hostas.

I like late emerging hosta to avoid the rabbit problem. If the grass and other goodies are green before the hosta emerge then there is less rabbit damage as they are eating other things. That being said, I only have a couple hosta that look ratty at the end of July and I plan on getting rid of them down the line. Therefore, I think you either have them in too hot (sunny) of a location and/or you are not watering them for best results. Water weekly when you don't get an inch of rain that week and water when the sun is not shining on them - early in the morning works.

BTW, easy has different meanings to different people. In any case easy care does not mean no care.