I just asked this question on the AHS FACEBOOK PAGE, and leaveing until spring won by an overwhelming majority.

i havent cleaned up a hosta bed for years ... i consider them self mulching for winter ... and they pop right up thru it in spring ... and but for the flower stalks... just dont really need any cleaning ... or quite a number of years ...

i dont know what chazy meant .... seems like some background missing ...

i havent cleaned up a hosta bed for years ... i consider them self mulching for winter ... and they pop right up thru it in spring ... and but for the flower stalks... jsut dont really need any cleaning ...

EXCEPT IF ITS A YEAR ROUND SLUG BATTLE ... then full fall clean up is recommended ...

if 'cutting' is the issue.. figure out how to do it without cutting ...

ken

Ken I leave my garden in late October when it is still green. I saw several posts on the AHS FACEBOOK page showing fall cleanup. I was just asking what most prefer. I have always cleaned up in spring. Just trying the learn all I can from those who have more expertise.

I don’t purposely clean the hosta leaves, they generally get gently cleaned when raking up maple leaves.

We have so many leaves that it just depends what I feel like doing with them on that particular day.

Sometimes I throw them all on the grass, mow them and toss them back in the garden beds. Sometimes I mow them and leave them on the grass. And sometimes I yardwaste them just so I don’t have to look at them again!

Kinda like saying a prayer to all the Gods, I cover my bases :)

No cleanup here, unless it's dried up and flying around in the wind, or if it's a particularly big gooey mess during the winter, then I just scoop it up and chuck it on my giant compost pile. Yes, I have some nematodes, I just try to get those leaves in the trash.

All right, it sounds like the best thing will be to leave them alone until spring. They won't come up with a rake yet, they're still too attached ....It's just that with other areas cleaned and mulched, the soggy hosta leaves are a bit unsightly (not a word I've ever used with hostas!) ....But that's really not a big deal this time of year. We should be covered in snow soon enough.

A couple of years ago, I had to get rid of two hostas that looked like they had HVX (I trusted Pieter and Chris of Hallson's diagnosis) and was glad that I usually don't cut flower stalks or leaves so I never spread it. I think I will stick to that, even though I'm on a cleaning kick right now.

It seems I am in the minority but I like to do a fall cleanup. I wait until the leaves come off with no resistance. A fairly high percentage came off when I was raking up maple leaves in one area. I will wait for those that did not.

We had snow already that will melt so everything should be mushy now. It makes me feel better knowing the garden is cleaned up and ready for spring. If you are on a cleaning kick maybe you will decide to do the same.

I have 3 scissors for clean up. I clean up 3 hosta, clean the scissors, then three more. On a nice autumn day its enjoyable, if its not nice, I leave them for next year. I have so many other clean up, pruning, pottting, dividing, planting, mulching, weeding and watering chores in the spring that its nice to have some chores done. I rarely get to them all.

I will also clean up all the hosta leaves in the fall. Most of them are not dormant yet. But I get impatient so I will start to cut the leaves off the ones that are looking unsightly---on those pleasant autumn days---as you mentioned beverly. But it will all get done before winter sets in. I once went to a Goodwill store and purchased some serrated knives for cheap. That way I can use the knives (maybe 10 of them) to cut ten plants and before I have to disinfect.

My goal is to get a head start in spring. IF the hosta leaves will come off easily, then I wouldn't mind cleaning them up. Maybe it will change overnight, but so far they're not ready to give up their yellow mushy leaves yet, especially the bigger more mature hostas. That's why I was wondering about cutting..... but I don't see myself carrying a bucket of bleach water around the yard to dip the cutting tool(s) in.

Once the hillside gets too slippery from frost or snow then I can't really do much anyway, so I'll have to see how long I can continue to clean up. If the hosta leaves won't come off easily, I'll let them stay, but it would be nice to get as much done as possible. Thanks for all your input!

I just saw this and thought of this thread..my setting is so wild I couldn't really clean it even if I wanted to lol..I'm not criticizing those of you who are tidier..

That's nice nicholsworth. I don't disagree with the Let it Bee way of doing things. I've only done the most basic cleanup for the many falls I've been here. --Cutting back plants for the snow plow and our snow thrower but not much more. However, I think I'm feeling the need to make progress quicker in spring because I have a long list of plants to move before it gets too hot. But I also have a wild setting all around me, so even with my best intentions it will never be all that tidy. ;-) ...I have been finding some cute caterpillars when I'm clearing some plants, and I take the time to place them somewhere safe.

I made some progress today and am finding out I asked my question too soon. Only a week later and some of the hostas are giving up their leaves easily. The flower stalks aren't budging, but that's all right because it lets me know where they are in the spring.

So now I see what some of you were saying about how easily they rake away or just pull off. Next year will be the test to see if the hostas minded having their protection of leaves taken away.

I'm familiar with my spring and summer garden, but doing this cleanup in fall has been eye opening. I didn't know that I would still be having fun out in the garden in the beginning of November!

I don’t know if it qualifies as fun but it makes me so EXCITED about spring. As I clean/mulch leaves again and again and again, I just think about how much bigger everything will be next year!

Mow em down. Most of my hostas are already gone. My multiple boarder edgers lancifolia hang in there and become leaf catchers. Lawn mower make short work of those. One of my mid-size blues is hanging in there very nicely after every hosta around it is gone. Must be a thick leafed one!

Using a mower - sounds like a great way to spread disease throughout your garden.

I've also read that walking and mowing compacts the soil in the beds..

I always remove all hosta and tree leaves in fall, because any fungus and virus should not overwinter in my garden, plus I do not want to leave an easy cover for moles to run around under and look for hosta corms to eat next. Another advantage is to have a clean garden with much less work in spring. In my garden in upstate NY there seems to be much more time in fall than in spring for cleanup. Here in spring the spring flowers come up somehow right after the last snow is gone and leave little time to rake up leaves.

I never cut off hosta leaves or run the mower over it because that would spread any hidden disease. I notice that hosta leaves are ready for removal in fall when you can pull them off, some need a stronger pull. I have around 400 hostas, no problem to pull off leaves.

I debated on removing more leaves. I don't know if they help with winter insulation or not. So far no problems leaving them, but they don't break down well enough so I need to rake in spring. Usually just the Crocus are up, but a cleaner start would be helpful because there's so much to do in spring before we get so hot. I did bag a lot of leaves from the lawn to try and make leaf mold from them. We'll see how that works out.

400 hosta! You need to join the Alphabet.