It can be done however the issue is the roots. If you sever the small feeder roots they will come back with a vengeance. Have you tried digging there?

If you can find the easiest spots to dig in plant the bare rooted Hosta(s) and water the entire area, not just the plant. Those trees take up an incredible amount of water from the soil. You will need to make sure to keep watering the area deeply.

welcome to the forums ...

how about a pic of the spot.. you will get better ideas ...

arbs that are bare on the bottom.. are usually very old trees ... yes .. conifers.. otherwise known as trees ...

as such... my first suggestions.. is that you go out there.. and try to dig a hole.. and find out if you can.. due to all the tree roots ... my guess is.. it isnt going to be easy ... and it might also answer why nothing else has grown there .. water competition ...

hosta have big water needs .. so it might not be the best place for them ...

it might be time.. to start getting rid of the arbs .... you dont mention how many.. etc ... if you took out every other one... you could maintain some sight block.. while starting over with a new sight block ...... hence the pic request ...

as to other things.. well.. how much actual sun and during what hours ... will help us define what might go there ...

based on the very few facts you gave us.. im not sure hosta will work .. more info please ... [well.. you can make it work.. but it might not be easy ... ]

SE penn ... right ... favor me with zone info ..

ken

ps: this is an example.. of a monoculture ... in the sense.. that they all got old at the same time ... and now you have problems .. a little diversity in the original planting.. and i am guessing .... you would have had many more options ...

This is what the bottoms of the trees look like. Yes, they are old. They are my neighbors and removing them is not an option. I’m glad for the privacy they provide. I’m on the edge of zones 7a and 7b. That’s a good point about the roots and amounts of water they take up-I hadn’t considered that.

how big is your yard??? ... can you come out into the lawn.. and plant some flowering shrubs?????

the only way to have hosta in there.. would be pots ... above ground.. in good media ,... imo ... and just avoid the whole issue ....

ken

What about GoldenTiara? Isn’t that a more drought tolerant hosta?

arbs are conifers ... conifers are trees ...

and those are some mighty HUGE old trees ...

its that the arbs are aggressive water hogs .. especially old ones ....

is it possible.. sure.. why not.. is it probable.. probably not.. and it wont be easy ....

digging in old roots.. short of killing a tree.. only means new more aggressive roots ... as noted above ...

she want large hosta to hide the see thru parts.. golden tiara is not ... lol ...

ken

Ken you make a good point about containers! We have a tiny yard so maybe a long, narrow planter in front of the arbs would solve a few of those problems. And the hubby is looking for a project I think, so maybe he can build me something.

not if the planer box is open at the bottom .... with new fresh soil.. there is no doubt in my mind.. that the trees will grow up into it ...

pots in a planter .... theres an idea ...

ken

For this situation, I have a suggestion that doesn't involve hosta. How about a combination of 'Jeana' phlox, variegated Solomon's Seal, and some type of Japanese Painted fern ( I would suggest 'Ghost' for the fern). I've found them all to do quite well in dry shade.

I have Arborvitea in my backyard and I have hostas growing under them, 3 of them in spin-out bags, the others in large nursery pots which are elevated off the soil in most locations. I set about dealing with a rodent issue a couple of days ago -they had built a nice, sizeable den under one stand of the Arborvitae- and I had a couple of 5 gallon nursery pots sitting directly on the soil underneath the trees and when I lifted those pot to gain better access to the den I noticed there were plenty of surface roots under those pots and I'm sure if I'd have left them they would have found their way in via the drainage holes this year. This is only the 3rd season with the spin-out bags but I've been very impressed by how well the hostas have grown in them. When I'm back behind my own computer later today I'll post some pictures to give an idea of what it all looks like.

The pix above are from 2017, last year there were no dug-in pots, they were all elevated 'cause I didn't want no roots working their way in through the drainage holes. All the elevated plants sit in saucers to keep the excess water away from the tree roots...

Pieter