I'd mulch just up to the rocks-- not under the hosta leaves. That way the hose will be covered and you'll have no weeds...all neat and tidy to make a good impression during house showings. Assuming the landscape workers keep away....

Mae, the co-op office gave me pink flags to erect around my garden to warn the "landscape workers" NOT to spray weedkiller right next to the garden. I concur with what you said, I just wanted to hear what the hostapeople thought. I might put a couple of tablespoons of mulch in the grow pots where most of the soil is uncovered, like the smaller hostas, so that the fabric grow pot does not dry out too fast. And a teaspoon of Sluggo as a chaser.

leaving burlap.. or any fabric .. part of it out of the soil ... could allow the fabric to wick moisture from the soil ... and perhaps.. as deep as the fabric goes..... and in your case ... from the entire root mass ...

now.. that said.. i dont really think.. you would ever let the surrounding soil to get dry ... let alone dry at depth ... youre just never going to allow a drought for a long enough period ... if anything.. i am sure you have a predisposition to trying to drown them ... lol ...

sooo .... just mentioning it for other ....ken

Ken, the fabric grow pots are NOT made from burlap. They are made of a non-woven fabric. Most of them are sunk into the ground with only an inch of the fabric pot sticking above ground, maybe one or two of the 10 gallon pots are 2" above the ground, because we suddenly ran into the original contractors' fill garbage soil at that depth (remember, I replaced every bit of the soil in both gardens when I moved in) and it was as hard as a rock, even my 7' friend Chris could not dig deeper. I will, of course, monitor my plants in the pots for moisture and water accordingly.