Oh no! It is always so upsetting to see something like that. I would say there is hope because, just like you say, the season has just begun. And you still have the most important part of the plant---the roots! Good luck!

How about adding a small fence or some rock in front of the border?

Cover the exposed roots water and hope for the best. Hostas are hardy plants. I dug up some large ones to move. I must have left a sliver of root because it kept growing back.

I did water it like crazy afterwards. I am guessing I will have to go buy more. Woah ah ah ah!!!

Ouch, it seems some healthy roots left. Worth saving for sure.

I feel your pain. At least its not disease. They should bounce right back. Might be a bit smaller

So sorry Shadow!!! They will be fine but what a terrible shock to the system - yours and theirs. Deer do that to mine!

Peren.all,- I guess with the deer and rabbits chewing them down , they seem to come back. Right? It has never happened to me, as I don't have deer/rabbit issues. I will keep watering in hopes of new growth .

Yes they do Shadow! Some will come back faster than others. The worst year ever - three years ago on May 23rd after everything was fully leafed out we did not just get frost, it went down to -7 C. Most turned to mush and then bounced right back. Then the deer ate them to the nubs and they still bounced back. There is hope for you!!! Please keep us updated. I really feel for you. Heartbreaking, especially for those of us that wait so long for them to come up.

dig them up.. throw them on the driveway ... for a day .... and replant them.. and watch them come back.....

correct ... one way or another.. its all happened to us.. frost.. freeze.. hail.. neighbors.. utility co.... etc.. etc.. etc ...

is the spot that swampy... or is that the watering you did ..

if it were me ... i would dig them up ... bare root them.. get rid of that potting media ... and replant in native soil ... unless it is naturally non draining ...

then i would pound in some 6 foot Tbar stakes.. and put up some razor wire.. and suggest to he/she who should not be named... that you will use the extra wire on him/her ... if it happens again ... perhaps suggest that use of power tools while lacking sobriety is not approved ... lol ...

ken

Good idea Ken. I will dig and get all the potting media out.

I had the same issue with my husband and his weed whip... I actually cried that he leveled a mini of mine (Silver Mine) that a friend had given me. I dug out the root ball and planted it in the garden. It didn't do much last year and I almost gave up all hope since our winter in WI was harsh. This spring i looked and looked for where i planted it, but nothing. i went to a local hosta "dealer" and bought a new one. Wouldn't you know the next day, i found the original mini! Now I have a back up!

Ken, I will be using your techniques to protect my plants from now on. Razor wire, Tbar wire... THE WORKS!

Very well stated, sandyslopes!

Ouch! Sorry to see that! But yes, they'll be OK.

just yesterday my neighbor showed me how her husband "helped" and weed wacked a few hosta leaves..and weeks ago he spread grass seed too close to her beds so that now she has a million new grass sprouts all along the front of her beds..your hostas will be leafed out before she'll be able to pull out all of that grass..

Razor wire? Tempting to think about, for sure. I edged my beds with either a low retaining wall or a ground level wall block. That put a four inch space between the lawn and flowerbeds. So far there's been no hosta damage. The bearded iris that flopped into lawn got mowed, but that's what they get for flopping.

They should come back, but I feel your pain.

A little kelp might help them recover. My great-grandma (who was a notorious gardener), used to go running outside every time she heard the lawnmower. "Oh there goes Jake and that mower again!" Apparently he had caused several similar incidents to your hosta haircut.

And I'm totally with sandyslopes on this shopportunity.

This is why NO ONE is allowed in the garden But me and my gardening friend and even he has to be supervised from time to time!