Looks just like my yard. I spent today throwing pots over some hostas, frost covers over my peonies and hydrangeas (my hydrangeas are very small), and I put a frost sheet and tarp over my Sargent 'Tina' dwarf crabapple. My peach tree will be a total loss. It was so pretty the past few days. The bees were loving it.

When the temps are bouncing back and forth, I've found that old bed sheets work pretty well. They breathe and don't get too hot if you leave them on during the day but still provide enough warmth at night. Even if they smash things down a bit, the hostas bounce back. Although, having a bunch of sheets covering your yard is a lot more conspicuous than pots, if that's something you need to consider.

Lots of good info here. I'm not really worried about the Hosta dying, just trying to keep the leaves looking good. I was all set to not worry about them this year and would have risked a night or two, but then I saw 5 days in a row coming up and once I got started, I couldn't stop.

Yeah Ken, I got it, I was trying to say it was going to be cloudy and cool and actually most days are in the 40s and 50s and the pots do have holes in them and my Hosta are planted in the shadier parts of my yard and I didn't cover the few that are in the most sun, but I tend to be concise and leave out details instead of rambling on and on about things, because then people would lose interest and just skim over or completely bypass the paragraph and then I wouldn't get some valuable information that could end up saving a Hosta leaf or two and do I even really care that much about a little frost damage to leaves that I would hardly even notice in a month or two and certainly wouldn't notice in five or six months from now especially since I tend to be lazy anyway so why work when I don't have to but now that I went ahead and did it anyway just thought I would shake the leaves - so to speak - and see if the collected Hosta wisdom of the ages could provide some insight into my situation and possibly some other people could benefit and it gives me something to do while waiting for some warmer weather to go out into the yard and start digging holes for some new Hosta babies on their way soon. I just cut my frost fabric into squares and stuffed them into my pots before covering my Hosta if that wasn't clear either. That should also provide some protection from any excess heat build-up which I really don't think is building up anyway.

Mike - those winter wraps look interesting. I did buy some frost sheets last year, but they were harder to work with, and tended to blow off. Do you have some way of keeping them off the Hosta or just lay it on top and let them fend for themselves? Perhaps my method last year of putting the pots on the Hosta first and then covering with the fabric and putting rocks on the pots was not the best.

You mean I have to worry about my peonies too?

I must be very lazy. I don't cover my hostas when a frost is coming. I saw frost this morning on my neighbor's grass; it always looks frosty first. In my 17 years here, the first time my hostas suffered frost damage, I thought the wrinkled leaves were from HVX and panicked. Nope, just frost damage. No big deal. Thank you hosta forums for being there to give a panicked hosta mom some reassurance!

I still don't do anything to save them from frost. It's because there are so many of them I guess. If I only had a few and if they were all specimens, one-of-a-kinds, I'd be more attentive. I like the upside down pots idea. One does have to have pots lying around, though.

I do cover my rhodies with old bed sheets all winter long to keep the deer off them. Clothes pins hold them in place. Yard staples (6") would be a good alternative. Yes, my winter garden consequently looks decisively low-brow. But winter deer damage to rhodies can be horrid, which I can testify to because it's happened here. I put in a bunch of new new rhodies last fall, and smallish as they were, I covered them with pillow cases. When the bed sheets and pillow cases came off in early March, that was a good day.

I also cover my one hellebore, my creeping phlox, and my peachleaf bellflowers with something all winter, for deer protection. Oh, and the yews. Poor yews. Deer love them. I put in a yew hedge early in my tenure here. That was a BIG mistake. I have five spindly ones left, and have moved them to a spot close to the house and they lived under pillowcases last winter too. I have great hopes for them in their new abode. I will protect them like a mother bear all summer and winter long from the evil ones (Bambi&Co.). I love yews.

liquidfeet..not a hosta story but I wanted to tell you that I've done similar things to save plants..you can grow mophead (macrophylla) hydrangeas right?..here the cold kills the buds..no flowers..even the ones that are supposed to bloom on new wood are duds..our season's too short for that to happen..and mine are light deprived..well one year I filled a bunch of garbage bags with leaves..lined them up surrounding all 7 of them..put bamboo stakes on the corners and tied string around the bags to keep them in place..it was hideous..I had a measure of success but they weren't fabulous so I haven't done it since..

@nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis, I've worked in a garden center in the trees and shrubs section for three summers (not this one, though). Blue Nikko Hydrangeas (macrophylla) here in (zone 6(ish) don't bloom reliable, and when they do they just barely bloom. I have three old ones in my garden. I no longer think of them as bloomers but as foliage plants. No way would I ever buy any macrophylla hydrangea. .

liquidfeet..aren't they frustrating?..I've never been to Boston but for some reason I was thinking they thrived there..I think of mine as groundcover..someday if everything else was finished (it won't happen!) I could plant something else there..I've made the same vow..I will never buy another macrophylla..

Hydrangea 'Shooting Star' is wonderful, blooms in the late summer and fall here in NC. I bought one about 20 years ago as a present, which later got planted in the yard. It is a super hardy plant, easy to propagate from cuttings and ever so generous with its blooms.

Other macrophylla are subject to late frosts. No blooms from those these year.

steve..sorry I'm off track..this is too interesting to me!..boxes for hostas if you run out of pots?..

utog..I looked up Shooting Star..it's beautiful..if I saw a bargain one I might? break my "no macrophylla" vow..

I have Annabelle, Incrediball and White Dome..they're much more satisfying than macrophyllas..I have paniculatas too but not enough sun for great blooms..and one 3yr old oak leaf that has never bloomed..

Here it is Easter Sunday snow and cold. These are three peonies. I will go out in a bit and knock off the snow that has accumulated on the frost covers.

The one in the back has an upside-down tomato cage over it with two layers of frost covering. The other two just have their normal peony support (I use old wire lampshades) and a stake to keep up the frost covers so they don't lay on the foliage itself. This happens almost every year so I am prepared. But that doesn't mean I like it.

I've got a couple of Hydrangeas I've planted including an Oak Leaf (Ruby Slippers) and a Quick Fire which never have trouble blooming. I guess they get plenty of sun. I think my neighbor is growing macrophylla and she doesn't seem to have any trouble getting them to bloom. I never gave it much thought, but perhaps they have that special touch. I know they are jealous of the sunny part of our yard since they get so little.

I read Rhodies were deer resistant so I planted one my first year here which was promptly eaten its first spring. I've since moved it twice and was looking good last year but didn't take too kindly to the winter weather and nearby maple trees. Looks like it will survive, but may be a bit misshapen.

steve..years ago I read the hydrangea forum often..macrophyllas disappoint a lot of people in a lot of places..the Pacific Northwest, CA, VA and GA come to mind as the best places for them..I've seen beautiful oak leafs and paniculatas in Indianapolis..in sunny spots..mine aren't horrible enough to rip out but they're not magazine worthy..

Those sheets have grommets in the corners and along the sides and come with a bunch of metal stakes

Hydrangea Paniculata will bloom reliably here in New England. Oak Leafs will too, but, well, look at them. Climbing Hydrangeas are the best!

I have a climber on this tree..hasn't bloomed..

steve..I forgot this tip..for people without rocks..or in addition to rocks..put a stick or two in the ground by the pot to keep it from blowing over..

Well, if I had any doubts about my sanity they were banished last night at 1:30 AM as I got out of bed and removed all of the pots in fear of the huge wind storm coming early this morning, then I lay awake after seeing the beautiful deer smorgasboard I revealed but didn't think about spraying earlier that day since they were all covered. (I'm out of the deer spray). I woke this morning to no deer damage and no wind.

Thanks nw, I think I could get some long BBQ skewers and just stake it through one of the drain holes. Would have really helped me sleep last night. Guess I should read this board more often, lol.

I may have to learn more about Hydrangeas and check out my neighbor's better this year, but they've never really appealed to me. I guess that's why I only planted two - and no macrophyllas.

The reason some hydrangeas do reliably bloom is that they set their buds after spring is done. Frost can't destroy the buds. The macrophyllas set their buds early. I guess if you grow them in a warmer climate, they might be reliable bloomers. People sometimes want the Nikko Blues despite their unreliability here in the Boston area because they remember them from their childhood.

Steve, I feel for you and understand your wanting to protect your hostas. You have beautiful plants. I would want to do all that I could to protect them too. My garden is not as large as yours, but I have often put pots over plants or cotton sheeting during the spring to protect from frosts.

At this time we too will be experiencing freezing temperatures at night for the next few days. Fortunately, most hosta are just emerging or have not emerged at all. I have a blanket of mulched leaves (maybe a couple of inches) that I put down on my front garden to protect new or small hostas. I began to clean up some of it a few days ago only to put it back yesterday.

Many of my hosta in pots decided to emerge extra early this year. I have been putting them outside during the day and back into the garage at night. I also have some small pots buried in the garden. I have been putting a tarp around the area because there has been too much rain! I usually remove the pots when the rain is excessive, but the temperatures have not been stable so I have been trying to keep the pots in the ground and trying to make sure they don't get waterlogged due to clay type soil.

As I have been on this "hosta journey" since 2011, I have made note of a few articles that have been helpful to me. Below is a link to an excellent article that has made its way to many hosta society newsletters. Hope you find it helpful.

"Protecting Hostas from Frost Damage":

https://www.ihostohio.org/glhc/ckfinder/userfiles/files/North%20Coast%20spring%202018%20Newsletter.pdf

steve..I go to Hardee's sometimes to get my husband a burger..they have the biggest prettiest Limelight paniculata..gigantic..covered in blooms..I doubt if it gets good care but it's gorgeous..it's in a sunny concrete jungle by a building and parking lot..completely opposite conditions from any spot in my yard..but arborescens do well in my shade..I'm sorry that the weather wrecked your night..I'm digging up my heaved Blue Mouse Ears today..and contemplating covering some hostas..if I can find the right pots..

liquidfeet..yep the macrophylla buds on old wood can't handle my cold weather..lesson learned..no more macs for me..

My poor hostas and mac hydrangeas got a quick covering with whatever I could find. 26 degree overnight temps all week, hail and a dusting of snow yesterday. I didn’t get them all, but I got most of my favorites. I just took the hydrangeas out of their cages filled with leaves last week, of course. I’m not sure the buds even made it. Branches are still alive but I had green shoots coming out all over last time I winter protected them. It was a weird winter. Not much snow and lots of freezing and thawing. Buds aren’t looking very alive. The hostas look cold and limp under the covering. Hopefully some canvas drop cloths and a heavy tarp is enough.

We do what we can, in part so that we can say that we tried. Good luck!

I was out picking up sticks..my pips and leaves are bigger..they look so pretty..spring frosts are miserable for hosta gardeners 😢

Here in Wales the forecast was for 28ºF overnight. The quoted temperature is for the nearest town.

Out here 800 metres up on the side of a Welsh hill it can get several degrees lower.

This prompted some frantic action to get everything covered, made more difficult by quite a stiff breeze which wasn't going to drop till after dark.

The results include Empress Wu having her own tent and the shade house getting its own drapes.

Not shown here is the greenhouse, the seedling bed and the other half of the collection on the west side of the house all of which were covered

Frustratingly when the dawn arrived not a sign of frost.

On the positive side everything's great.

Now do I leave it all covered as temps are forecast to fall to 34ºF tonight.

Bright sunshine today could warm things up too much under there.

Dave

I wish I knew. Our forecast is for a couple nights of 26°F. I'm at the top of a hill but our overnight lows tend to be a couple degrees higher. Tomorrow's high is cool (48°) and cloudy so I think I'm going to cover everything later today and just leave it tomorrow. I'll monitor the sunshine as it may peak through the clouds a bit. Then uncover everything Thursday morning. Friday night it's 31° but I think I'll risk it. My pots are black, but your sheet is white which should make it less of an issue for you. Plus sheets should bleed the heat better than plastic. Even so, I think I'd remove everything and risk the 34° (minus a couple). Especially since you recently had 26° with no frost. Although, does no frost mean no cold damage? (Yes, I'm very good at waffling - or am I?)

@Tiddisolo Wales UK your frost covers are impressive.

Steve, we are experiencing below average temperatures. Tonight will go down to about 26 degrees and tomorrow will be the same. I am trying to protect my pots. Here is one method:

Now I know this doesn't help you now, but perhaps you could consider doing as I did for next year. My front garden has a lot of mini/small hosta and also new hosta. My husband used burlap and stakes around the garden to make a short fence. When there was just a light layer of leaves on the grass, he used the lawnmower's mulcher to chop up the leaves. We bagged it and then jumped them on the garden after a couple of frosts. We did this last year and it seemed to work well.

Turns out there was an air frost.

When I went to uncover the seedling bed I could feel it on the fleece.

Underneath was some slight damage because strictly speaking the fleece should not touch the plants.

Everything else was fine.

I also uncovered in the greenhouse but left everything else covered.

Here's a couple of shots of the east side collection and covers. This worked perfectly.

The fleece is 20 metres long and 4 metres wide.

It was flapping about a bit in the breeze when I took these.

I placed some lengths of 2 x 1 lengthwise over it which sorted that so I could leave it for last night without it blowing away.

Dave

I woke this morning to a light frost on the grass and 30°. I did manage to cover a bunch of stuff last night but could not cover everything. Will have to wait and see how effective it was. Some of my uncovered Peonies were nodding. Hopefully they will bounce back. Will leave the covers on most things today and reevaluate tomorrow. A few things have no holes, so I will be removing those during the day. Before bed I decided to throw a metal trash can over a Japanese Maple. I'm sure it's not the best choice, but it was the only thing big enough and I decided it couldn't hurt.

@Tiddisolo Wales UK Dave, do you own a nursery? Or are all those potted plants for your own enjoyment???? Wow, so many!

All my ever expanding collection of Hostas.

850ish different at present.

I've left the covers on again today as down to 35ºF tonight.

From tomorrow it's an improving picture.

Dave

View from my window this morning. Thanks, Iowa. Such a weird spring. It was almost 80 degrees 2 weeks ago! My poor hostas.

snow itself is not necessarily a problem.. IF ... the temps remain about 32 ... and how long the snow actually stays on the plants ... otherwise its just cold water ...

ken

It’s about 30 degrees right now at 11 am And climbing. Low of 26 the next couple nights. Next night that stays above freezing is Saturday. I’ll take the drop cloths off and let them dry out for the day. I don’t want to leave them wet on the plants.

Sydney..bummer..your pics made me groan..I could be in the same boat soon..

It’s all melted now if it makes you feel any better! More tomorrow though. 😣

Sydney, I feel your pain. Snow here too and yesterday was great sunny day. None of my hosta unfurled but many pips are sticking out a lot. we expecting 28 at night today. I am not sure I can even cover that much of a pips volume. That is in the ground. I have many pots but they are on north side of the house so barely any action yet. Do unfurled pips get damage too?

Dave, those are some great set up for your collection! Is it generally too late for you to have frost and snow? For us we have had snow and frost much later so annoying but nothing new.

Hi Linda - I think pips get the most damage (in my experience.) My unfurled leaves look wet but undamaged. My frozen pips look mushy.

Peonies bounced right back, but its supposed to be colder tonight so I think I'll throw a towel over them. Metal trash can did the trick. One of the frost protection bags - I'm not even sure they're for frost protection, but for protection from cold, dry winter winds, so that should work, right? - didn't seem to protect very well, but then again the fabric was laying on some of the leaves, so there's that. The rest seemed to do the job, but they may have been in warmer parts of the yard. I'm on top of a hill so there are microclimates created by the hill and buildings, etc.

I spot checked the pots and they seemed to do OK. Here's a pic of one in a little bit of a cold hollow on a hill where there's a little ridge from the wall in front of it. The one leaf in front shows some frost damage, but the rest all look good.

I checked out the link Mike suggested for the hedge frost cover. $30 canadian. OK, checked out USA and it's $46 - not OK. Searched by part number and found it for $27. Hmm maybe next year. But wait, here's a "renewed" one for only $9, sold. Who cares if it doesn't come until May. Well, it arrived today. I opened the box and there were 3 covers and two stuff bags with a new set of stakes with a couple extra. Two of the covers were roped together but I managed to put one of the covers out during the sleet storm tonight. Could have done better, but that freaking storm . . . yeah, that's it . . . that freaking storm rushed me. I'd take a pic, but it looks .. um.. half fast.

steve..I admire your persistence to find HFPE..Hosta Frost Protection Equipment..made this up Ha!..you found an economical opportunity on equipment..wishing you success..

lindalana 5b Chicago very unusual to get snow after Easter but we have had frost into June before now.

It snowed in the air this morning here north of Boston. The ground was not frozen, however. I'm not worried. Some snow stuck momentarily on the deck.

It was a rough night here. Coldest night in spring since I moved here. Made worse by the earlier warm weather pushing things along more quickly. 28° next to the house, but I'm sure it was colder in the front. I neglected to cover the peonies and remembered after I went to bed. Sooooo, I got up and threw a towel over the larger ones and found some cloth bags (spin-out bags) that I recently bought for the smaller ones. The spin-out bags worked great. I should have put them to use earlier. The towels were not so great. They looked worse than they did the previous night with no protection (albeit a warmer night). I also covered a couple small JMs and threw some plastic pots over some more Hosta. Most things left uncovered show signs of frost damage. The mulch in front was frozen and crunchy under foot. Some of the JMs show some damage and a couple I planted earlier in the warm weather look bad. I haven't lifted the pots yet or my new frost cover I hastily put up during the sleet storm.

steve..I hated to hear that you had such a cold night.."frozen and crunchy" mulch isn't what you want in April :-( ...I took a quick look just now..hellebores and peonies look fine..I saw small changes on my hostas :-( they're droopy..snow was predicted last night but I didn't have any..the same for tonight..a forecast of cold temperatures and possible snow..

Actually, peonies bounced right back. They had that wet look from shattered plant cells, but a couple hours later they all look fine. I removed the frost blanket and it doesn't look like it helped that much. The JM on the edges look good, but they were only slightly leafed out. The one in the middle seemed to suffer more. The little Hosta nubs seemed to have damage, but maybe I'm just being too critical or I need to learn how to cover things better or it happened the previous night. The next 3 nights' forecast keeps ranging from 31° to 33° so I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I think I'll leave the pots on for now and leave the sheets/towels/buckets for later . . . after I go to bed.

I'm waiting for coffee..as I sit here I see my Fire Islands in the sunshine..I think that's a good thing..whereas if they were covered they wouldn't have the light and heat from the sun..unless I took the covers off early in the day..but having covers last night would've been good..but I worried that snow on the cover could flatten them..I'm conflicted..there's pros and cons..

It snowed this morning. Here are my early rising lancifolias, before and after the snow.

Before.

This is a fairy ring. These are old, maybe 15 years or more in this spot, hit numerous times by the plow guy who can't seem to remember they are there.

After.

Here they are this morning, bending under the weight of the snow. Time will tell if these leaves will be idiosyncratically bent or twisted for the rest of the season. There are a bunch of these. I'm just showing this one plant.

Later this spring, hopefully.

Here's how these lancifolias usually look in full flush, mid-spring. They are the tight mounds on the left, below larger leafed Plantagenias. Roses are in bloom above. I bet they will look just like this in June despite this little snow. If not, I suspect the leaves will simply be wrinkled. I'll try to remember to post images later.

it's warming up..my frozen hosta looks better..