They look happy and cozy in their winter bed! Only a couple of mine are not completely dormant. You must be having some nice weather.

We had a freak snow storm very early this year (September 8). After that, we had unseasonably warm weather for the past month. What didn't die in the snow seemed to mostly flourish in the heat. It was bizarre.

That looks really good popmama! Is this raised bed bottomless? Did you plant the mini hostas with their pot or without?

I am trying something different this year. I cleared out a section of my garden and my husband made me a small temporary raised bed. This area is full of maple tree roots, so I loosened the soil under the raised bed and added amended soil in the raised bed section. I divided two of my hosta and planted sections of them there. I planted some small hosta there also to overwinter. Here is a picture of it before I had it finished.

Note: the squirrels have been unrelentless in their digging! So I had to cover every bit of this raised bed with mesh. The two black things are rubber stepping stones. I used them to keep the mesh from being ripped up. Squirrels have been really crazy this year!

popmama..I can't tell from the picture..did you take your hostas out of their containers?..one fall someone gave me a few hostas in plastic bags..I didn't get all of them planted and overwintered a few sitting on the ground (no bags) in my compost bin buried in compost..they did very well..since I have a shed I store my pots there..I didn't want my pots out in our cold winters..outside is probably harder on the pots than the hostas..

newhostalady..squirrels are a big problem for me..yesterday I saw a squirrel dig out what was left of a chewed coleus..even the root ball..then sit on the deck rail and chew it 😢

The raised bed is bottomless. I do remove the hostas from their containers, including the minis. I just plant them in the bed.

To keep the squirrels away, two years ago, I used small wire trash cans you can buy at the Dollar Tree. I put them over the hostas and then used landscape staples to secure them. A few of these hostas have gotten too big for wire trash cans as you can see! But I should do that to the minis so the squirrels don't bother them.

Nicholsworth, i remember your compost bin hostas! Very similar idea. My raised bed has been amended with compost annually so it has lots of good stuff in it.

Speaking of squirrels, I had two pineapple lily bulbs drying on my porch the other day that I was planning to store for the winter. I went back out to find them and for the life of me could not find them. I thought maybe I had put them somewhere special. But now I believe that the squirrels have absconded with them. I'm rather peeved.

Nicholsworth, the hosta you had buried in your compost makes me think that it is possible to unpot hosta in the fall and just put them in with a covering of well draining soil for the winter. Then come spring, repot!

Last year I buried a lot of pots. They survived. Only thing was that the winter and spring were rather rainy so I would go out and cover with a tarp. (Pain in the neck!) Then I would uncover again for air flow etc. Do you cover your raised bed at all Popmama? Do you find the hosta come up earlier in the spring? I am not worried that this raised bed will emerge earlier (not much direct sun), but I am worried about my other new raised bed. It will have enough sun in the spring before our trees leaf out and the soil may warm up earlier. And the critters will be hungry!

I don't blame you for being peeved about your bulbs going missing Popmama. I perfectly well understand!

I've never seen a squirrel pull up a plant and chew it Nicholsworth. I certainly do believe it though.

Even though I put mesh in my new raised bed, there was a hole dug right in the middle of a hosta! Damned squirrels!

Popmama, I like your idea of putting mesh garbage cans over the hosta to protect them. I will have to look for that or something similar in our dollar store.

I do not cover my raised bed because I want the precipitation and air flow. I could see how pots may keep too much moisture. This method doesn't have that issue. I will add a layer of leaves at some point but last year I did not and they were fine.

I only use the mesh trash cans to keep the squirrels from uprooting them. They look like this.

I am expecting my raised bed (pictured above) to sink down a bit. I will apply some triple mix over top. If there is any room left, I will add some leaves or bark nuggets too. I am waiting to do this as most of my hosta are not dormant yet. I hate waiting for them to go dormant. It's so cold outside and there are leaves all over the place!

I like that mesh trash can popmama!

Can't wait to see your updates in the spring, newhostalady!

Yeah, you can't beat $1 for some security. I also use those baskets to sift my potting soil at the end of the summer. I fill it then shake it up and down into a large bin for storage.

popmama..that's awful about your pineapple lily bulbs..last year I almost bought a pineapple lily but didn't..I regret that..once I saw a squirrel climbing a tree with an almost full size square of suet in it's mouth..sure enough the suet basket was open and empty..

my husband laughs when I hide small pots between big heavy ones..or put rocks in pots..or rocks by newly planted plants..they don't bother my established plants but pots and new plants need protection here..

newhostalady..I can't believe how destructive the squirrels were this season..the worst I've ever seen..

Now I have to go out and put some labels on them. Because I always think I will remember which one is which and I never do! Some of them have labels but not all. And I know when Spring comes I will be confused. :-)

I also move all my hostas (all grown in containers) to a raised bed for winter storage. But they just stay in their containers :-) Freezing is not an issue in my climate.

During the growing season they are staged around my entry patio but that gets shifted out to other things through winter - no need to look at empty pots with all my comings and goings! I actually moved them several weeks ago as once again, they were decimated by slugs and looked like shredded garbage. To be honest, I am considering getting rid of most of them as it is an endless and losing battle to keep the slugs away....and I've tried everything! While slugs are a constant in any PNW garden, this one is by far the worst I've lived in, perhaps due to being surrounded by a lot of big trees in the greenbelt that wraps around most of the property. Just too many hiding places and they just keep coming.

Popmama, that looks like a nice setup for over wintering your hostas. I'm curious what did you have in that raised bed during the growing season?

Nicholsworth, I've been trying to figure out why the squirrels have been so bad this year. All I could think of is that we had a record number of hot days here this summer followed by cool weather. So I wonder if this triggered some kind of frenzy for the squirrels like---yikes, let's hurry up because winter is coming soon!

Popmama, I try to get labels into all my pots too. Somehow, in the spring, there always seems to be a few labels missing. I can't figure out why. Drives me crazy because for the life of me I can't figure out what hosta it is until is has grown quite a bit!

Gardengal, I envy your climate. I am not sure I understand how it is that you have so many slugs in your pots. For the most part, my hosta pots are slug free. That's one good thing about growing in pots.

Newhostalady, that was my thought as well - grow the hostas in containers and make it harder for the slugs to get to........ Nope!! They manage to crawl up the sides of any containers just fine. Even those that are on elevated stands!! I swear sometimes they just drop out of the sky! LOL! One day this summer, I discovered a slimy slug trail up to the top of a containerized dwarf conifer.......4' above ground! Didn't bother the conifer at all but was very clear evidence of their ability to climb wherever they want to. I also have snails as well and they can get anywhere!! I've found them crawling up an 8' plate glass window for some unknown reason!

And because the hostas in full growth fluff over the side of the containers, even liberal applications of Sluggo have no effect. They never get near it. I have also tried garlic spray and ammonia spray but to no avail.

I am very fond of hostas for their foliage attributes in my mostly shaded garden but I am about ready to give up. When the foliage is as shredded as if it went through a paper shredder, it loses its appeal. Several of mine are currently just stalks....all the leaves have been devoured.

I have been gardening both personally and professionally for a very long time and rarely have many failures. But this one has about got me beat!

who in the heck beside you?? ... .. has bagged leaves from last season available ... lol ...

what would you have used.. if you hadnt had them ..??? .. hope i didnt miss that in the above conversation ...

leaving them in pots.. is probably ok.. even in ground freeze ... IF!!!! .. you have full drainage below ... in my sand.. even when its frozen solid.. water still moves thru it ... so the pots wont turn into an ice cube ...

when you have so few.... removing from the pot. is probably the best idea ....

ken

Actually, Ken, the bagged leaves were from two years ago. I was trying to make leaf mould by bagging and letting them sit over the winter. I had hoped they would turn into compost-like substance. It never really happened. They are partially decomposed now so I can use them. But you would think after sitting for two years, they would be more decomposed. Maybe lack of moisture here. Dunno!

I have tried leaving the hostas in pots a few different ways and each time was a failure. This method works for me. But you are right, I only have about a dozen and most of them are minis that I do this way.

newhostalady..it wouldn't surprise me if the squirrels are stealing your labels..I think they will chew anything..I also wondered if the heat made my coleus appealing to them..you know how they have juicy stems?..I'd find stems with the leaves attached laying on the ground..they seemed to enjoy biting off the stems..they didn't bother the woody lantana stems..they bothered the coleus and begonias..both have juicy stems..is there a scientific name for that type of stem? 😂

popmama..that's a beautiful raised bed..

Label stealing squirrels! While I haven't seen that in action, that is a real possibility nicholsworth! Juicy stems on the begonia and coleus are targets for squirrels? That may be the reason the squirrels like to chew them. Maybe it's the same reason they pick a tomato , suck it and then dump it in my garden. I don't have any tomato plants!

Popmama, you love zinnias and the zinnias love you!

I confess. I have two small bags of leaves from two years ago too! I was trying to do the same thing---make leaf mold. Mine is only partially decomposed too. What I have learned in the meantime, is that the leaves need to be shredded and all of the leaves need to be kept moist at all times! I'm not sure what I will do with the bags I have---wait one more year? dump them in the garden? I'll think about it!

Gardengal, it does sound like your slugs/snail are giving you a real challenge! Sometimes it is really hard going against mother nature. From what you said, the slugs/snails are climbing your containers even on stands. I remember being in the garden at night looking for slugs on the ground. That's where I thought they would be (and most of them are). And there was a slug way up on a tall flower stalk!

I have some questions for you gardengal. I have to assume that your hosta leaves touch each other so that the slugs can travel from hosta to hosta? If the hosta container is not on a stand, what kind of surface is it on? Are your hosta containers generally grouped together? Is it possible the container media has slug eggs? Slugs and snails really like moisture. Does your garden get any sun to dry out the soil?

I have to assume that your hosta leaves touch each other so that the slugs can travel from hosta to hosta? No, not that close.

If the hosta container is not on a stand, what kind of surface is it on? Most are on stands but all are up on a raised surface.....nothing ground level or even close to it.

Are your hosta containers generally grouped together? Some are...some aren't. Doesn't seem to make any difference :-)

Is it possible the container media has slug eggs? Possible but I garden extensively in containers and with the exception of some petunias I planted, nothing other than the hostas are bothered much at all. The petunias were just bare sticks the next morning :-(

Does your garden get any sun to dry out the soil? Oh yeah! It gets plenty dry here in summer (recurring drought area). They just find a cool, dark and slightly moist place to hide out until hunger moves them :-) I've even see them creeping across a full sun paved area in midday!! Nothing deters these beasts!!

I recall Ken asking me for photos of these guys but I never seem to have my phone handy when I encounter them and they can move a lot faster than you expect! When I go back, they have vanished! They can cover a lot of territory. I came across a huge, fat leopard slug the other day that was easily 6 inches long when stretched out. Even I was impressed by the size.......he could have taken out an entire hosta all by himself.

Popmama, that's so pretty with the zinnias filling it so full! I'm hoping to get my first raised beds next year for my vegetable garden, so now I'm paying more attention to what everyone else does with theirs. All those zinnias seem to love it there!

Thanks, sandyslopes. Zinnias were my grandma's favorite flower. And I love the enormous variety of them. There is even a green variety that I grow. I have a love of green flowers. The zinnias attract tons of bees and butterflies. But like I said, I just could never seem to get them to grow in containers or the ground here. But they do love that raised bed! I think I love them more than tomatoes. :-)

Well Gardengal, the slugs you describe seem larger that the typical kind. I think if I were in your situation and wanted to continue having hosta, I would:

(1) remove all of the container media and repot with fresh media

(2) always elevate the pot

(3) make sure that the hosta does not reach another plant by at least 6 inches (as slugs can stretch), taking into account also when the wind blows.

(4) choose a lighter type of stand, maybe metal. Apply vaseline to somewhere on the bottom of all the legs coating enough so that the slug cannot reach over the vaseline. Some have recommended mixing salt into the vaseline. I did not find this necessary, but you might need the salt. Pick a spot where you won't be touching the stand when moving. Reapply when necessary.

Have you tried copper? I can't say that it works. But if it did, I would encircle an area and put my hosta within the circle.

If your slugs are that big, I don't think using ammonia at the rate of 10 water to 1 ammonia would be strong enough. You can try 8:1, but stronger ammonia can burn leaves. At the end of the season or when the leaves are being eaten, you can give the stronger dose a try.

What you could use is one of those night motion cameras! It would be quite interesting to see how the slugs/snails get on the hosta, how many actually eat the hosta. I could use one the those cameras! LOL

Sorry Popmama for getting off track on your thread. I promise not to do it again!