I have lost a few plants this season because of the drought conditions here. A since corrected health condition kept me from watering for awhile. I lost my only iris, Batik, my Winter snow hosta, part of my Halcyon clump and part of my Golden Tiara clump. my effort to water recently hasnt helped these plants.

Such a bummer……I‘ve been lucky in the past with almost no plant loss for the past 20 years.

Sherry

I am bothered by all the cutworm damage I have this year. Slugs are not a problem because I drench twice a year. I also lost a couple of hostas this year. Tea Time was down to nothing. It’s in the plant hospital….and I just realized that my Brother Stephen is gone. I have tried this one twice without luck. Don’t think I’ll try again. A couple of others in the front where the maple tree is, have diminished. A F. Aureo-marginata and Night Before Christmas. Root competition I’m sure….

debra

Marie, I hope you find your Christmas tree. I once thought I lost a hosta planted in the yard and found it probably eight years later! I thought it was part of a bigger hosta looming over it. So check around.

What’s bugging me is that last year I had to pot up a lot of hostas and other plants to avoid them being covered by new concrete or trampled by workers. And then I lost ¾ of them over winter. Major fail, and I don’t know if I rotted them or if they dried out. There’s evidence for both in different pots. I'd like to know what I'm doing so wrong?

I also lost hostas to drought when the little bit of water they should have been getting wasn’t happening. I suddenly got sciatica, and with my hillside, I couldn’t get out to check what the darn sprinklers were doing after all the workers were there.

It’s bugging me that I missed the alphabet, which I didn’t have photos for, but I wanted to follow along, until out of the blue I got vertigo. Sheesh, I felt like I was falling apart for awhile there. With vertigo scrolling on the internet is not your friend. Rather nauseating. But I’ve been catching up viewing the alphabet slowly.

And today what’s bothering me is when I came to this web site, there’s a PITA banner blocking half my page that comes up every time I open a topic! “Tailor my experience with cookies” Houzz, I don’t want your cookies!

Next day edit: The cookies banner problem seems to have resolved. I no longer see it. Wonderful!

I hope you find the missing hosta. What's bugging me is that I have had sciatica since last August off and on but it came back bad in Feb. and has gotten worse. Finally got an MRI and is is a moderate to severe disc problem not just sciatica. Today the Dr said you are going to have to have surgery.. The Neuro Surgeon is very busy (Cancelled my appt for next, next week) so it may be months before I get fixed and back on my feet. Who knows if it will be a good fix. My DH has been trying to do the yard stuff and now he is having another torn rotator cuff issue. He sees the dr next week. We both may be out of commission in a month or so.

On a good note we have been getting a lot of rain (11 inches more than average) and my hostas and weeds are looking good. The garden seeds rotted before sprouting but I can't work in it so that's maybe good. I got a good deal on annuals and put them in pots so I can garden without bendinng over--Ha Ha. I do some gardening on hands and knees but getting up is an issue and I do get fussed at. Getting old and falling apart one piece at a time.

Frankie and sandy, I am so sorry to hear about your sciatica….. I totally ruptured a disc when I was 30 and needed a fusion of L5-S1. 15 years later I needed L5-L4 done. The sciatica resolved after a long period of time. I hope yours resolves with the surgery.

debra

Marie I hope something is doing so well it has covered your CT. How long had it been in your garden?

Sherry so sorry you lost those two and wishes that GT and Halcyon recover. The good news is your health issue has been resolved. That was quite the long recovery time. May the next 20 yrs. be trouble free.

Debra the cutworm damage is frustrating. What a shame that BS up and disappeared. We all seem to have one that gives us a hard time. I am sure you will rescue the ones diminishing from root competition. It is a good thing the majority of yours are doing really well.

Lisa I hope the work is nearly done. I think it started with a water line being rerouted if I am remembering correctly. I recall work on your street and now in your yard. What a shame to go through digging the plants just to lose so many in their pots and then drought on your hill. Your garden is stunningly beautiful and will be again. I know how terrible sciatica is. I hope there is something that can be done about the vertigo. I missed you during the alphabet and I want you back! Make a separate post about the banner issue and if tj (or others see it) it will get resolved. Hugs!!

Paula you took up a challenge growing in Florida and I hope this spring is good to you!

frankielynnsie I wish you a speedy recovery when you finally get the needed surgery. It is hard to hold back a gardener and I am happy you have found ways to deal. Getting older is a pain.

Thanks, ilovetogrow! I look forward to the hosta alphabet every year and didn’t want to miss it. I like those new rules for when we have bad years, which happens. I didn’t want to bring up old posts on the board, but I've been going back to see the alphabet now, and there’s a lot of great and inspirational looking hostas and gardens. And, as always, thanks for all that you put into hosting it! The jokes are a big part of the enjoyment.

Frankielynnsie, I’m so sorry to hear you also know how bad sciatica feels, and that they think there’s also a disc component to yours. It’s truly crazy how fast it can come on. I went to bed one night feeling fine and woke up feeling crippled for many months. I hope if you do need the surgery, that it will be successful and have you back out into your gardens asap! ..…and I can’t believe how much rain you got! We’re lucky if we get a half inch at a time.

Debra, I know you’ve been dealing with some issues, too. These backs are tricky and the way the nerves and discs work together is something I never thought of before sciatica hit me. It shows how things can happen quickly, and it taught me to be more appreciative of the days I feel good. I hope you’re doing better these days, too.

Laurie, thanks for the encouragement! It’s much appreciated! My garden has had challenges over the last several years, but as long as I can manage, I will keep at it. It’s so enjoyable to see things grow, and I do love the flowers and the nature around me. I hope you are sciatica free now, too. It gave me a wakeup call to pay more attention to my health and not take it for granted. Vertigo lasted too long, but I think is gone now. This getting older thing looks like it will be challenging, but still better than the alternative!

Am trying to bite and chew more than I can swallow. I want my gardens to look the same as my previous house right away where I developed old one for years. Now am stuck with lots of plants that still need to be planted and behind on chores. And likely have to wait till fall to move anything as weather is way too warm to do it now.

As for missing hostas, oh boy. I lost some during transition moving, and thankfully only couple from last year, aftet planting them way higher... And spending winter stomping on heave outs...

I had not checked this post and missed all these good ” bugs” i found the hosta and it was kind if beaten up. and coloring which was sharp and white in shade was creamier in more sun. i think it is ”night before christmas” . i need mid sized white and green

using my phone keyboard which us too difficult. will come back later with laptop!