Lindalana, my PM (which has nematodes) is planted in shade. It hasn’t developed well. Looks good in spring but really has never filled out like the pics I see in the HL. It’s not on the sun tolerant list. I am guessing potting it did the trick. Can’t explain it, but sometimes I think hostas like to be root bound. Go figure……🤔

debra

You might be totally right. My Rosedale Golden Goose has been dwindling in that location too. Gotta save that one as well. Some varieties seems to hard to get depending on whatever... I was just told they abandoning Afterglow due to high cull rate during TC.

I don't have Prairie Moon, but I did pot up several hostas that were struggling, and they have since put out a good bit of new growth. I don't know if it's more sun, better medium, or less competition that's helping -- possibly all of the above.

Lindalana, good that your Prairie Moon grew so much after potting.

My Prairie Moon has been in a spin out bag for a long time! And it's a small bag too. I suspect that the tree roots have invaded that bag, but since the spin out bag is small, the bag must be filled with Prairie Moon roots---the tree roots probably are having a hard time competing with all the hosta roots! My PM is in the shade.

Debra, I understand so well about your frustration with maple tree roots! I feel the same way. But where I am, I am not allowed to remove any trees of a certain trunk diameter. That means, I have to live with my two huge sugar maple trees in my backyard most likely for the rest of my life! I find that depressing.

Did anyone ever tried put some tarp and build raised bed on top of the roots? I have heard many stories about maple roots. Not sure my buckthorn wins against it....

Newhostalady, my husband would be quite upset to lose the King Crimson Red Maple AND even if I removed it, I would have no shade for my hostas in the front yard. Unfortunately they go hand and hand…… sigh

debra

Debra, as I see it, husbands are a problem! You see, 40 years ago I said I thought we should remove one of our sugar maple trees from our backyard. My husband said he liked it! In fact he liked both the trees. And then one day we had a tree bylaw that said you can't remove either one of them! I should have insisted in the removal of at least one tree---one for him, and none for me!

I just talked to my neighbor today about his sugar maple tree in the front yard. I talked to him about because it is now shading my front yard. He said he didn't like the tree and wished he had taken it out after they moved in. Now the city knows it's there and he can't remove it. My property will be so shaded. Makes me sad.

And then i think to myself---how many more gardening years do I have left? Damn those trees!

Also, here in Ontario, the Norway maple is an invasive tree. I see that the Crimson King is a cultivar of the Norway maple. This is what it says from our Ontario Invasive Plant Council:

'Several studies have investigated the invasive potential of cultivars compared to the species by documenting differences in seed production and viability among cultivars. There are several cultivars that produce significantly less seed, such as ‘Crimson King’, ‘Globosum’, ‘Faasen’s Black’, and others with low seed germination and viability, such as ‘Columnare’ (Conklin and Sellmer 2009). It has been suggested that planting cultivars with low seed yield and viability is a way of reducing the potential for invasion. However, there is concern that cultivars can still be invasive. Cultivars do not produce true-to-seed cultivar seedlings and will instead revert to the original Norway maple species (Stephen Smith personal communication). Cultivar seedlings have been known to spread along fences, hedges, ditches, concrete cracks, and boulevards.'

But then, perhaps you won't be able to talk your husband into removing the tree if it is not invasive in your area.

Lindalana, we did do a small raised bed with some leftover spinout fabric I had. That was a few years ago. The plants there are happy so far.

We did another raised bed with no landscape fabric underneath = not good. I would like part of it redug with heavy duty landscape fabric. I am sure it would help for at least a few years. I just don't know where I can get commercial grade landscape fabric. I want to have good material because it will be a lot of work.

https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/products/dewitt-weed-barrier-20-year-4-1oz?variant=42771854229703

I don’t know if they ship to Canada. I have purchased a few things from these folks (although not landscape fabric.) They have been a reliable seller for me.

Thank you indianagardengirl! I will save that link. I am willing to come to the States and purchase there if nothing good can be found here.