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How far apart do YOU plant?

15 years ago

Tasha's post about moving plants "already" got me thinking.

As you are planting a new hosta garden (with relatively small plants (6 eyes or less...more likely 1-3 eyes), how far apart would YOU plant?

With the hostas I planted this weekend, I think I was around 24-30 inches apart. Last year, the first phase was planted around 18-24 inches apart, knowing FULL WELL that likely next year (2009) I may have to start thinking about thinning out my garden. But I really am anxious for that "mature" look to a garden, i.e. touching hostas.

What YOUR preference for how close to plant a new hosta bed?

Melissa

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

3 years ago

thank you for responding to this 12 year old post.. with a link to your monetized website ... its all down there at the bottom of your page ...

ken

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Comments (9)

omoelegba
15 years ago
Melissa,
I, too, was motivated to plant my new hostas last year TOO close to each other, trying for that "fuller" look; needless to say, I have spent the last 2 weeks moving every single hosta farther apart. It hasn't been 6 months and they were already encroaching upon each other. I moved all the big ones as far back along the fence as possible & managed to give each one at least 1 more foot of clearance. Eventually, these must be dug up & divided, as I have managed to fill up almost every nook in my garden. I will try to post pics so that you have an idea. They say patience is a virtue; it's better to space them apart & wait the 3-5 years it takes them to reach full maturity, than to have to dig them up & move them. My two cents.
Tasha
15 years ago
2 1/2 to 3 feet. And I know I'll still have to move some around when they get bigger. But, they should be able to stay put longer this way.
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Welcome lvtgrdn! I'm new, too. I usually hang on the clematis forum, but I like it here, too. Laurie - you have amazing self control! I respect people that follow the rules, but I have trouble there. I plant things VERY close together. Probably 2/3 of the recomendation on perennials, at the most! So if it says a foot apart, I plant them 9" apart. I plant annuals just a few inches apart. The plants hold each other up and not many weeds can grow in their shade. I also plant iris between a lot of it because I like that look. I often choke things and have to move the underdog, but I chalk it up to a lesson learned. I use lots of compost, phosphate and chicken manure to support the great plant life. I have a great bug population that lurks in the undergrowth. (Sometimes a downside) Plants all have differnet habits. Some shoot straight up and don't need much width room. Others have only basal growth and are likely to die out if they're too crowded. Others spread and smother their neighbors. I don't like too many aggressive growers, but if I feel the need to keep one, I put it in a pot. My motto is: If you can see dirt; you have room for another plant! Best to you in your gardens. Whether you follow the rules or learn by trial and error - the jouney is a great one.
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I first tried this a few years ago with Lady of Shalott and Munstead Wood. I did NOT like the approach with Munstead Wood. MW is a sprawler (for me anyhow) and those quickly became a tangled mess and generally didn't seem happy. LoS grows fairly upright and the three grew into what looks like one glorious lush shrub. I liked the results so much with LoS that I tired it again with a few more: Charlotte, Crocus, Boscobel, and liked those so well that this year I overhauled three large beds and planted a couple dozen varieties in groups of three. I planted in triangles spaced about 18" - 24" apart, depending on the size of the rose. It's a grand experiment and don't dare make any recommendations, but it looks promising. My advice would be that this works well for varieties that DA recommends as "good for Hedging". There is such a list near the back of the catalog. Or look for claims of even, upright, slightly arching growth. I find that when DA says light and airy it means a sparsely foliated ankle grabber. Those don't play nicely in groups. Of course the greatest caveat is that YMMV. I have a a lot of room, a short growing season, our climate is fairly wet, and winter naturally "prunes" my roses for me.
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woodthrush
15 years ago
I do a little of both. Some are really close because I want the 'drift' look as they mature. And others I've planted alone with 3-4 feet between them, so they'll stand out on their own. My 'some day' project would be to edge the whole property line with them.
lindac
15 years ago
When I plant a new area, I try to plant the "good ones" where they will stay, and fill in with bits I cut off the edge of "ordinary" hosta that are fast growing and that I have lots of....hosta like golden edger, august moon, krossa regal, antioch and varoius undulatta. Then when the "good ones" grow I remove the ordinary ones....well that's the plan anyhow!
Linda C
woodthrush
15 years ago
lol - yeah, then comes fall, and you are trying to plant all those new babies that have been in pots all summer, squeezing them in here and there, and the 'plan' goes out the window - lol
Pam
esox48
15 years ago
I usually plant them four feet apart unless they are really big, then maybe five feet. On occasion, I'm down to about 40 inches depending on the setting.

So far, I don't have any hostas touching in my yard, and I don't really want any touching. It may happen this year. There's a Daybreak that is getting dangerously close to a monstrous (60-plus inches last year) Abba Dabba Do, which went from 30 to 40 eyes this year and who knows what the width will be.

Another combo to watch is a Sun Power and Blue Angel planted 5-1/2 feet apart. They were only about a foot apart last year. The Sun Power has gone from 16 eyes last year to 24 now.

Basically, I like to look at them one at a time.
Igor Viznyy
3 years ago
Please check here How Far Apart to Plant Hostas (All About Hosta Spacing)
Pieter zone 7/8 B.C.
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Ken, I appreciate your sentiments. Having said that, I was curious what it was all about and I clicked on the link in Firefox, which I have set pretty securely with ad-blocking turned on. I saw no signs of any ads. Then I tried MS Edge, which I have set-up with few limitations and whatever ads there would have been were just spinning circles, nothing showed. In Chrome only one ad showed for me, tolerable but not as good as the Firefox settings, must change the Chrome settings. All-in-all though there is potentially interesting information on his site and I've bookmarked it....

Pieter

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