What trees, etc. are they planted under? You're in a warm zone, how much/often do you water? Do you have any pictures of what's left?

Char

what trees are they planted under?

what is your watering regimen???

do they get the requisite dormancy period in your zone 8???

ken

Thanks for the responses. Good questions. Some are planted under a Bradford Pear tree, pretty much full shade; while others are planted under a large pine tree and in some canna lilies. Soil is about 6.5 ph and was amended three years ago with peat, potting mix, and Black Kow. Osmocote has been added to the beds about once a year. I have a soaker hose snaking through all beds which gets connected several times a week. Plus, the lawn irrigation system soaks them from the top twice a week. The beds never seem to be dry.
As to dormancy, the zone is 7b to 8 and we do have some freezing temps during the short, 2 month winter. The hostas certainly disappear late Fall to early Winter and don't show up again until April. I'm concerned with 5 to 10 plants out of 80+, the others seem pretty happy. As to whats left, basically they are minature plants whose leaves just seem to fall off or otherwise disappear. Great Expectation went to bed last year as a normal leafed plant, woke up this Spring as a small leafed fellow (1-2 inch leaf length) and finally just disappeared. The soil in general is sand with loam and sticky black mud mixed in. Seems to grow other stuff pretty well although unammended it does hold water when it finally does get wet. I'm mystified.
John

I think it has to be shade and maybe root competitation.

What you are describing happened in my yard this year to two of my hosta. Hosta Black Hills had leaves 16 inches across last year. This year it was pushed slightly out of the ground - I think by tree roots - there were only 4 eyes last year but this year there is at least 12 - but the leaves are about the size of a silver dollar. Also, there was a new tree planted 2 years ago that has grown - consequently the added shade has all but eliminated any chance of light ever toughing a couple of the hosta at the back of that bed... I thought that was a good thing but I am re-thinking that now... I don't know if any of this is helpful but something you can compare to your own plants.
Thanks, Dawn

What can cause shrinking hosta?

voles eating the roots
drought (usually from the previous year)
winter rot
winter heave
root competition

and probably more, but this is what I can think of this early in the morning...

If you have trees sucking up all the water there are barriers you can use to block their roots from steeling all of your water. U do water often right,like twice a week?

Use Vole Block or Perma Till.

Are they getting enough sunlight?

Wow, great info. I do water often, at least every other day either by soaker or lawn irrigation. Root competition could be an answer but plants right beside the sick ones seem to do O.K. Shade, OTOH, could be a problem since under the tree is quite a bit of shade. Maybe there are hostas that need more sun than others, although I don't really have the deep shade one experiences with heavily wooded lots. Generally it is more of a dappled shade, but certainly not dark shade.
I have dug up and potted a couple of the sick ones in hopes that they will recover in ICU conditions. So far they have perked up, which says a lot about their soil or sun exposure, doesn't it.
John