Hostas are one of the few things that can survive the maple roots.

Do yours get water? Remember that the maples will suck up every drop they can get, along with any nutrients in the soil. Deep watering and fertilizing with organic material (read: horse poop) helps my hosta thrive. If I don't water deeply? They remain pretty static.

C.

Until I started growing hosta and reading this forum, I never knew just how bad Maple tree roots could be. Now I know why some other things I tried planting underneath the trees just didn't survive.

Maple trees put out a massive amount of tiny hair-like feeder roots close to the surface. They do literally suck all the moisture out of the soil.

I've learned that you can grow hostas under them, but #1 start out with a plant that has a good root system, and #2 don't just water the plant, but water the entire area under the tree.

If your hostas seem like they are declining, dig them up and you will probably find a mass of tree roots tangled throughout the hostas roots. You can usually just pull them out of the hostas roots and either replant or pot it up until it grows stronger roots.

I have made a vow to never plant another maple tree in my yard.

Janet

Not a Myth in my experience. Dig one up and check the roots them you will know for sure!!!!!!!

kill the trees.. or move the hosta... your choice ...

try the SEARCH function at the top right of the forum... insert MAPLEs ..maple roots... keep trying until you find that i hate them .. along with certain other trees ... and what your options are ...

they are super competitors.. period.. they win.. and only the most vigorous hosta can come close to competing...

ken

I have just two large trees for my main shade in the garden and they are both maples. I've struggled for ever it seems to grow nice sized hosta under one of the trees.

This year I finally removed the last of my better hosta to other places and now just have shallow rooted hosta in the water course area and potted hosta for accent. The farther away from the tree trunk the better the hosta grow as you can see from my picture. I've let the tree kill it's last important hosta!

Connie

No myth. My silver maple was even starting to chock off an ash that was growing about 40 feet away. Now that the maple is gone the ash is starting to come back. The maple roots extended well beyond the canopy of the tree. The shade was wonderful and I really miss it, but... I used to have a maple, now I have a garden :-)

Connie--that's a beautiful picture! Seems like you're *dealing with it/the Maple* very effectively!! :o)

janice

Do all these negative Maple tree opinions apply to small Japanese Maples also?

Not a glowing success story but a success story none the less with hosta under a maple.

My wife and I added 3 gold standards and 4 royal standards in a bed at the same time a Autumn Glory Maple was planted. This is the third year (2nd spring) for the hostas and each year they have grown. I have two theories: 1. The hosta had time to get established before the maple roots took over. -or- 2. The maple roots haven't won yet.

Here's hoping number 1 is the correct theory,
lykaon78

Connie, that photo is gorgeous and peaceful!

I'm wondering if because I periodically take a steak knife and chop holes in the roots, if the hosta survive better.

I've not chopped around existing plants, and I've starting moving those that can't hang (heuchera, astible, etc.). I have, though, mercilessly cut, chopped, and sawed pockets into the gardens to plant other things.

As I plant, I do water the hole first, then plant, then run my soaker hoses for 3-6 hours or so to get everything well hydrated.

We'll see. I just planted a 'Gold Regal', 'Little Sunspot', and a 'Sun Power' under a pretty evil Sugar maple.

We'll see.
Christine

Connie: Your pic posting is making me sick -- they're beautiful. I thought you were the one who couldn't figure it out! I'm ready for my lesson, but you can either email me again (the old pc got your directions and I can't transfer all the old emails) or you can hand me the directions when we get together.

Christine: I'm not sure I understand your 'hole chopping'. Are you chopping holes in the hosta roots or chopping into the Maple roots? I have to chop (with an AXE) tree roots that are sometimes as big around as my leg just to get something into the ground.

Westy

I think the problem gets only bigger as the tree matures. The last one we took out was about 25 years old grown from a 3 foot seedling. I had a garden in the immediate vicinity almost the whole time. It was in the last 10 years that the decline just was too much for me and my poor perennials. The hosta were the last straw! I started out thinking it was zone unhardy plants or something until I tried moving some of them. Nothing but tangled roots and when I tried to expand the beds, some roots were bigger than my arm and only 3 to 6 or so inches down. Not to mention the brillo pad roots that had invaded every plant!
I Think that sugar maples and some varietys are not as vicious as the Norway and Silver's are.
But when there are nice trees for underplanting out there why find out the hard way and lose all the years you could be growing a tree that is Plant Friendly??? When I think of a Oak or Locust or Elm that I could be looking at that would be 25 years old and now all I have is an Ugly Stump from the Plant Killer I could just Cry. I have kicked my self for listening to the County Office that recommended the Maples in the first place. I had originally wanted oaks and they laughed at me!

Oh, Westy, I'd never chop a tree root that big. I'd be concerned it would kill the tree -- unless that's your secret goal! [LOL]

No, I cut the small feeder tree roots. My two and only trees are probably 70 years old and don't need the roots they've put up into my raised beds. I'm essentially slapping and cutting off their greedy fingers.

So far, and it's only been 4 years, this is working just fine. I've no trouble moving hosta, so if they start to get spindly? I'll move them.

Christine

Dirtdevil, my experience has been that Japanese Maples are not quite the water-suckers that big ones are.

Silver maples are the worst of all (don't even get me going on how I have to call Roto-rooter ANNUALLY to get my neighbors SM roots out of my sewer lines!!!!!).....but I digress... ;)

I am a novice gardener, and have been lusting after a hosta garden for a couple years, and I finally just this fall planted a very large bed around, you guessed it, not just one, but a stand of about 8 silver maples!! Aaarggh! It was so much work, too. I had amended the soil with 30 bags of compost and tilled it well and put down soaker hoses and mulched with 30 bags of wood mulch. Is there any possibility that it might be ok? Someone please say yes, even if you have to lie! I have about 15 hostas, some heuchera, some miscellaneous, and 3 hydrangeas in this large area, next to a creek bed (dry in summer, but very wet all spring. Oh well, I guess I have to pray at this point. sigh. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hostas are not to be planted under Maple tree.What type of flowers would be good under this type of tree.