I remember you!!! :o) How nice your arrangement looks filling in!!!

I'm thinking, your plants are 'adjusting' to their new exposure--were they in more shade previously?

Another tip, that helps me retain soil and moisture where needed, in any slightly sloping situation,
is to find some nice-sized rocks, and place one on the downside of each plant. The wider and flatter
the rock the better--well, flat enough to show the hosta above it! The rock not only holds back the
erosion, but it will help shade the roots and keep them cooler and will hold in the moisture better!

I think you are doing fine--maybe some more water since it's their first year in their new bedding,
and the rocks!!!

Keep us updated--I can't wait to see this next year and the next!!! :o)

Janice

Hi Janice, thanks for being there.

were they in more shade previously?

Pretty much so, a little sun filtered through throughout the day. She (my generous donor) had them lined up in such a pretty curve, said she did it herself.

The rocks are an excellent idea. I don't think I need them this year with the mulch (doesn't that shade the roots pretty well? although I laid it on pretty thick, it packs down in time), but will try to find some (am putting to use what I do have). Bricks would topple too easily I think, have enough of those; they're taller than some flatter ones. Could buy something cheap at a big box store though.

Actually the rocks would keep the mulch from tending to slide a little so I'll work on that and in time hope the hostas will fill in more and shade their own roots more.

The only thing I regret is placement, wish I'd moved the lowest ones down a little more, but maybe even that will take care of itself in time. I asked for ones small enough I could use my bulb planter. Even that was hard for me to dig on that slope, but I had the steps which helped and did the holes over the rails on other side, then had something to hang onto when I had to climb the slope there.

Thanks for the encouragement! We just had a nice rain and more forecast. It really helps right now because watering all the beds took an hour the other night plus I'm fighting those darn Jap beetles. Those I do stay on top of because even so they've done quite a bit of damage to some rose LEAVES, don't care about the blooms at this point, but they will just go for the leaves more if I take them off.

At least I don't have to worry about those on my hostas! And please don't tell me what I do need to worry about right now lol. I've read a few threads here about that & hostas. And I need to come up with a plan for that darn grass. I used my tiller to edge it well both sides and widen, lots of hand digging and pulling that grass out, don't want to do it again yet because it will tear up the neat newspaper strips.

P.S. I LOVE that hosta leaf thread, will use more hostas in the future I hope, something different from these.

"Maybe leaf mulch is not the best to use, but it's free and I have to save my cypress for my beds in front and selectively elsewhere, it takes bags and bags to do it right."
aliska

Forget this, ain't so period, leaves are great mulch period.

Forget the rest of your concerns, wait until next year. If they are growing and they are they are making roots which will be next years plant.

You will find out next year about sun, etc and make adjustments then if you feel it is necessary.

They actually have grown a lot and look very good for this time of year. Many of us are getting a little burn on our leaves with the sun up for so long, and so high in the sky. It's perfectly normal. They look healthy to me, so I would encourage you not to stress about it. I think you're doing a good job.

Lainey

check the water level down at the root level ...

didnt we discuss a drip hose or something... discussing how you DEEP water on a hill?????

small hand shovel or tablespoon .. find out if you are getting water 6 to 12 inches down.. without disturbing the plant all that much

report back

ken

ken, lainey, esther, first ken,

didnt we discuss a drip hose or something

Yes, and I was hoping I could get by with rigging up something even though I figured out what might work for me. I procrastinate and am weary at this point, not giving up though. If it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done and I try to do the next best thing. I still have some things I haven't got planted yet and will probably go to waste. I try to do too much by myself and once it gets hot, it's down to keeping things alive, including me lol, seriously though. I'll try to dig down, probably should sample near the top of the terrace and report back in 3 days (give myself a definite deadline). The roses need so much attention, too late for much of it. It sounds so easy for some people. It isn't for me, my back, and I have to pace myself. Plus I'd like to move those iris, pitch the big ones, and put in some pixie lilies, no place for them yet.

But my mind scrambled for the best way for me, spoon, have an old stainless large spoon, perfect for digging and setting small plants, no tablespoon will cause least disturbance, see how deep I can get that way, use my grandma's butcher knife to loosen and spoon to scoop (into something to avoid a mess). There. A strategy. Augur on my drill would be too risky there.

Lainey, Many of us are getting a little burn on our leaves with the sun up for so long, and so high in the sky. It's perfectly normal

Just one of those has a little burn, can't see it in the photo, so that's reassuring. And thanks. People compliment me on the progress here, but they have no idea what has gone into some of it and what I know needs to be done for it to be really right plus I see what is wrong and needs to be addressed.

esther, Forget this, ain't so period, leaves are great mulch period

That's reassuring, the pile is pretty low now, and I never finished weeding, composting and mulching one bed, have been coasting in the ac. I had goals, know I have to do the hard stuff before it gets hot, just didn't make them all. Leaves it will be. Hope my son will help with that this fall, it was nice, I did build (I mean cobbled together like everything else, whatever works and isn't too much of an eyesore) a huge bin and a smaller one myself, never imagined I could rig up some of this but have to. My mower is nice, don't have to change to a mulch blade, just close the chute and put on the catcher which was a lot of work for him because it doesn't hold much, and he did it all, I helped where I could.

I have to look on the positive side. The hostas are alive, they grew, my roses are alive but some struggling, things like that. Perennials I can grow some more and keep trying. One major accomplishment which wouldn't be a big deal to some people, 3 trips to the hardware store, rigged up a soaker hose for the bed in front of the house, got a laundry hose to extend off the faucet 2-way diverter so it would start the drip when I wanted, told my daughter what I needed and showed her why. She went back to the hardware store and found a male/male coupler. Perfect, has saved me so much watering right in front of the house, 3X a day in the blistering heat last year just there, amended the soil last fall. Roof overhang, rains one day, two days later it's dried out there from the scorching sun, didn't want to mulch so poppies would self seed, now they didn't do so well so try something else.

That's enough. It does get discouraging. Have to interrupt everything to fight JB's was going out 5X a day, bad for us this year, 3 weeks into it now but had to do it.

Do appreciate the input and try to follow advice as best I can.

And so go the gardening days of my life. Sorry for the woe is me tone here, time to go out and make the last sweep of the day for the JB's. I did spray some Grass B Gon, like the rest of the bottle in one bed, some wouldn't approve, may have damaged some adjacent plants, can be dangerous stuff I don't like messing with don't care at this point, after I read up on that stuff, I put on a breathing thingie and latex gloves. I pulled tons of it by hand, but much of it breaks off. Now the tulips finally died back, so I have to tackle horrid weeds in two places, laid down chicken wire which made that job much harder. Do I dare put Roundup on those, should ask on the bulb forum and know most wouldn't approve? If I work up the courage to work with it, wish I'd gotten pre-mixed.

your watering should be consistent across the whole bed .... part of the theory of deep watering ....

sooooo .... you can use the auger .... just dont do it right near a plant...

move back the mulch in a good sized area ... and auger your brains out .... obtain knowledge ... refill soil.. refill mulch ... start watering ....

take appropriate action

BTW .. they look fine to me... but a little knowledge never hurt ....

ken

Sorry I ramble on so.

Now we've had more heavy rain two nights running. More expected tonight and on further, funny year. It gives me a welcome break from watering, but not weeds. Anyway, if the ground is too wet, maybe shouldn't drill in it. Thinking one way, it would be a good test of how deep a good saturation goes there.

Or it should be checked during a drier period for a more average indicator? I should have done soil samples in some places and didn't, accomplished a heck of a lot in spite of it all. Anyway, I will set up the augur, easy enough that and a great new drill (burned out the other one planting bulbs and drilling a knot in wood). As long as I don't get too near the main clump, a root or two so what? I've damaged 3 roses now digging too close the roots, one a mistake, the other couldn't be helped.

I appreciate you true hosta devotees being so nice about helping me with only these few, don't bother with the Patriots in back, haven't watered them once this year, and want to get them out of there but don't want to ship them. If you have a lot of hostas, a Patriot here and there are fine, but they don't seem to expand much, maybe would if I tended to them better.

Oh, my 3 lanceolate or whatever the green ones are are doing great, don't water them much at all, but they're on the level, soil pretty poor there, stuff still growing ok. That's where I do want to weed more thoroughly, compost and mulch, not too large an area that, just too much higher priority things now. Well both are planted close to the hose and spigot which is nice.

If I have to water deeper, I want to use pepsi bottles with bottoms cut out to fill with the hose and find some of those spikes that screw on, easier and don't have to set them as deep and can put in and take out quite easily if they hold on the slope. And, yes, I was thinking to backfill and replace the mulch which I think is really helping a lot overall.

I tried a couple of things by the steps over the years, didn't know what I was doing, and never successfully grew anything there because I didn't put sufficient effort into it. I did put a lot more effort into this latest even if it isn't exactly right.

One big priority is to try to get some pre-emergent to try to get some control over all that horrid grass you can see just waiting to pounce right back in there and several other places in the yard, never was much into lawn care, lucky if it got mowed, but now . . .I care more without overdoing it on the chemicals and all the extra work that entails to do it absolutely right. Dethatching? Least of my worries at this point.

Another thought (I think a lot) is that you could lay down newspaper, about 8-11 pages thick, all around your hosta (back from the petioles about 2-3" all around, and to the edge of your bed and water very well and add more mulch. You could do this in the Fall. It's called 'lasagna' gardening or sheet composting as E.O. calls it. If you do this in the Spring and Fall, before long it will be a wonderful garden bed!

Another thing you COULD do, depending on how much work and money you're up to--is get those smaller landscape blocks and dig down on the edge of your bed, far out enough and deep enough to sink them to ground level so you can mow over them. I think, if you do all this you will have better control over the lawn encroachment into your areas. Also---I'd pull out the edges about 12" more into your lawn area, to give the hosta room to spread and so you won't have to redo it again, (moving them out) in a couple of years. I had to do that to my areas that started out rather tight already, having just put them in last summer!!!

You might be tempted to add some flowering interest along that outside edge, too, next Spring since it will be a bit more roomy-or some Heuchera or 'Coral Bells'--'Plum Pudding' or 'Palace Purple' would be nice!

Just me thinking!!!

Just went back and looked at your pics. again, and maybe 6" more would be good--not 12" unless you have plans to stagger another row of hosta along the ones you already have, like a smaller variety! I had preveiwed and edited my message so many times, I couldn't go take another 'look' before finishing to 'submit' the message. You've done really well in the sizing, afterall! But, you would want to add your edging (landscape blocks) the 4-5" width on the outside of what you already have, I think!

Looks fine. I tried two hosta varieties in a sunny bed in spring 2007. They struggled the whole year, but I hoped the 2nd year they would adapt and take it much better. And they did.

What a great place for fragrant hosta!

Thanks for the encouragement, wendyb.

hey_j, you got me thinking, too. Dangerous. Expanding ok, that's doable but not now and will think really hard about adding flowers. One row of hostas if they fill out like I hope should be fine and such an improvement over the mess before. I try very hard not to be impulsive like I was when younger, because mistakes can be costly in time and money, don't like running around carting stuff home but have to, of course, and try to consider all the options and not buy the first thing I see when I am out unless it's what I went after, etc.

The extra layers of newspaper mulch, that will be fine for fall and spring on both beds and maybe other places, too, just learned about that this year, lined a long strip with it topped with mulch, really helped, but didn't want to bother cutting & folding it to fit around smaller plants and roses now that they've grown a lot and thorny ones.

Oh you don't know how much I wanted to add something pretty lining both the outer edges, eliminated the scalloped because of the mowing and kind semi-artificial, like it where others have used it, no more black stuff w/rolled edges if I can help it unless as a temp fix 'cuz I have a couple extra pieces, and glad I had that done, but there are prettier ways of accomplishing the same goal.

But I simply ran out of steam and had to turn to other things at that point, sure glad I got them better than they were and can do that myself even if it takes 3 times longer than it would some people. And glad I didn't if I'm going to run the borders out a bit more, 6" would be good and over the winter can plan ahead and smother (or Roundup which I've been procrastinating about mixing and using because I'm kind of afraid of it) what's there and not have to dig as hard by spring as what I did.

It's so blasted hot and humid today, I did what had to be done and also pulled a few BIG weeds in front. I will try to test the moisture level as soon as I can get to it, and the bottles, if needed, wouldn't have to be buried as deep as I feared to hold them if I slant them a little and can find some spikes, can use those elsewhere now and then. I really hope I don't have to go to that extreme there now but will try to get some anyway just to have on hand.

You have no idea how my mind gets going and I say too much, but I don't know how many times I've previewed my posts several times, got written what I want, and don't want to hit back to check if I read correctly, know you can do it and hit forward again, but fear losing it and having to start over, glad I'm not the only one who deals with that :-).

You can always save your grass clippings and spread them around your hosta and other plants, it is great for keeping weeds down, holds in moisture ,and keeps roots cool.
Sounds like you are a very busy person,good luck with all that you are doing.
I think your hosta look lovely along your steps.They will be even better next year.

Catol

Thanks, Carol. How the best of plans must be postponed. We had a bad storm early this am, can't run through the whole thing, but I've been dragging branches from my trees from all over, even neighbor's across the street and started cutting them up. City has picked up the first load, quite a pile waiting to be cut up . . . and not counting . . .

a huge limb on my apple tree has split and resting on some power lines, am waiting for the power company to come cut out the top part off the sagging wires, then my neighbor has offered to cut the rest with his chain saw. I'll have to help, and it is going to take 3 days or more to finish up because I can't do it all in one day, then bag up hundreds of twigs.

Storm hit at 6 am, power went out, we were very fortunate to have it back on by 12:20 pm. Some in the area will have no power for 3 days or more, mess all over and surrounding towns. It didn't get that terribly hot today but very humid, and when you can't even run a fan and been working hard for an older person like me, it was getting pretty stifling in the house. I really feel for people who will have to wait longer. One little boy killed and sister critically injured, and 3rd injured when a tree limb fell on their tent, camping with their large family across the river. Father tried to get them in the vehicle but didn't make it in time with 3 of the kids. Very sad.

It's sprinkling again. Worst wind I'd ever heard but didn't think it was quite a tornado. The NWS now says it was a "derecho", a rare storm system with rain and high winds, 65 to 95 mph, cut a 60-mile swath from Omaha through us to Chicago.

Oh my word aliska--that is so awful!!! I feel for the folks in your area and the family
that lost a child and have another two injured etc. and am so thankful you are okay!!!

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you for awhile!!! :o(

I started a hosta hillside project this year. The front of my new home is pie shaped, with the pointed part facing two meeting roads. The property has a steep slant on both sides. I decided to strip away the ugly crab grass and make this a hosta hillside. I have planted several varities; royal standard, silver bay, first frost, love pat, earth angel, aurea, and a few I found growing in the back yard that I don't know the names. I planted several colors of impatients between the plants to fill in spaces for now and to add color. Although the hills are shaded by a very large pine tree, the plants I transplanted from the back yard appear to be the happiest. The First Frost appear to be struggling, but have a lot of new growth. Planting on a hillside is hard work, indeed. But I think by next season it should look really nice. To assist my getting up and down the steep hillside while weeding/working, I pounded several 2 x 2's into the hillside. These are only temporary until the hillside gets established, but I might consider something more permanent. I don't have any rocks on the hillside.
I recently noticed the love pat's are turning yellow. Don't know why. The hillside does get late afternoon sun. Should I plant a shade tree to block that late afternoon sun?