Is it too early to trim back the leaves?

15 years ago

I thought so, but evidently mother nature had other plans. 25 hosta plus assorted other plants sheered by deer last night - sure glad my nearby neighbor feeds them corn and apples - grrrrrr.

At least many were a border of various undulata.

Welcome to Morticia Adams Garden

{{gwi:1091009}}

When she does her hair like this she likes to be called Franny!

{{gwi:1091010}}

Probably be back this weekend to finish the job - there are starving deer in Africa now clean your plate.

Missed two

{{gwi:1091011}}

Hard to attract a slug at this rate

{{gwi:1091013}}

There I feel better - lol.

Thanks

Paul

Comments (8)

Julie
15 years ago
Oh too funny!! And so sad all at the same time!!
Thank goodness it is the end of Sept and not the beginning of June!! Small blessing to be sure-
upnort
15 years ago
LOL, good thing the sense of humor is still intact! Funny stuff Paul! This is how my yard looked 7 years in a row. By the time I got fencing up that they couldnt get through I had forgotten what I had planted.
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Even if you normally do a clean up in the spring, I'd cut down anything with powdery mildew now - clean up ALL the debris and dispose in the trash, not the compost pile. PM can overwinter in fallen leaves/infected debris, splash up with rain and reinfect next season's emerging plants.
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woodthrush
15 years ago
Arrghhh! Hate those buggers. Mine are started to go dormant anyway. Low 40s at night and tonight may be below 40.
Pam
msjo
15 years ago
Oh...so sad. It almost makes me cry! I had them eat 12 just planted this June and I surely did cry. All the hard work, but my wonderful husband helped me put up a fence and I spray, spray, spray. I don't care how stinky it is!

Paul, you're too funny. I guess what else can you do....but laugh......until you cry.....

Ms Jo
just1morehosta
15 years ago
Same thing happened to me Paul,i finally ordered a product called "Hinder"my neighbor uses it all year,foe every thing,lilies also,and said it workes great.
My hosta look just like yours do.It is maddening!
I declare WAR!
cAROL
hosta_freak
15 years ago
Paul it's good that it's the end of the season! Fortunately for me there are no deer in my neighborhood,even though there are white-tailed deer in our region,we just don't have any here where I live. As for your original question,I never cut back my hosta leaves,just leave them until they go dormant. Even those "stubs" are green enough to provide hostas with food until dormancy. I know your humor was an attempt to hide your disappointment,about deer eating your hostas. My brother-in-law lives in western KY,and deer eat his hosta to the ground every year also. He had a Sunflower by his house one year,and your could see where deer ate every leaf up the stem,and there was this sunflower way up at the end of the long stem,untouched! Lol1 Phil
paul_in_mn
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all for the comments.

No new losses to deer since installing the new hosta protection system - sniper squirrels.

{{gwi:1091016}}

I had to double their acorn quota for next year but I think it's worth it.

Paul
aka_margo
15 years ago
Too Funny (you, not the deer eating your hosta)! Perhaps you could employ some voles to be undercover agents?

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Is it too early to trim back the leaves?

Comments (8)

Julie

upnort

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Is it too early to trim back the leaves?

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Julie

upnort

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