Hi,

I'll be cleaning out the compost bin so a lot of that will go onto the hosta beds. I want to be ahead of the slugs this year by spraying the amonia/water solution earlier. I also have to find room for the late summer aquired hostas from last year. Those were just planted where there was a spot.

My wish is that I find the names to go with unknown but named hostas that I have in the garden. I find that just dividing some and placing them in other beds changed the coloration enough to have me guessing at what they are. I should have tagged them immediately or maybe did but lost the tags and you think you will remember and don't. I feel the need to know ALL my hosta and I don't!!!!! Too many look alikes are out there as it is.

Connie

Besides the usual clean-up and ammonia treatment, I give each one a handful of alfalfa pellets. If I feel like it, I scratch them in, but if not the worms will do it. Sometimes I relocate them after they are up, to another spot that I think they will like better, or look better or have more space. And if some of them need dividing, I do that, if I didn't get it done last fall.

I check that all the tags are in place (I make them from old venetian blinds and mark them with wax pencil.. I make two and bury one, so if the raking took the label away, I will still be able to find out what it is. I HATE mystery hostas.

Then I pot up all the plants I don't want and use them as traders and also this year I am going to offer a hosta/plant sale (so I can buy some new named ones I am lusting for) or give away the rest over the summer to friends or to a charity yard/plant sale.

Here's my article titled SPRING HOSTA TIPS:


Spring Hosta Tips

The snow is melting and Spring is on the way. Youve been anxiously waiting for the chance to walk through your gardens and dream about the new plants youÂve ordered from your favorite mail order catalogs. And, you canÂt wait to put your gloves on and get your gardens cleaned up.

Hold on. Tip #1: DonÂt remove that winter mulch until the last frost is gone. Early arrivals, like montana ÂAureomarginata may require additional protection from that late season cold and wind. When all danger of frost is past, then go for it. Get your rake and wheelbarrow.

Tip #2: Thoroughly clean your gardens. All debris should be raked and added to the compost bin to eliminate a breeding ground for slugs. Be careful not to rake or step on the eyes that are just popping up to avoid damaging the leaves which are about to unfold.

Are your plants in good shape? Tip #3: Look to see if the frost has heaved your plants out of the ground- especially young hostas which were planted last year. As the ground freezes and thaws, freezes and thaws, and freezes and thaws (get the idea?), those plants may need to be tucked in on several occasions.

Can your friends easily read those plant labels? Or has the name tag completely disappeared? Tip #4: Make sure all plants, including new arrivals, are accurately labeled and the tags are in good condition. Remember that large hostas will cover up name tags that are too close to the mound.

Perhaps you have trees and shrubs which need to be pruned. Tip #5: Spring is the best time to prune most trees, and shrubs after flowering. Those branches which are dead, or make it too shady, should be cut off cleanly, chipped up, and added to the compost bin or reserved for a woodchip path.

That pile of leaves, garden waste, and grass clippings from last Fall should be flipped over now. Tip #6: Turn over your compost pile. You may want to add a little sand. The warm, rainy weather will turn all that stuff into black gold. Then when those hot summer days reach 70 or 80 degrees, apply that free mulch around the base of your plants.

How is your supply of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides? Tip #7: Take an inventory of your gardening supplies- tools, gloves, hoses, sprinklers, wheelbarrows, fencing, tomato cages, etc. Shop and replace worn out items now so that youÂre not stuck in the middle of a job.

Spring is a great time to divide and transplant your hostas. Did you promise to give a hosta to a friend, or donate a plant for the hosta auction? You can create interest and educate others about gardening, and eventually turn your neighborhood into a hostaholic community. Tip #8: Spring is the best time to dig in your hosta bed. Review your garden records from last Fall to see which ones need your attention.

How wonderful to see those long awaited hostas shoot up, bigger and stronger than the year before! Tip #9: DonÂt neglect to apply a slow release fertilizer. But donÂt over fertilize, and keep those granules off the newly emerging leaves, or crown, of the plants.

Above all, enjoy the fresh Spring breeze, the chirp of the robins, and the signs of life as they appear, knowing that old man Winter is giving way to a new season of hosta gardening and fun everywhere!