You don't have to dig out a circle around them, you can simply dig out the eyes (buds) with a spade by jamming it around whatever you want to remove and then pry them out, relocate them, give them to neighbors, throw them away, put them in pots out front with a FREE!!! sign, compost them......... Maybe you might want to wait and see what they look like though. This will help you decide what to do with them, how many to remove...... Once they unfurl you can just dig them out and fill up the holes, you just have the foliage to contend with.

Jon

Any advice on how to get these out and make my garden usable for other types of plants

==>> i really dont understand the problem ... ANY PLANT you dont want.. you dig up and get rid of ...

what are asking beyond that???

ken

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. I want the hostas to still be usable, just not in the place and quanity they are in now. Since it seems like it is just one huge clump, I wasn't sure if there is something special I should do with it. All the videos I saw were just one smaller clump maybe a foot or two on diameter. These are literally eyes through the entire garden right now.

As Jon & Ken said...not a problem at all to remove hostas...not sure I understand what your plan is...move them so that u can plant something else?...to hosta lovers an "entire garden" of them is great...so much better than weeds...pretty sure most of us have as many as u do (probably more)

My plan is to use them as a border plant, as the front row of my garden with taller plants behind.

So can I just plant other plants right in with them? I know these hostas get wide, I'm worried they will beat out the other plants and it will be all hostas. I get that some people love this, just not what I'm going for.

I see things a little differently. I am wondering whether you have actually seen all of these hosta in the garden the previous year or earlier? A mature hosta is nothing like an immature one. Are there different varieties or are they all the same?

Hostas are easy to remove. You need not be worried.

As they grow, keep the ones you like and dig up any that don't please you and give them away. Is there a lot of variety of hostas or do you just have a sea of solid green ones that all look alike? Here's a link to a great thread that shows how many different types of hostas there are.

Different hosta looks

Just dig out the ones in the back of the beds and "re-home" them - to the trash can or a neighbor. If I understand you correctly, you have solid hosta from the front of the bed to the back. They are easier to do now, before they leaf out.

Just so you know, some hosta can be 5 ft. wide and won't make nice edgers for taller plants in the back. Some are the perfect size to make great edgers. The hosta that you keep will be the same height they were, just not as big around.

Which ever ones you choose, 1 1/2 feet is not enough bed for a hosta and anything else. Unless you choose miniature hosta, even a hosta that's classified as a "small" hosta will fill a 1 1/2 ft. bed. That's just 18 inches.

My question is, which ones do you want to save? Or, are they all the same variety? If you wait until they leaf out, you'll have a better idea of which ones to toss. As I said, they are easier to deal with now, so there are pluses and minuses to either approach.

If you don't like them where they are, dig them up, put them on the curb. Someone will pick them up.

bk

Thank you for the responses. I I've seen the hostas, they are white and green with a wider leaf. I believe they were between a foot and 2 feet tall. And I'm pretty positive they are all the same type. As for the size of the garden, part of the project is widening the garden and giving it some nice shape and edging. It is currently merging with the lawn and has no real definition. I've had the house for almost two years now, and wanted to see a whole year worth of vegetation before I did anything to it.

Two of the pix above are most likely tulips, NOT hostas. Only the middle picture is a hosta....

Pieter

aker.. you prior post was fully answered.. i dont know why you reposted them here ... but thats fine ...

first is tulip.. last is hyacinth ... middle is a hosta ..

the bulbs are always a few weeks to a month of hosta.. be patient ...

ken

megan ... huge clumps ... sharpen your shovel .. and simply quarter the crown in ground.. and dig out what you dont want ...

they are hosta.. they can take a lot of abuse ...

since you have a ton of them.. does it really matter.. if you kill some???.. and i doubt you will ...

ken

This is the week! I borrowed the tiller, got all my supplies, and im starting today in the prep work. My question, how long can i keep my hostas out of the ground? I would like to pull them out today and replant on sat or sunday. I have read to keep them in a small amount of water, Ive read too much water isnt good. I also have a bunch of old plastic potters(like the kind plants come in from the store) and some I purchased alone the way. Would it be better to keep them in soil for the 4 days and then transplant again? TIA

Everyone loves a spa day!

I had a few massive hosta when I moved into this house, too. The earlier you dig the easier it is. I left the center and just shoveled chunks off the side to plant elsewhere. Worked fine. You can work from the outside in if you want to take the whole plant. Digging it all at once in one big mass can be tough with a biggie.

If you're expanding beds, don't get rid of too many of your hosta bits -- they can make good fillers while you get other, more desired plants going. I think back on my early garden efforts and shudder at the masses of hosta I threw away because I thought they were boring. LOL. Now I know better -- you just need to find better combos. Have fun digging in the dirt!

Day 1 down! I snapped a few pictures to show my progress.

The side bed before

The side bed after

And the fruits of my labor :)

Love these so far. Light green edges and almost white centers. They seemed more fragile that the other plain green ones, so I decided to pot them until I can get them in the ground this weekend. Hope they perk back up

Those must have been some old hostas. The pips are so spread out! Is that what is called fairy ring?

Looks like you had a good time! I'd keep those hostas in the shade. JMHO

I counted about 40 clumps. Plenty for a border and for friends.

kathy

On that tarp, are you sure these are all hostas? They look like Lily of the Valley to me. I can't enlarge it, so I could be wrong, but.... anyone else seeing LOV?

Im fairly sure they are hostas, but I could be wrong. But Id be thrilled if I had both in there! And yeah, Im pretty sure theyve been here and untouched for atleast 20 years, probably more.

So upon looking again, I think I do have some lily of the valley in the other garden, so its possible some of these are too. I'll post a few pictures later for some help distinguishing :)

Ok... So I believe these first two are lily of the valley and the second two are hostas. The roots are totally different between the two. The ones that I believe are LOV are thinner and the ones that I believe are hosta are much thicker. Let me know what you think. I guess I'll know soon either way. :)

You are correct Megan.

Good call sandyslopes! I shuddered when I saw the pics since L of the V is such a thug. The middle clump where the sun was shining on it really caught my eye. Like you I couldn't see clearly enough to be sure.

Megan if you are new to gardening you might not know that L of the V is a real menace. Perhaps now that you have been digging it you might agree. There is the odd person who grows it and will disagree, but will get into everything! I dug out a huge section of it very carefully and there were still bits of it. I just wanted to give you a heads up. I kept mine for sentimental reasons and regretted it. Enjoy your Hostas!

Yeah, I have now realized what I thought was all hostas is actually half hostas and half LOV. I did dig out a few LOV to put in planters and possibly plant in a secluded section of my yard, however I have no clue how Im going to get rid of the rest of them. This garden overhaul is looking more and more daunting. I thought I had the hard part over with getting the hostas dug up.

Several years ago I read a book about bonsai. There were two sentences in it that changed my opinion about gardening forever. It said, "This is a quick project. It should only take five years."

I now consider myself in year six of a ten year garden remodel. Megan, it'll happen when it happens. Every completed project is fulfilling until you realize you have more to weed. Smile and dig, playing in the dirt is so much fun.

Kathy

I like that kathy. I am learning that everything that I think should take an hour takes three. And I just run into more and more issues. I have been enjoying my time outside and taking joy in the small accomplishments though. Thanks for all the support all :)

Sometimes we just have to imagine how good it will look in the end. It is daunting but now that you have dug out so much the ground will be easier to work. I would go through the soil meticulously searching out all pieces of the LOV, including under the patio stones. Some here will say spray it with round up when they have emerged.

How you do it is up to you. I am a digger. I like to know that I got as much out as humanly possible. When a missed piece shows up I get it out immediately.

I would suggest that you swish the Hostas in a pail of water (or wheel barrow etc.) to make sure there are no LOV roots mixed with them.

LOV would be why you said it looked like one huge clump. That's what it does. I've got it in places I don't want it, and it is a thug. peren.all you give me hope that I can get rid of mine. Cleaning off the hosta roots to check for LOV is a good idea. You don't want it to get a foothold anywhere else.

It can seem daunting at times, but it's a great way to get outside, and often I'm amazed how it all works out with nature's help. The hostas you have look good and will be useful somewhere for you. Happy gardening, Megan!

I love that quote, Kathy.

I've been trying to get LOV to grow in my garden for years. I finally have a small area where about five of them are growing. It's a small island with heavy foot traffic around it and I never do anything to help it. I'm not worried yet, should I be?

YES!!!!! This horrific thug is a sleeper at first, which is why so many people don't realize how bad it truly is.

The scent is wonderful, and it is pretty but I would get it out of the ground immediately, pot it up and enjoy it that way, completely contained and if it produces berries get rid of them too! Forewarned is forearmed! LOL!

What she said! I started some in a tight space between a rock wall and driveway. It took a long time to do much of anything, and I wondered why people thought it was a thug. I still like it in that area.

The problem was when I lifted two sections and put them in two other garden beds. BIG MISTAKE! With no wall or driveway barrier it's running rampant! It comes up in between hostas, into the lawn, and everywhere else. It's one of those, if I knew then what I know now, I would have NEVER done that.

I've had LOV in a pot for at least five years now. Blooms every year...but has nowhere to roam, thank goodness. I pick it up now and then and move the pot...just in case the roots want to take hold from underneath. My birthday is in May and LOV is the flower for that month...makes adorable wee bouquet for indoors in a mini vase.

I agree - contain it if you can. Enjoy playing in the dirt...the tired muscles from all that work only last a little while. ;-)

I'll bet Peren.all knows this one...you could also post this on "name that plant" forum....or "perennials" forum.....usually quick responses. :-)

Now I've never seen it in person but it looks like May Apple or podophyllum.

You'll know better when it fruits, but I'm with Mountainy -I've never seen it in the flesh so to speak either- take a look here.

Pieter