If tree roots are the issue how are they not affecting that entire bed, all three if the hosta in the picture would be compromised too!!

Did you ever have Iris in that bed? It looked especially in the first pic with the arrows like an Iris rhizome. Holding it (the tip) in your hand the little holes look like evidence of Iris borer.

looks like a white root or bud right above your thumb ... ive seen old crowns like this buried in a pot ....

plant it and see what comes of it ...

yikes on the tree roots ...

ken

The root rot I've seen is brown and leaves a papery brown outer surface, with a tiny white root inside it.

bkay

Probably not rot. It does look like a rhizome, not a hosta root. Smaller hosta can sometimes do ok under a tree so long as you dig them periodically and replant. They won't reach full size. However I haven't tried MB under my maple, I managed to kill it in a premium spot instead. So maybe not that one.

arcy ——Well, in terms of tree roots, I do have a couple other hosta maybe under sized in that same bed. The mouse ears in the picture is new this year. my Fire Island seems under sized. But, Sum & Substance, So Sweet, Royal Standard and Undulata are all on track.

peren, I never had Iris in this bed, just those awful invasive orange day lilies. It took two years of digging and covering the ground to kill what was there so I could plant there.

ken, yikes is right! Not only is the Maple there, but maybe 8-10 years ago the was another tree not that far from the Maple that died (wonder why, ha!) and I imagine there are dead roots in the ground too. I will have to look for that piece with the little root. It’s out in a bucket or bag with yard waste.......

bkay, so the root rot you’ve seen is different from what you see in my pics......

beverly, the way it was initially connected reminds me of Huecheras. The plant seems to develop this long rhizome-like piece that the plant grows from.

debra

It would be interesting if you could find that piece and plant it to see what it is. I still say it looks like an Iris rhizome and if so would be planted with the upper long half of the rhizome above soil level. Critters move things around all the time.

Squirrels or chipmunks keep moving Lilium lancifolium (formerly tigrinum) around. They take full sized bulbs and put them in spots that do not suit the surrounding plants. I keep telling them if they want to design they need to develop a better eye.

I can relate, I have been doing battle with "those awful invasive orange day lilies" off and on for a few days now. They are mixed with Monarda, ferns, and Lysimachia 'Fire Cracker' in that spot. It is not fun and it gets worse, I have to do battle with it in two more spots, ugh!

To me, it appears to be an old crown. You know, the crowns don't just get larger and larger like gigantic potatoes. Parts die out and new rhizomes grow out from there Eventually the middle dies out (fairy ring) and you either dig that out and put in new soil so the rhizome has a place to grow or you get a dead center. You can clearly see the holes where old roots were once attached. Eyes die, and new eyes form around them. The reason most people never see this is because once they plant the hostas, they stay there for years. I have seen this when I repot a hosta that has been doing well in a pot for say 5 or 6 years. It is just dead material, and you can remove it to give the plant more room and fresh surroundings.

The maple tree, on the otherhand, will mess with anything planted in the ground.

-Babka

Well, I did dig out that rhizome piece with the little root from my mulch bag. I got a 4” pot with dirt and put it in there with no idea on how to orient it. I guess it will know how to grow if it does ....... lol