Being the hardy shade plant that they are, hostas will tolerate division from spring until about a month before frost. They need plenty of water the first couple of weeks to help get over the shock and cool conditions will certainly help them reestablish themselves. Don’t expect much new growth until the next season. Most medium sized or small hostas will be ready to divide again in 3-5 years. Larger ones may not need dividing for 8 or 10 years. When the stems and leaves circle around an empty middle, it is definitely time to divide. Otherwise divide when the plant becomes too large for its space or you want to increase the number of hostas in your garden. Most hostas can be lifted out of the ground for dividing. Use your spade to cut a circle around the plant about 4-5 ... [Read More]
flowers
Flower Bed Before and After
Last fall, we had an ash tree removed between the house and the front door walk. The retaining wall went behind and around the now gone tree, so I moved it forward next to the sidewalk. Then we added dirt, more dirt and still more. . . ahem . . . fine soil. (When we totalled the cost, it went from dirt to finest soil!) Added plants. . . mostly collected from the markdown shelves at nearby nurseries. Mulched -- not my favorite kind, but it helps retain moisture. That's an important feature because it turned ninety the minute I put the last plant in the ground and is supposed to stay there till next week! Still finessing the layout of the drip hose, so when that is done I'll put down another layer of pine nugget mulch. It's darker and easier to handle and makes a great background ... [Read More]