JudithAnn

How do you keep the deer from eating them?

suzsews

I just survived a horrific hail and wind storm approx 2 wks ago which shredded all my hostas also. I left them alone. By now most of the shredded leaves have turned brown and withered away. There is already some new growth appearing! There are still a few broken leaves hanging on; but it is very encouraging to see so much new growth so quickly after the storm. I had also thought about cutting mine down to the ground but am glad I did not. Hang in there and yours hopefully will come around too; esp. since you have until Oct. Good Luck!

fayzer

I read to plant marigolds in front of the hostas as deer hate marigolds.

Stitchit123

My brother mowed my SILs down about 5-6 wks ago and she says their almost a big as before the mulching So there is hope for yours

JudithAnn

Thanks!

butterflywing

you can trim or not trim them, cut them back or not, but if you cut them all the way back, you will lose the flowers for this year. i would remove the worst of the leaves, leaving the best, and fill in with something else, as was suggested. you can even fill in with white ribbons on short bamboo stakes. the stalks of flowers will still come up and bloom as long as you don't chop everything to the ground. fertilize carefully.

wolflady

Quiltere for the slugs, take crushed egg shells. Sprinkle them around your plants it has worked for us in our garden.
Wolflady

sailsablazin

I sprinkle my hostas with "milorganite." It is a granular form of human waste---doesn't smell bad and is cheap. It is "Idiot proof"---that is why I like it. You cannot put on too much and it won't burn the plants if you do. You need to remember to put it on again after a rain. I just sprinkle it on the hostas. It is supposed to get into the root system and make the leaves taste bad so the deer do not eat them. I buy it here at a local feed store place. (Check out a place like Home Depot, Lowes, etc.)
However, the deer will eat the hostas if you do not remember to put the milorganite on often.
So, if you get busy like I do and forget. Then I use "Liquid Fence." It stinks to high heaven for a few days and is expensive...but nothing will eat the hostas then.

lass

I have cut them back when they got yuky looking and they came back. As long as you are cutting them during the growing season you should be good.

janjj

I also love my hostas!
Last year a garden club member informed us she cut her hosta back, it was late summer and her hosta was beautiful and it was only about 6 weeks later. Hosta are very hardy.

I had deer eating on only two of my hosta, they must have been tastier than the others. I took a bounce dryer sheet, put a large mail through it and 'planted it' near the two the deer liked. They never bothered them again.