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hosta_freak

You can't dodge a bullet forever.....

hosta_freak
11 years ago

Well,just when you thought you were safe for the year,along comes something you can't control! I'm talking a hailstorm!! Last night a big thunderstorm came up,and had hail along with it. Parhelion,being just outside the garden got it the worst. Lots of holes,but if you look at it from the distance,OK. Most of the hostas in the woods were hit by at least one hailstone;some are still pristine,especially the ones you don't care that much about. Yeah,I know they will be back,but this year was promising to be the best ever,and it ticks me off! It could have been worse,though. I saw some footage last night from Asheville,and there was golfball sized hail in a parking lot,and another shot saw hail bouncing off cars! We had mostly quarter inch sized ones,but later,I saw some that were about one inch,hitting the driveway. Sorry to rant so much,and I know many of you have had it happen before. This is only the second time it happened to me,so I guess,I'm lucky. Phil

Comments (8)

  • esox48
    11 years ago

    Yep, hail is pretty hard to deal with. We got hit early last year, and the hostas never did look great up close. But not too bad from a distance. That's how to have to look at them after hail hits.

  • coll_123
    11 years ago

    I know the feeling all too well. Two years ago we had a furious storm roll through with hail and high wind and in ten minutes my garden was completely trashed. Parhelion got it the worst, as you can see from this picture. I had to put pots of flowers in front so I didn't have to walk past and see the carnage all the time. I left all the leaves attached until they turned brown, which most of them never did. The next year it was back bigger and more beautiful.

  • leafwatcher
    11 years ago

    Wow, that is BEAT !

  • hosta_freak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow! My Parhelion doesn't look nearly that bad,coll 123,because the hail didn't last that long. Glad yours came back strong,and so will mine. In fact when it puts on new leaves,the others will probably get get covered over. Thanks for sharing. Phil

  • bkay2000
    11 years ago

    I feel your pain. But, it's gonna look worse in a week, unfortunately. We had two hail storms last spring followed by the summer from hell. This year it's bugs.

    I had the ugliest hosta last year after the two storms.

    bkay

    S&S 2011
    {{gwi:951281}}

  • coll_123
    11 years ago

    One thing I learned from that storm was just to leave them be. There is an antique store in town with some huge mature hosta out front, Sum & Substance being one. They cut all them down after the hail and the next year they were all SO much smaller. I cut one down as a test and it did the same. That one looks small again this year, so I will never do that again. I'd rather look at ratty leaves then have the hosta get set back so radically the next season(s).

    I think I have post traumatic stress from the event, though. I never used to pay much attention to hail warnings on the TV/radio but now when I hear one, the hair on the back of my neck stands up! Hail is so cruel to hosta gardens.

  • User
    11 years ago

    OMG, that poor Parhelion seems to have caught the brunt of it.
    I'm taking notes here. I think our season for most of the hailstorms is over, but if not, perhaps having the shade cloth over the main stash of potted hosta will keep away the damage.

    (sorry, my DH is chatting away, trying to change my lifelong habit of late hours, and he is gonna lose this one. :) )

  • in ny zone5
    11 years ago

    Hail, oh no!
    We had several nights below 32, and I do not have enough pots by far, have some frozen hosta leaves, but hail per the above pictures is far worse. I hope those hailed-on plants have a good second flush lateron!
    Bernd