Pandora's Box

Medusa

Pandora's Box is hard to grow. Many of us have lost more than one of them.

With deep shade, they have a hard time growing.

What casts the shade? Trees? What kind?

Yes..it's the trees we have that give the shade...regular Maple trees.
I have noticed that most of my hostas have always been a bit smaller then what they are supposed to be...which is ok with me...but these guys are just getting smaller and smaller every year. I know for sure Teeny Weeny Bikini is one of the first hostas I ever got...due to the name..lol... so it is around 8 years old.
Two leaves...is the worst it has ever been.

Well, that's probably your answer.
You'll find it all over this forum. Maple trees and hostas are not usually a good match.
I have about 500 hostas. All mine are getting huge.... except the ones under maples.... they're actually shrinking.

If you were to dig these plants out, I'm betting you'd clearly see the white hosta roots, but intermingled with them, you'll see the dark brown maple roots.... really small.... those are the feeder roots that are stealing nutrients and water from your hostas.

You can try potting your hostas and planting the pots... that can help, but eventually, the tree roots will infiltrate. If you order spin out bags and plant the hostas in the bags and the bags in the ground, that will help... but it's not a cheap option.

Pot those little babies up in one common bowl, and watch them go. I had issues with the smalls being in single containers, but a bowl shared with others was prospering. So I got several bowls, and now all those in bowls are doing fine. Except one. It was dragging to begin with though.

Something that small should not have to face the big outdoors all alone. I agree that Pandora's Box is a problem. But so far this year she has not croaked. If she did, I would not replace her. I'd probably get more Atom Smasher for several of him in one bowl....it is a crazy mixed up hosta.

The first thing I am doing tomorrow....is getting them in a pot. At least for this season....at the end of the season I might re-plant them in a sunnier spot. It is pretty dark where they are at due to the maples.
I was re-doing some others from that same area tonight and I don't have any maple tree roots...never have had that problem. Might be that my maples are pretty far away from my hostas...but have a large canopy. They are very mature maples and I put the beds in 10 years ago..on top of the soil that was there. Might be a little bit why I don't have issues with the maple roots.
Who knows! LOL
Thank you to everyone who posted! :D You guys rock!
Oh and moccasinlanding.....I am so getting an Atom Smasher! That is an awesome hosta! My hubby will love seeing my new list of hostas! ROFL
Thanks again everyone!

Yes, heavy shade and hostas are not a good mix. Add in some root competition, and it's going to be hard to grow hostas.

The worst part of my yard is right next to the garage on the north, least sunny, side. I've moved several hostas from that spot, and they are now doing better. In their place, I've put all Gold Standards and large seedlings in hopes they can hold their own.

I've finally learned there's one area of my yard that isn't very good for hostas, and the problem is mostly shade, not tree roots. The best part of my yard is at the foot of a sugar maple, but there's only so many hostas I can put there.

When you say mature maples, I assume you mean silver maples. That would be the toughest situation.

There's the sugar maple with large ones all around. A big Regal Splendor behind it, and even Great Expectations is growing well about three feet to the left of the tree. Alex Summers, Guacamole and Solar Flare nearby. Journey's End, Sun Power, Blue Angel in front.

So there's more to hosta growing than avoiding maple trees.

esox48....I think you nailed it....too much shade! Never thought I would say that with hostas...but I think that is it!
I had another hosta bed that I have to totally remove due to to much shade...3 maples right in that area...once I moved the hostas they perked right up!
When I say mature maples I mean 40-50 ft tall maples! They are huge! I think two of them are red maples and one is a silver maple....only one has the silver looking underside on the leaves and the other two are almost always having something that is redish on them.
So today I am going to move my babies and pray to the hosta gods that they come back!
I might look into small dark hostas for that area....I have quite a few others in that same area that do really well...it's just the little tiny ones not doing so hot.
Beautiful picture! It gives me a few ideas in other parts of my yard! Thank you!! :D

When you dig the hostas check the roots if there's any rot, i have some on the north side of the house has the same problem so finally i dug them up and rinsed to exposed the roots and trimmed the rotted crown/roots, bleached and re planted... Hope they will grow bigger and better lol!!!

You need large hosta to compete with maples. Attempting a miniature collection under any is masochistic.

I grow under maples and the big boys survive and thrive (elegans).

Jon

Can you for sure count out 'chipmunks' in that area?

This was preventing my sisters from growing and since she has moved them, they are much better.

If not, then I too learned something new and I wish your plants well!

Mike