If it's possible then use drip irrigation in the Hosta beds. This will give the proper amount of water delivered at the roots. It won't encourage nematode damage or travel.

If you have to have overhead sprinkling, then make sure the sprinklers are placed properly or raised up high enough so that they don't damage the leaves of the Hosta. The display garden I care for has overhead sprinkling. The Hostas have gotten so big that they encroach upon the sprinkler heads and as a result the leaves were getting damaged by the water streams. I've had to raise up the sprinkler heads so that they clear the larger plants.

Steve

Currently I have 3 of the 5 foot tall sprinklers (set to misting) set in series on spikes.. I have 1 of the same heads on a ground level low spike too. These are made with brass fittings and copper tubing. They don't look bad.

I don't splash with this setup, and unlike a hard rain (like the downpour at dinnertime which put 3 inches of rain in the bucket in less than an hour), it does not splash.

It is a new setup so I have no long term experience to report. What I like about it though, and one reason I am trying it, is because I also need to cool down the air. A misting system can cool the air by 20 degrees for a period of time. It doesn't have to be a powerful mist for that, but for watering plants it does need to be substantial to not vaporize and vanish.

I'm thinking of another head on a short spike, then have them in series on a hose secured to the top of my new lattice shade screen. That spot would be experimental of course, until I discovered how effective it was at watering the plants in the hottest zone of my garden, and keeping that area cooler.

I need to get a couple of garden themometers. Durable, and easy to read from a distance.

Here is a picture of one which looks pretty, and has a stake, but it leaks terribly. Plus, it splashes. I recommend it for lawn areas or flower beds with NO HOSTAS. Perhaps shrubbery, but then do you water your shrubs?

The one I like is this one linked below

Here is a link that might be useful: tall sprinkler

My garden is in well drained soil under a canopy of eastern white pines and a few spruce. Those trees make the soil acidic and also give close to desert like conditions as they block all but the hardest rains. Note that while rain is quite reliably regular here (just under an inch per week), it rarely comes down in buckets.

My solution was to extend the sprinkler system which pumps water from a nearby river. Since I did this in 2009, the hostas have been much much happier. A steady 1/2 inch of lightly fertilized river water every morning works wonders.

There are two drawbacks - one is that leaves may be damaged by the constant spray from a nearby sprinkler head. Raising the head on a stake about a foot seems to overcome this for all but the closest biggest leaves.

A second issue is that there can be splashing which may put some soil on low leaves. I just ignore this but also I dont mulch or disturb the soil so over time the effect is minimal.

Nems are often stated as a problem though the sprinkler system here sits under the canopy so cannot wash nems down from trees (do they even exist in conifers?). At any rate, I have never noticed nematode damage though as Steve has pointed out, I may have a short enough growing season (late May through early September) that nems dont get much opportunity to cause trouble.

That link didn't work for me, Mocc, but if you go to Amazon and keyword search hi rise lifetime sprinkler, it came right up.

Thanks for catching that, Funn. I'd shortened the looooong URL it was so ridiculous. Guess it was necessary though. I did not get my sprinklers from Amazon.

My husband and I have wanted to get a sprinkler system installed for a while now. However, like you, I was scared of the damage it could do to some of my plants. I'm so glad you were all able to find ways to prevent the damage! I'll definitely try some of your methods. Hopefully I can get the sprinklers installed soon! http://www.headsupsprinklers.com