The vast majority of my hostas are practically gone. They fried and died stem by stem throughout the summer until most of them only have a few stems left, some of them only one or two. We had watering restrictions this summer, so I watered as much as I could. They got watered at least once a week, but obviously it wasn't enough.

There are cracks throughout the soil in one of the beds that I know of. Many of the cracks run square into the middle of plants, so the roots have been "hanging in air" so to speak. The cracks are too large and numerous to just fill in with some dirt. I need to dig up the plants, till the bed, then replant.

I suspect many of the plants are just as pathetic underground as they are above ground. So I don't know if they'd even be worth replanting. The whole thing just makes me want to throw up my hands and give up.

Deanna

Take it small. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when looking at the whole picture. Break it down into little projects and feel proud of what you accomplished.

Besides, Hostas are amazingly resiliant. I had some dug up last year that never got back in the ground and layed on conrete under the snow all winter. I threw them in my compost bin this spring figuring they were goners and wouldn't you know it, they started sprouting!

Hang in there, and don't be so hard on yourself!

Many of us have frustrating hosta stories (drought, cutworms etc.), probably not as dire as yours. I'm in zone 5B too. If those water restrictions have been lifted, go to town.. water,water, water.

I'm in the same situation that you're in ..hostas requiring planting before freeze. Also energy levels at a minimum. So as was suggested above, do what you can and next year will present itself as it will.

Next year your hostas will be renewed. Just a word more of encouragement. I moved my hosta Halcyon. A little fragmant must have been left behind, survived and sprouted.

Jetman, good luck to you too.

Many of us have frustrating hosta stories (drought, cutworms etc.), probably not as dire as yours. I'm in zone 5B too. If those water restrictions have been lifted, go to town.. water,water, water.

I'm in the same situation that you're in ..hostas requiring planting before freeze. Also energy levels at a minimum. So as was suggested above, do what you can and next year will present itself as it will.

Next year your hostas will be renewed. Just a word more of encouragement. I moved my hosta Halcyon. A little fragmant must have been left behind, survived and sprouted.

Jetman, good luck to you too.

It looks like you have gotten a lot of good advice. I especially like Jetman's suggestion of breaking down your garden work into smaller projects. When the kids were little, I learned to do that also---break a project into smaller sections. That way I felt that I had actually accomplished something. If I had planned a larger project, in most cases, I would never have been able to finish it and that would have been terribly discouraging.

If you have had hosta for several years, then you know that many of them can be quite tough. You may be surprised next year to see how many of them have survived.

Perhaps you could ask someone to help you for a small fee just as Jetman did? And if not, just begin doing something in the garden. You may just find that it makes you feel a little bit better.

Best Wishes
Beverly.

Deanna,
I hear your frustration that something you have worked so hard on, and found such pleasure in, seems to have been destroyed in one short Summer. Of course you feel depressed and exhausted by it, how could you not?! Please have courage that the rains will come and things will get back to normal for your garden once again.

The suggestion of working in one small section of garden at a time sounds like a really constructive idea. I'd suggest choosing an area which can be seen from a window that you look out of often. As you do the gardening, you'll begin see this one small area starting to come together. As this little piece of the garden is renewed, it may help you regain that pleasure you felt and, with that, more energy.

Best wishes,
Deb

Hang in there and trust your hostas. They will reward your trust.

Les

My other "dependable" perennials went to stasis and didn't bloom. My gardens look like "S---". No Cannas, no tomatoes, no summer squash, no Happy Returns daylilies of any form. But now there is water and it gives me hope for next spring.

When we do have watering restrictions, I take baths using as little soap as possible, then use buckets to scoop out every drop I can and haul it to the garden. If you have the time and ambition, try it: That 30-40 gallons a day is a big help. At least it might stop the giant cracks.

Quite possibly, you can get some leaves and lay around the open wounded dried cracked ground, and it will help cool the hosta roots. If they were losing their leaves all summer, I think they were going summer dormant and protecting themselves. At least they were not rotting from standing in water, so they are preserving life through dormancy. The ones I lost here were in pots that I neglected to drill enough drainage holes in....then we got lots of rain and those plants sort of withered away more surely than if they'd been dry.

MadPlanter, I think you are a very disciplined individual. When you get right down to it, I remember during WWII (the big one) that we had water restrictions for each household, and we had one tub about 3 inches deep in water that the four of us bathed in. As kids it did not bother us much, since it was not a swimming pool to play in. :) Nowadays, I love a deep tub of water, and a long soaking bath. But I also have an outdoor shower which is on the irrigation meter and that is where I "outsource" much of my chores like house plants and dog baths and such. If we ever have water rationing here, I hope to be ready for it.

Also, years ago we put the washing machine drain into the flower bed to reuse the gray water. Don't do it now, our washer is a front loader which uses a tiny amount of water. But big washers use 30-40 gallons PER FILL, meaning for the WASH and then for the RINSE. That is a lot of water you know.

The hardest part, I find, when discouraged is the decision making. Where to put what that I acquired etc. I question some of the choices that I made earlier in the season but things are progressing.

Your username "gardenfanatic" indicates to me:

1. you love to garden
2. like me, you are a perfectionist

I find doing nothing for a day or two OR indulging myself for a day or two renews my enrgy levels. AND I keep reminding myself that my human interpersonal relationships are more important than my hostas.

I'm thinking I might pick up some horse manure to till into the soil since I'm tilling anyway. That should give the hostas a healthy boost for next year.

Irawon, you nailed me with your assessment - I love to garden and I'm such a perfectionist I drive myself nuts!

And newhostalady - how sweet of you to say you'd come over to help me if you were close.

Hosta really is the friendship plant. Hosta friends are the best. :-)

The gardener's mantra: "There's always next year!"

Deanna

Deanna, don't you have some seed pods to start harvesting? Nothing like seed growing to provide hope and promise.

Steve

Deanna

I too have found that "hosta people" are very friendly and helpful. Perhaps that is true of gardeners also.