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sandyslopes_z5ut

Don't worry, we'll be careful with your plants........

.......said the roofing contractor. Yes, I'm grateful to have a brand new roof, where someone else did all the hard work. And it looked like very hard work.



But, but, .......look at them. Waaah! I guess they'll come back as good as new next year. Won't they?



I'm a little worried they'll be set back because they weren't dormant yet. I could use some reassurance if you've ever had your hostas trampled and mangled. Will they survive big guys, ladders, and roof shingles?

Comments (31)

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    They will survive just fine. Leave all the still attached, broken leaves if you can stand to look at them until they go dormant.

    My dogs attacked an opossum under and around my hosta. They took a beating. I'm sure they will be fine.

    Yours will, too.

    bk

  • BungalowMonkeys
    9 years ago

    Holy cow! There are some lazy people in this world. Obviously you can't slap around your contractor, but goodness him and his lazy helpers need their little a**es kicked. That looks exactly like what my dad and brother inlaw did to my sisters poor garden when they did her roof. She had a beautiful Japanese Maple and a rose bush collection and they dropped the shingles all over it.

    Not sure if you can do this, or would even want to hassel with it, but i'd attempt to deduct from the bill. His payment would be minus the replacement cost of each trampled hosta. He probably doesn't know that they should be just fine next year and that wouldn't be the point. He set expectations of care, which he clearly didn't meet. Hopefully will make him cognizant of the care his workers take, on his next clients garden.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Who won the battle, BK?

    And yes leave the tattered leaves attached. All shall be well.

  • BungalowMonkeys
    9 years ago

    Oh, and now that my snarky rant is over. I'm very sorry for your stress. That stressed me out just looking at it. Had the same question on a different post, but it wasn't roof tiles. Was animal and kid tramplings. Everyone said the same. Don't snip the leaves and just let them be until the season is over. Should come back just fine.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    The possum came back the next day. They had it down in the middle of the yard. It was playing possum. We were going to bag it and put it in the trash, but it breathed. Dh threw it over the fence into the alley. It walked away. I hope it doesn't come back.

    bk

  • mstrecke
    9 years ago

    Note to self.... Have roofing done in the fall so that I do not have to live with the aftermath very long...

    I would say - hopefully they will be more conscientious of the plants when cleaning up.. but apparently they are heathens and have no appreciation for gardens :(

    Just let what is left be and they should come back next year.

    Hosta are tough plants.

    m

  • User
    9 years ago

    OMG, I just remembered that our house remodel includes a whole house reroofing. Oh groan. At least I have none in the ground around the house.

    However, all the blues must be safely tucked away behind the lattice shade screen, beyond which is garden and OFF LIMITS to the destruction and construction crews. I'll be sure to tell the general contractor tomorrow when we go over the details.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    I'm sure they'll be just fine next spring. Not really the POINT, though. &*^%$#@!!! is what I'd start out with. That's just me.

    Don B.

  • sherrygirl zone5 N il
    9 years ago

    All I can say is OH BOY! Glad they weren't at my house. Got a neighborhood cat that sits in the middle of my hostas on occasion, however, doesn't compare to this. They WILL be beautiful next spring!

    Sherry

  • sandyslopes z5 n. UT
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    That's what I needed, reassurances. I hope they come back all right next year. The shingles have been hauled away but the plants are left flattened and broken. I will let them be, so whatever is still green can take in energy.
    Funny thing is, in the front yard they were very careful not to mess up any plants. But as you see, the back of the house wasn't so lucky.

    bungalowmonkeys, it is stressful to see hostas in such a situation. I expected some damage because I have everything planted so close to the house. But I know hostas are resilient so have my fingers crossed for next spring. The thing I'm more upset about is one of the workers broke a faucet handle in one of my bathrooms! I wasn't expecting inside damage.

    Mocc, I hope your remodel is going smoothly, but there's so many irritations along the way. I'm always happy when a house project is finished, but getting there isn't fun at all. Good thing you can move your hosta pots out of the way when it's time for your roof.

    bk, that's not a smart possum if it came back, or you must have something that is a big draw to your yard. My last house we had two Golden Retrievers barking at a cornered possum. But when I put them in their dog run, it left fast and never came back that I knew of.

    mstrecke, I was a little stressed about waiting, but I'm really glad I put it off until fall. I couldn't bear it if this happened to the newly emerging hosta pips in the spring.

    LOL, Don. I was mumbling some of those choice words while out there with my camera.

    Thanks for the positive spring thoughts, Sherry. I bet my hostas would have rather dealt with a cat sitting on them.

  • mac48025 ( SE michigan)
    9 years ago

    I concur with the others that your hosta's should be just fine but there's no excuse for the roofers carelessness. At the very least he could have put a tarp over them, or better yet plywood on supports. I'm sure that was too much expense and bother for him but deducting something from his final bill would teach him a lesson. This is coming from a contractor!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    i would not walk bare foot.. anywhere the shingles were dropped.. for at least a year or two ..

    be on the look out for nails ...

    regardless of how anal they were with their bar magnet ...

    ken

  • drc215
    9 years ago

    Bet they were thinking it's just hostas - no big deal, especially since they were more careful in the front.

    Unfortunately I see this happen a lot on roofing jobs.

    How did they break the faucet??!!

    I know, of course, that you will be telling all your neighbors, friends, relatives, strangers at the grocery store...about this company's assault. Pictures are good visual aids :). You don't want anyone else to go thru what you did.

  • hostatakeover swMO
    9 years ago

    Ugh.....that hurts just to look at it. Wow, the damage is stunning but like the cyborg says, "I'll be back." And they will, too, and this carnage will be but a memory.

  • Elraes Miller
    9 years ago

    I am going through the same thing from hail damage. Although the guys are throwing old roofing material in a trailer on the driveway and close to the house. My issue is they are creating a path from the ladder through my cottage garden. Most is seeding, but more than a few are my fall bloomers. Am holding my breath the ones blooming will be well next year. The worse part was the painters last week. Even the roofers mentioned they were sure messy. In reality I could have painted myself in the time it will take to touch up and clean up. It eludes me that most workers have no clue what a weed or real landscape is. Guess that isn't their forte. And they are working constantly, so I should be grateful it is done in short time.

  • Elraes Miller
    9 years ago

    Meant to add that there is absolutely no reason for the mess they have made. Now they will be walking all over the plants to clean up. I would definitely remind them of their plant promise and ask for replacement or a credit on that mess.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    We had a construction project that just finished. It was a disaster all round. What they didn't break, they painted. What they didn't paint, they covered in concrete debris. The general/electrical contractor disappeared after we were red-tagged on the electric. The plumber put the toilet so close to the wall, it won't flush correctly. And on and on and on.

    And I still haven't reported them to the state and Angie's list. I guess people like me are part of the problem.

    bk

  • drc215
    9 years ago

    Please bk, report them. One of my biggest pet peeves is the placement of toilets in both private and public locations, and then where the tp dispenser is placed in relationship to it. That and where light switches and electrical outlets are placed. When my kids were little they could not reach the light switch, it was placed so high on the wall. And the electrical outlet is right below it instead of the corner of the wall! Ugh!

    Enough of my rant, back to hostas.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Now I'm beginning to worry about the flower beds next to the house streetside. All the beds DH worked on will be decimated by the old roofing as it falls....shingles already crumbling. Roofing tacks.... my heavy magnet on a stick will get used every night. My new car, well, I'll park it across the street for the duration. A good neighbor is always a blessing.

    Hosta will fare very well in the walled Garden of The White Dove. As long as the crew keeps out of there with cigarette butts. Smoking is such a nasty habit. I may get an exercise pen for the two dachshund girls.

    I only need to move about 40 pots of blue hostas and all will be inside the garden walls. (Fences actually)

  • ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
    9 years ago

    I have learned a lot from this group. I have heard bad tree stories and yard destruction that should have been avoided by workers. I had a pine tree removed last fall. I moved plants out of the way but I let the tree man know that all limbs and tree parts were to be hand lowered or dropped in ONE area only. They were overly protective of my plants and all went well. Nothing was harmed and the tree is gone. Ram Jack came and dug all over. Before the contract was made I let them know that NO plants were to be harmed. I let the crew chief and the job chief also know of this. Nothing damaged. I had to keep them out of the cactus tho, just curious. Roofing. Had a week of roofers up there. Drove me nuts. I let them know that NO plants were to be damaged, in 2 languages. I gave them drop sites and made sure they were clear. I did patrols. I looked at the job sites when they were cleaning up at night and would just ask some nice questions, but firm. If I did not like something I said something, nice but firm. You are paying for the job to be done. I will say that again: YOU are paying them to do a job for YOU. Hey the right way too.

    Before you hire a contractor let them know your rules for working in your yard. Have it put in writing at the time you are working out the contract. mocc there is no worry about your roofers just let them know nice but firm. Oh and I will second Kens remark about nails. I am still finding them here and there 9 months later.

  • sandyslopes z5 n. UT
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hosta folks are the best! You are all so nice to sympathize when a lot of people wouldn't. They ended up using more plywood than originally thought we needed, so I didn't ask for any discounts.

    This is the same company that built both decks and installed a door where a window used to be. I've seen homes they've built from the bottom up, so we trusted them with our roof. Getting there is never fun, but when it's all done their work has been very good so far.

    mac48025, luckily, they did put tarps over both decks and covered the a.c. to keep debris out. I guess they thought plants were not in need of such protection. Of course, the original contractor wasn't on site but for minutes at a time to check the work. I don't think he climbed the hill to go around back and see this mess.

    ken, I was watching for some kind of magnet, but all I saw them use was a rake on the lawn. I don't usually go barefoot, but I do venture out in just sandals, so I'll have to be careful out there for a while.

    drc215, about the faucet handle, one of the cleanup guys came to the door three times the first (and only) day he was there. Twice to use the bathroom and once for me to fill his water jug for him. He punched the doorbell so hard it got stuck, but I was able to toggle it so it popped out again. So he seemed like a rough and clueless type person. My guess is he tried to flip the handle upward instead of turning it sideways and it broke! He was very polite, the oldest one on this crew, and coughing up a storm. He seemed like the kind of person whose life has been a hard one, so I let it go and will try to fix it myself. But what a pain.

    HostaTakeover, I'm hoping you're right and it will be a distant memory come next spring.

    technicolor, you're going through it, too! I showed the hostas here, but other perennials were also caught in this mess. It's weird how the workers end up places I never thought of. They trampled all over three Austin roses, Golden Celebration, that were off the beaten path..... or so I thought. I'm still a little shell shocked about the gardens. Good luck on your new roof.

    bk, your experience sounds awful. I would be so stressed if the final product didn't turn out well. I hope you get some help with getting it all fixed the way it should be.

    Mocc, definitely make sure your car is nowhere closeby. And be sure to check for nails. I picked up a couple dozen from the driveway on the first day. I couldn't believe no one thought to sweep those up after the dumpster was removed. Good thing I got out there before DH came home. .....I've only found one cigarette butt so far.

    ilovetogrow, I've learned a lot from people here, too. Maybe I need to learn how to be nice but FIRM about more things. I dread getting our basement finished because then they'll be in the house for so long. At least no hostas should suffer on that project.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Sandy, it is possible that there was the "Front Yard/Back Yard" thinking with the roofing crews.

    Front yards in "foundation planting" properties where no real gardener lives, is the only part that has good plants. The real concern with them is THE LAWN. Curb appeal.

    The back yard is a whole different matter. Non gardeners, but "grass cutters" (including weed whackers, edgers, fertilizer-ers) don't have much planted in the back yard that has any priority on careful treatment. So I can see how that might happen.

    It takes a gardener to care about the entire place.
    And Paula, so happy to have you chime in, sure missed your input. I'll be sure to set my requirements into the contract....Like put cigarette butts SMOKED OUTSIDE ONLY in a can of sand and not thrown in the grass or flower beds.
    There will be portapotties and a dumpster...sigh....

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    Good point, Ken...Should be a lot of nails scattered around there...

  • in ny zone5
    9 years ago

    Iron nails are good for plants, provide necessary iron. But watch out when you dig with hands, they still might be sharp.

  • hosta_freak
    9 years ago

    I hear ya,Sandy! When I lived in Florida,we had new windows installed all around. Below the front windows,I had Caladiums growing,and the installer walked all over them,and though he did a good job,it's always been my theory that contractors just don't care,they just do the job,and walk away. We also had a new roof installed years earlier,a few years prior to the window install,and I got a roofing nail in one of my shoes,so beware! Phil

  • ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
    9 years ago

    Smoking? On the property? I do not think so. I am an avid non smoker of 33 years and I do not get any nicer. No one is allowed to smoke on my property. I cannot stop anyone from smoking on the street but you had better field strip and police your butts. That is also something that can be added to a contract. A contractor should come on to your property and leave it like they were never there.

    Nails that have landed on the property are not all shiny and bright or new. They are rusted and dirty from having been on your roof for the last couple of years. Sandals are no protection. Call your roofer and see if they ran a magnet. If not request it. But still watch as they do not stand out as good in the dirt or grass rusty. Roofing here with magnet 9 months later and still find one here and there. After a rain there will be more. Now I need to go back to the mum post. LOL

  • newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
    9 years ago

    Guess what my husband said yesterday. "We need a new roof and I have someone coming to give us an estimate." What????? That was a surprise to me. I have been reading your thread with interest sandyslopes. So the roofing contractor came today and I said "what about my plants!" He said he can put a note on our contract. We also discussed how the old shingles would be removed from the roof without disturbing the plantings.

    I will be rereading your thread for suggestions I've perhaps missed. Just sorry that your hostas were squashed by the roof shingles. Perhaps it helps a little bit to know that you have been able to help others?

  • littlebug5
    9 years ago

    I too have read this thread with great interest and growing apprehension. We have been negotiating for WEEKS (hailstorm and then insurance agent/claims reps and multiple roofing contractors) to get a new roof, guttering, screening for the porch, etc. etc. and I'm worried about my plants. My hostas are not close to the house, but there's a 2-year-old miniature cherry tree that I'm very fond of and a hydrangea that I have been coaxing blue blooms out of . . . . .

  • sandyslopes z5 n. UT
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    newhostalady, if my experience can be a cautionary tale, then, yes, that is a good thing. But they told me that they'd be dropping all the shingles into the dumpster on the driveway and you see what happened in the back. Get things like bird baths, feeders, pots of plants, etc. safely put away because you don't know for sure where things will land, lol. But a solid roof, ....gotta have it, right? Good luck on yours!

    Phil, I was just thinking that I should get my windows washed because how much worse can it get now with more ladders out there?.....a roofing nail in your shoe, and ilovetogrow finding nails nine months later, those are both good reasons for me to wear better shoes and get a magnet out there.

    As the plants die back this fall I'll probably be able to find a lot more. Just today I found a piece of shingle and a nail close to one of the bird baths I was filling. For one moment I thought about how bernd said the nail is good for my soil. Then I imagined hitting that nail with my shovel some day and tossed it in the trash.

    littlebug5, I understand the apprehension that goes with any projects like this. My DH still thinks we need new gutters, ~sigh~. When they built the decks, I got some of that bright caution tape and bamboo stakes. They managed not to ruin some shrubs I had blocked off that way. Maybe that will work for your cherry tree and hydrangea. Good luck to you, too!

  • esther_b
    9 years ago

    OMG. There is no way I would give the roofers the full amount of their last installment. I would also put a very negative report about them on Angieslist (to which I belong). I would also haunt their phone until they cleaned up their mess.

    As for the nails (good call, Ken!), it would probably be helpful to go over the garden with a very powerful nail pickup magnet. I'd hate to hear about your getting punctured by a rusty nail those careless ___s left there.

  • newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
    9 years ago

    "But they told me that they'd be dropping all the shingles into the dumpster on the driveway . . ." The roofing people tell me that they will be dropping all the shingles in a trailer on the driveway. Sounds like what they told you! I will make sure the workers know what is expected of them and that something is written in the contract about the plants. Thanks for the reminder about moving all things possible out of the way, sandyslopes!