Gardening

[marzNC]

Originally I was told the taste was a cross between the two, but I think they're more like beans, the BEST you've ever eaten. They grow up to 36-38" long, so I figure they're one bean per serving! I'd ~much~ rather have asparagus beans than any standard type. Recent years I've been able to get the seeds at Wal-mart. Previously finding the seeds was the hardest part!

Oh, now I know what you are talking about. See those in the Asian market all the time. But haven't ever bought them. Are they really stringlesss?

 

[Salomon]

Most of the hostas are nicely out now . And only 1 has slug damage probably because it hasnt rained for about a month .

 

[skibum4ever]

Has anyone who lives in a warm climate ever grown heliconia plants? A local friend suggested that I give it a try. I enjoy growing the occasional exotic plant. So I bought some seeds...

 

[marzNC]

Most of the hostas are nicely out now . And only 1 has slug damage probably because it hasnt rained for about a month .

Pretty!

Do you re-pot the hostas on a regular basis? I have some azaleas in big pots in front of the house but never thought about putting a hosta in a pot.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Oh, now I know what you are talking about. See those in the Asian market all the time. But haven't ever bought them. Are they really stringlesss?

Yes, no strings and have a fabulous taste!

 

[liquidfeet]

Has anyone who lives in a warm climate ever grown heliconia plants? A local friend suggested that I give it a try. I enjoy growing the occasional exotic plant. So I bought some seeds...

View attachment 12809

This plant is amazing. Is this yours that we're looking at?

 

[skibum4ever]

This plant is amazing. Is this yours that we're looking at?

Sadly no. I bought the seeds to grow that plant. Hopefully I'll be able to post photos of my actual plant(s) next summer.

 

[Salomon]

Pretty!

Do you re-pot the hostas on a regular basis? I have some azaleas in big pots in front of the house but never thought about putting a hosta in a pot.

They have been reported a couple of times but they will likely stay as they are now . I like hostas and I like to be able to see them . But they need shade which is in short supply in the areas close to the house . They are under an acer tree so there is no soil there . We have a fenced in area which links the house with our outside living space where the dogs roam around ....and Dogs have a tendency to destroy plants by peeing on them ! They struggle to cock their legs high enough to reach a plant in deep pot .

 

[marzNC]

They have been reported a couple of times but they will likely stay as they are now . I like hostas and I like to be able to see them . But they need shade which is in short supply in the areas close to the house . They are under an acer tree so there is no soil there . We have a fenced in area which links the house with our outside living space where the dogs roam around ....and Dogs have a tendency to destroy plants by peeing on them ! They struggle to cock their legs high enough to reach a plant in deep pot .

I put the azaleas in pots because our indoor/outdoor cat stopped wandering farther away from the house when he was a senior cat. Preferred to do his business outdoors instead of using a litter box. He would want to go out, and then come back in 10 min later.

Our yard has lots of shade. Sometimes I put outdoor plants in pots so that I can move them out of full sun during the two hot summer months.

 

[MissySki]

I am so upset! This morning deers ate the hosta spikes around my back patio that were around 6 inches tall! These are huge ginormous hostas that I have successfully protected with deer repellent spray the last two summers. I was just thinking yesterday that it was time to respray, but I was holding off until tomorrow due to rain forecast for last night and today.

I've never had hostas eaten up so early in the spring.. I've had leaves eaten way later in the season. Will they still keep growing and just have distorted leaf shape, or are they toast??

 

[liquidfeet]

@MissySki, you could document their current state of despair with photos and post them here, then document and post pics as they put out new growth. I'd like to see what happens. You could also start a thread asking your question on this hosta forum where people in the know may answer: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/hostas You won't have as much trouble posting pictures there as here, by the way. You won't have to reduce the file size if your images are too large. The platform does it for you.

I haven't protected my hostas from deer yet because I've been thinking just as you have. Deer have never eaten pips before in my garden, but they have munched down on leaves for sure. I'll do something today.

Some hostas produce only one flush of leaves per season, while others produce a second flush after blooming, and I think some continually produce more leaves all season. Their natural growth habit may have an impact on what they do with the stored energy they were planning on putting into the leaves they had already sent up. They may build more buds underground. I don't know.

If you leave alone the mangled leaves that the deer left behind and allow those leaves to grow up with their distorted shapes, they will still be able to do photosynthesis and provide nourishment and energy to the crowns and roots, so there will still be underground growth even if the leaves are distorted.

If you remove all the leaves because they are ugly, you may not get much leafage to replace them. For new replacement leaes, there probably needs to be buds already in place ready to make new leaves now. In other words, they may need to have buds that were going to send leaves up anyway. But I'm just guessing.

I feel your pain. I love my hostas and become a raging mama bear when someone attacks them. Darn vegetarian deer!

 

[marzNC]

I've never had hostas eaten up so early in the spring.. I've had leaves eaten way later in the season. Will they still keep growing and just have distorted leaf shape, or are they toast??

The hostas will keep growing. At least mine did. Obviously when a leaf is half eaten, then it won't ever look right. But I never bothered to do much about them. Leaves could be trimmed at some point so not so jagged looking.

We used to have a lot more deer when our neighborhood included essentially 50 acres of woods because the few large lots were all wooded. Once I started doing long mid-season and late season ski trips, never could keep up with the yard work related to keeping the critters from eating hostas and day lillies. In central NC, a warm spell can cause spring growth by late Feb or mid-March.

 

[MissySki]

They will probably put up more pips, since the crowns have not yet used up their stored energy. You could document their state of despair right now with photos, and post their new growth right here. I haven't protected my hostas yet from deer because I've been thinking just as you have. Deer have never eaten pips before in my garden, but they have munched down on leaves for sure.

I will take a picture when I get out later today, so far I just noticed from my window and then went to my security camera footage. Darn deer was eating it at 6:48 am. Ugh, so frustrating!! I don't think I will cut anything, I definitely want to leave things alone so hopefully something grows out still and they are at least able to get photosynthesis going. I'm going to probably spray at some point later today if it seems reasonable looking at the weather forecast.

 

[marzNC]

Here are a couple other types of azaleas in my front yard. Pics taken last week. First one gets shade in the afternoons and is around 25 years old, about 2-feet tall. I planted three together and two survived. Very close to the front door. Second one gets full sun all the time. Think I got that about five years ago. It's about 3-feet high.

 

[Jenny]

@MissySki - I just read an article yesterday that said hostas were edible for people. IIRC, you cut off the spikes as they were growing, sorta like asparagus, I guess. Anyway, it said to do it early, when they're tender, so I would assume that you'll get new growth and it should be fine, but I'm just guessing.

This is from a different article than the one I read - amazing how many there are when you google!

Cut some shoots from the plant off at the base, but do not pull up the roots. If you still want the hosta to grow and bloom as an ornamental plant for the rest of the season, leave about half the shoots in the ground and you should still get a full plant that flowers mid-late summer. It may be beneficial to the flavor to harvest early in the morning, when they are cool and damp.​

 

[Jenny]

Also interesting - according to the article we can eat them (and obviously deer can, too) but they're toxic for dogs and cats.

 

[liquidfeet]

People grow hostas for their foliage, not for their blooms. Many people even cut off the blooms.

Eating the leaves seems like sacrilege.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

People grow hostas for their foliage, not for their blooms. Many people even cut off the blooms.

Eating the leaves seems like sacrilege.

Nope! Not me!!! I'm all about blooms!!!!!

 

[skibum4ever]

My 2 summer squash plants are wilting in the 99° heat. I got in touch with a friend who gardens extensively out in the desert, and he uses a shade screen for his zucchini.

I guess I'll be visiting Home Depot or Lowe's tomorrow. I will first shop online and see what's available.

 

[Salomon]

We have a pretty big garden . Actually it’s really big . It’s way too big for 2 people to do all the stuff that needs doing . As we have now been here for 6 straight weeks in lockdown , the gardens are looking better than ever .
So I thought I would show off . You have nothing to compare so they may look rubbish but believe me there is a helluva lot of work gone I to this
It’s only the front gardens ( the back is no where near showing off !)