We had a early spring in SE MN this year, not quite enough April Showers and a cold snap for a week that hit a few hostas and bleeding hearts! Enjoying the early perennials appearing and bulbs showing up tho!
We had spent a big day digging and splitting hostas in my main hosta bed. I had figured if we can get a major resize one now it will be ready for the next 8 years maybe and by then I will probably have given up my gardening work for sure. Some of them had been there for 13-15 years so were pretty darn big and when they hit maturity during the year there was no soil to be seen, it was hosta leaf to hosta leaf with some overlapping!
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| 2019 view |
What to do with the pieces we removed? Well, our local area has begun the Jumping Worm infestation that is sweeping into the midwest from the coasts. That has a big impact (in addition to the Covid 19 restrictions) on our local Plant Sale fundraisers by garden clubs! I have not been able to find any infestations in my garden beds yet. The worms die in the winter here, but their eggs survive ready to hatch in the spring and by August are reproducing. Unfortunately the cocoons that contain the eggs are only 1-3 mm in size and look like soil particles in the spring also!
U of MN is recommending that all plants from gardens that are to be sold at a sale should be taken down to bare root with water and potted up in clean/new potting soil in clean pots! So, I am unable to handle the preparation in my own yard but the hostas needed resizing so badly. Denny dug and I split the plants and had them ready to pot up (unwashed) and counted 55 pots on the garage floor and I suspect I have another 20 pots left to dig and fill. On a hunch I contacted the Hosta Sale Chair and asked if they had anyone who would want to prep them for the sale and immediately got a YES so that was just great! Makes me feel great, as they will add some funds to our Hosta Club Treasury to support our community and member projects!
However, before we could tackle the rest of the hostas to split, we had a cold snap and it has left me with many hostas that will not be in saleable condition to attract buyers now. Oh well, I will see if I can find new homes for them later.
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| The good news - Blue Bells blooming The bad news - frost bit hosta white & green |
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| Good News - A pulmonaria I just planted last year! |
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| The good news - My favorite Clematis up early Last year I didn't see it until mid May! |
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