Re: Hostas
- Subject: Re: Hostas
- From: T* &* M* R*
- Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 09:13:59 +1200
I too grow Hostas in what is supposed to be a zone 9 climate though we
do get regular slight winter frosts (severe very occasionally). Whenever
I can though I site them in some shade and ensure they always have
sufficient moisture by deep mulching and occasional watering. I have
always found they tend to suffer slug and snail damage and I need to
have traps in position as soon as the leaves begin to unfurl in spring
to keep them whole. I find in general the smaller-leaved varieties
suffer the least mollusc damage, but amusingly one cultivar (Invincible)
which was specially supposed to resist such attacks is always the first
they make for!
Curiously I have found that those that were in drier and sumnnier
positions actually seem more likely to suffer leaf damage and I presume
this is because slugs (or in my garden more often snails) are drawn to
the clumps to take the advantage of the cool moist shelter given by the
mulch in an otherwise hostile environment. In other words if one didn't
mulch these plants one might not get the leaves holed! As they say "yer
can't win" <G>
Moira
