Hallson Gardens

I have 3 of this variety, all are battling this same issue. Last summer they fried in the sun after their shade tree had to come down. I was hoping it was just stress related deformities but I'm beginning to have doubts. Gardenweb/Houzz forums recommended this forum for Chris' opinion.

Thank you

karrieann

Zone 8a/b

Hi,

The first picture could be some frost damage since the leaf didn't seem to unfurl properly but the second picture is 100% hosta virus x.

Unfortunately the only way to really get rid of the infection from these plants is to dig them up and throw them away. Once out you shouldn't plant another hosta in the same spot unless you were to remove all of the soil that was inhabited by these plants, which could be a tough task if they are older plants. Also, since it is harder to spread HVX in the fall, I often recommend digging at that time when there are other hostas nearby that might be impacted by the digging. But that leads to another tough decision - if you already have other hostas that could be inhabiting the same root space then those plants might also either be carrying HVX or might catch it later. Not all hostas show infection this clearly when they have HVX and some never show symptoms at all, so from now on be really mindful of digging and cutting/dividing in the garden. Use disinfecting wipes on all your tools and scrub your shovels after digging and wash your hands and clean your tools often.

Sorry to see it

Chris

Thank you, Chris, for being a very pleasant 'bearer of bad news'.

I moved the 4 hostas from their old site to their new site a couple of months ago. I'm not sure how aggressively the roots have set in, at this point.

Picked up some small hostas at the local Washington State University extension Mother's Day sale but am now fearful of planting them in the space where my sick hostas are. Is it too risky to plant them in this same area? The picture shows 3 large green hostas that are affected plus a smaller white one which I moved last (did not clean my tools between, ugh!). I'm thinking it might be best to get rid of it, too. You can also see the 4 new hostas sitting in pots. Is it safe to plant them in spots where the planted hostas are not planted? This space is my best shady spot in the yard. (The wood stakes are markers for some old old old bulbs I thought might grow but I don't think that's actually going to happen.)

Thank you !