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Hosta, Storm Damage

My hostas were damaged by a hailstorm and they look as if a lawnmower went over them. My question is, do I cut them back after I remove all the broken leaves and stems, or let them be in hopes that new leaves with grow?

A true garden tragedy is seeing all your newly emerged hosta leaves crushed by a violent storm. It is almost as bad as losing all your daffodil blooms to a late freeze.

My advice is to cut the damaged leaves back to just above the ground and leave the healthy ones intact. You may see some new growth this season, but it may be smaller in size. You can plant around your hostas with shade loving annuals such as impatiens or green leafed begonias to help hide the damage.

When I know that severe weather is in the forecast, I protect my specimen hostas with an old plastic laundry basket. I simply turn the basket upside down over the plant and secure in place with u-shaped pins made from wire hangers. This works well with other plants, too.

To learn more about Hostas and other shade perennials, check out the video below!