Good morning - now I'm not the only one up!
I also make a stick type marker and bury it. It can be made from window blind pieces or purchased ones. I use my p-touch label maker and make an extra label and attach it because most handwritten labels fade.

One other thing you can do that Kit and I do is make a map of each garden or section of garden. I know the first time through would take a bit of time but in the end it is well worth it. Every spring the gremlins seem to sneak away with a tag or 4. We just look up that section of the bed and we can tell right away what should be there. During the summer we try to keep them updated somewhat , but each fall as we are putting the hostas to bed we drag out the maps and update them for the following year.

Gary

Gary, I am going to try to map my garden this year. I have far, far fewer cultivars than most people on the forum, but I do get confused with who is where. This is the last year that I plan to make major changes in design (adding the 17 hostas I've ordered for the year). I have one prepped area that is resting this year, bare of hostas. Next year I will just add that bed as a separate drawing. For awhile I was thinking of getting rid of all the markers and just going on drawings, but then I ordered a new set of markers for the entire garden instead.

I have good, solid aluminum markers. Probably some of them show in the pictures I've posted - particularly in the pictures of hostas in bloom. If not, I can post one when I get home. They are one piece; so don't get intertwined in garden rakes in the fall and if I push them in well in the fall they stay put over the winter.

The other thing I've found very helpful is to take regular (I try for once a week) pictures of my entire collection. Hostas w/o markers can generally be identified by what is around them in the pictures - that is, of course, unless I move them late in the season.

Ann

I hate the raking thing with EON, but love the markers otherwise. Please let us know cost/source on the ones you have Ann.

I've been mapping my beds for a couple of years now. They really comes in handy when you have a brain cramp. - Dennis

The plant markers I use are called Perma-stake garden ID markers. Canadian made. I was able to find them last year with a Google search. If they don't show up for you, I'll look them up once I get home. Am presently in Vancouver with limited computer time. They are available through my local hosta nursery and last year cost me about 70 cents each. Since the Cdn $ is not at par with the US$; I guess they'd be about the same.

Ann
Pictures are also a very good way to keep track of your hostas. Either way, whether mapping or pictures or a combination of the two, or even some other method is definitely something a person should do to keep track of their plants. The hardest part is the getting started. Once a system is in place maintaining it and updating it on a regular basis is really easy.

Gary

It's easy to get lazy, especially when planting in a frenzy... I tell myself "I'll map this year" and "I'll make a permanent label later". Sometimes, later is a long, long time. And those plastic strap labels have a way of not only fading, but walking away in the meantime. One spring, a birdnest blew down in our yard and intertwined with the twigs were plastic strap labels!!! So forever more, it's not my fault when a label goes missing.... I blame the birds.

That works for me. I need to get outside and weed. Cya!

I am happy to report that all my kneeling and feeling has been successful! All my pips are present and accounted for!

We've lost three so far.... voles. Roller Coaster Ride, Candy Dish and Rhino Hide. But out of hundreds, that's not too shabby.

I think the only ones I lost were some that I didn't get planted last year. Oh well, there is still time to see if they want to show up or not...

I made the rounds of mine this afternoon - arrived home from Vancouver in the wee hours of the morning.

At this time, I have not found pips for: Blue Ice, Blue Shadows, Cameo, Cherish, Christmas Pageant, Fujibotan, Full Moon, Ghost Spirit, Gypsy Rose, Ice Age Trail, Karin, Lakeside Mom, Lonesome Dove, Loyalist, Masquerade, On Stage, Pandora's Box, Patriot, a streaked division of Pewterware, Regal Splendor, Restless Sea, Sara, Surprised By Joy, Tokudama Aureonebulosa, Whirlwind.

There is growth that I THINK is Stealth. I think it was not labelled since it was a mistake last year and not identified until late in the season.

Most of the above have a history of being late and I think will come back just fine. A few may be accounted for but lost in crocus foliage.

The ones I worry about are those for which the markers AND the plants are missing - Lakeside Mom, Gypsy Rose, and maybe Restless Sea. I had the Pewterware in a pot last year - I'm hoping all I have to do is figure out where in the garden I planted it last fall.

Ann

Heatwave has one tiny pip that is white and has not grown at all in the past week. Athena is still not poking up, though it appears there is some growth. I won't replace Athena if it doesn't come up, though I'll probably replace Heatwave.

'Regal Splash' looks like it reverted to solid green (Regal Splendor?), which stinks! I'm keeping up hopes that it will develop its streaking, but one eye is almost completely leafed out and the other is well on its way. Booooo.....

Hi, I have lost some to the weather all the roots exposed , would it be o.k. to dig them out and dig deeper holes or should I buy dirt and cover them more I've had many for at least 4 years . ....Sharon

Do you mean just that the roots heaved during the winter? That happened to a lot of mine this year - many more than usual. Maybe a function of our mild winter.

The smaller ones I will lift and plant deeper. The larger ones I'll top dress.

Of the missing hostas - Regal Splendor and Restless Sea have been found. Should have found both yesterday, but didn't. Still don't know what I did with Pewterware.

Well... I've lost a few for sure - Roller Coaster Ride (thank you voles), High Kicker (ditto)... but now - after most everything is up and looking pretty wonderful, we are going to have a hard freeze tonight. I'm in a panic. I have thrown sheer curtains over what I can but I think the rest is up to Mother Nature. Anyone else expecting a freeze?

We had freeze warnings last Saturday night. My gardens are so spread out and extensive that I don't have enough sheets in the house to cover any of them, so, I just quit worrying about it and let Mother Nature take her course. Thank heavens, it did not get down below 33 or 32. All my hosta, peony, and iris came through just fine. The lilies did too for the most part, altho, some are showing a bit of scorch. Hopefully we are done with this nonsense and we can move into tomato planting season.

We've had three consecutive nights of frosts. Most of my hostas did OK now that the trees are mostly leafed out, but some have damage. 'Diana Remembered' is likely the worst. Might end up removing a few leaves before the garden tour at the end of June - we'll see.