Robyn,

1. i have some wide hostas that dont seem to get any bigger - i think one year, i think, i cut one in a half and both halfs formed a fully semetrical mass and filled in but then stopped.

if i cut up an 18" wide hostas, cutting it into 5 pieces, would all parts regenerate and fill in - or would the plant die?


2. do you think ferns would grow in a back yard receiving full sun? without a liner to retain water, or do they need the water - i think a neighbor had a strip of bordering land that was filled with various plants, including ferns, mugwort, and and all sorts of weeds - maybe the weeds kept the base of the ferns cool and moisture was retained?

We have deer. Hostas are like candy to an 8-year-old. Even with cages, they'll rip them off to finish them off.

I think as long as you retain some roots on them, each piece can recover.

Most ferns like shade and probably won't do well in full sun. Ferns like to be in forests where the shade, moss, leaf litter, etc. naturally keep the ground from becoming too dry. At the same time, they will not grow well in water at all. They just need slightly damp soil. The best way to get that is to plant them in forests. I really doubt they could live in a bog in full sun but you never know (I don't have good luck with plants at all!).