|  Gardening
With Hosta
June 2003
• by Anita
Sulley
Green, Gold,
Blue, White, and Ivory, with all these colors is there any wonder
why there is always a place in the shade garden for Hosta.
Hosta are
a wonderful shade plant that we grow primarily for their leaf
variation. They often have spectacular scented flowers of white
or mauve that are considered almost a bonus. With names like Guacamole,
Banana Muffins, Big Mama, Elvis Lives and Abba Dabba Doo who could
resist.
Hosta are
relatively undemanding. At home in a shady garden with moist soil,
they will tolerate many less desirable conditions and will adapt
to sun. Some Hosta such as, Regal Splendor, Sagae, Vanilla Cream,
Zounds, Royal Standard, and Sum and Substance are quite sun tolerant.
Hosta require
very little care. Once planted they can often be totally neglected
but will still thrive and become more beautiful with time. Slugs
are often the only problem for Hosta but today there are many
new varieties available that are quite slug resistant.
Hosta come
in so many sizes from the truly huge giants that can easily spread
to a width of four feet. There is an endless list to choose from
but here are a few examples of these large Hosta, Blue Umbrellas,
Lakeside Blue Jeans, Sum and Substance and Potomac Pride. There
are also tiny dwarf Hosta such as Puck, Tiny Tot and Missy Mouse
that are often planted in pots or in rock gardens.
Hosta
are native to Japan, Korea and China and people have been growing
them in their gardens for hundreds of years. They have been grown
in North America since the early 1900's but their popularity rose
sharply over the last 20 years or so with the introduction of
hundreds of new varieties. Today the hosta is the largest selling
perennial in North America.
Anita
Sulley |
