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shading new hostas until perennials grow in

17 years ago

Hi,

I planted my first two hostas (Stained Glass and Thunderbolt from Plant Delights, good-sized plants [SG especially]) in a bed that is shady most of the summer because they are on the north side of a wire fence (community garden) that has tallish perennials on the south side. BUT of course the perennials are only sprouts right now. After I planted the hostas yesterday and realized the problem I covered them with a double layer of remay, but I'm wondering if that's a good solution to this short-term problem? I was also considering getting a length of 30% shade cloth and attaching it flat to the fence.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't want my babies to fry!

Thanks,

Alice

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
welcome.. great to see some new names ....

just guessing here.. if you already have the remay .. why not put that on the fence ....

if you have an old screen from the house... you can use that ....

i would use 50% shade cloth if available ...

but.. hosta are only shade tolerant.. they will do just fine in more sun ... especially spring sun which isnt as hot as summer ... the bigger concern is that the seller had them in shade.. and now you are blasting them into the sun ....

why not just pot them ... keep them protected.. and plant them out when the perennials get high enough.. hardening them off to the sun prior ...

SG is a plantaginea.. and can probably take a lot of sun ... with enough water .... but TB has a waxy coating that wont like summer heat & sun ...

all hosta grow more vigorously in sun .. but they get pretty ugly later in summer.. but next year the plant will be bigger than if it were in total shade ...

good luck
ken
Teresa_MN
17 years ago
I grow most of mine in full sun.....but I am in zone 4. And I water well. Some actually do better in full sun - like Fire and Ice.

Hope someone from your zone can weigh in.

Welcome to the forum!

Teresa
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What a big list Josephines, I think I have a small or medium red stalked (petioled) hosta, but, you can't really see the red on it. I love the Stephen King so far, I have had to stake it, though. Steve, my Stephen King is in all shade under my Pin oak, it MAY get a few rays of sun through the branches, but, really it's under the branches a good bit, so I'm guessing all shade. I have never received a Hosta that big, usually when I get a Hosta I get the smallest bit of the plant. Mostly super tiny, my plant of the Empress Wu was so tiny, I can't imagine that little piece ever being huge. I guess that the Stephen King is maybe not ever small? But, then again, if I'd have placed my order in spring, the division may have been much smaller. ANYWAY, it's a nice division, and it shows just how nice and impressive the SK Hosta is.
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lisasmall
17 years ago
Welcome, AliceB.

The shade cloth sounds like a good idea to me Â the least fuss, anyway. :)
valereee
17 years ago
I'm with Ken -- I'd worry more about sunburn from having been in the shade for a lengthy period. Hostas can take the sun, especially early in the season. Maybe protect them from the worst of it for the next week or so, but only because they're not used to the sun. Next year I wouldn't worry about it.

Val
aliceb_ma6
Original Author
17 years ago
Ken, Teresa, Lisa, Val --

Thanks for your helpful and reassuring comments! I'm going to pin some remay up on the fence to for the next couple of weeks and then see where they are. I can't believe how much I worry over them. But they're *so* pretty... There are trees surrounding the community garden and I've been worried about losing sun as they grow, then suddently today I thought, no matter, less sun justifies more hosta...

Thanks again,

Alice
Teresa_MN
17 years ago
don't be shy and stop back and let us know how things go.

The worst that can happen is that the leaves will get crispy but the root systems will be the better for it.

Teresa
playinmud
17 years ago
Hi AliceB, glad you're posting, welcome! Only other thing I'd recommend is making sure you give your hostas enough water, that will help them alot in the long run. So, water, water, water.

PIM ;o)

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