More Room For Hosta...South of I-10 version

10 years ago

Gaining a spot where shade from the afternoon sun is not an issue can be a problem. I had thought about this flower bed on the south side of our driveway for a while, but it was the wild spot in our garden.

Over the last week or so, DH has become a digger of tree roots, and briar roots, and now there is a section of the 16 x 55 foot bed which can safely be planted with some sun tolerant hosta. I say SUN tolerant, not SHADE tolerant, because in this zone, they require more shade and can tolerate less sun.

The shots I include here I took this morning. I need to show the sun pattern on the bed late this afternoon. In fact, yesterday I sat on the steps for a good hour or more, contemplating just how much more exposure to the sun any hosta might get that would be greater than the bed gets this week. The longest day of the year arrives in about two weeks, so how much further will the shade recede along this driveway bed, and how much more heat will the cement driveway radiate into the bed? And what can I plant to grow tall that will be located in the perfect spot to provide the shade for hosta closer to the street.

Here are the pictures of the bed. Trash pick up next Tuesday will remove these neatly packed bags, courtesy of DH.

Right now, this is as far as I can plant hosta in the bed. Beyond here is too much afternoon sun with no shade.

Now for the hosta that I am imagining in this bed...
My Sum & Substance...growing in a pot this last year, I think it needs the space. Put it down towards the tub of asparagus fern, two nicely yellow/green large plantings. It can take more sun than most I think. Its grown a lot since this was taken in May.

Since the space tends to be shadowy and it's a darker corner closer to the fences, I am thinking some of my gold centers, with dark green margins, and white margins as well. I definitely want to put the Undulata Albomarginata back in solid ground, to help it get its groove back

I'm also thinking something with heavy substance to take the punishment this bed is likely to give any hosta. Something like.... Dick Ward? Brother Stefan? Faith? I have 2 of each of those, except Dick Ward, will have to buy another of him. :)
Especially thinking Brother Stefan, since I'll have to separate a sport off and might as well disturb only one plant.
Brother Stefan w/sport?

Dick Ward, one of my 2010 purchases so it is almost mature. Should I give it a chance to get huge? Or keep it safe and not set it back by moving it now? Put the new baby DWard when I get it?

And Faith. I got it in 2012, but it is busting out of its pot, and looks really crowded. It would be a gold with lots of substance, trying to act mature already.

Do you reckon I could sneak in one of my species plantaginea?
Their nice medium green shiny leaf and then the blooms....ahh, the BLOOMS....they'll make a hit with the neighbors who walk, I'm sure. I will put one of the 8 species p. in the area, definitely not my Mama plant.

Come to think of it, this is my chance to get an Empress Wu!!!
Oh joy, dancing in the streets! WU-HOOOOO!!! So....where can I likely get the VERY LARGEST WU at this time of year?

Thanks for sticking with me through this long rambling post.
Almost time to go watch the shadows move across the bed again. :)

Comments (7)

dg
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A potential problem with using newly acquired hosta might be planting them before getting acclimated to your zone...

I had Sum and Substance, June, Stained Glass, Mississippi Delta, Sagae, Blue Hawaii and Halcyon in afternoon sun (2PM-8PM) for a year here in zone 6a. Totally different zone from yours I know, but the sun and heat were pretty brutal. Even though I kept them well watered, eventually tree roots were the problem and reason for potting them. Also, I didn't like that Halcyon and Blue Hawaii lost their blue color in the sun.

With your 300+ hosta, hopefully there are some you have that are already acclimated and could "weather" the space you have planned.

This story interesting to watch unfold. Especially of interest to me is how you are handling hosta in your southern zone. Please keep us updated.
:-)
Deb

This post was edited by Dgregory on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 14:30
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
crikey.. palms and hosta...

as far as my experience..... it may as well be mars ... [of which i hear there are some one way tickets available ... lol]

lol

ken

ps: and dont tell me they arent palms.. to this MI boy.. close enough ...
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ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes hostas under the palms. That is how we do it in the South. Damn Yankees (LOL)! Have a great grow day, Paula

Hey Ken still waiting on a photo???
User
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, of course they are palms, Ken. They make shade too. :)
You might see several types there, even the Sago palm, which separates the sexes and has a male and a female plant. The others pretty much don't care.

I moved most of my holly fern to another bed in the Back40, so the hosta would have a few companions scattered around. They stay green all year.

A neighbor lady had a plant sale of her stuff, and I picked up a couple of angel trumpets which get tall. And a nice loquat which is already 3 feet tall with broad long leaves to add to the south driveway bed, adding more shade near the street. Plus, I found a $2 Isle of Capris oleander at Lowes and it will become 12 x 12 feet quickly, and make a mountainous piece of shade if I can get it to grow tall and not so wide. It HAS to go outside the fence, since Dolly eats leaves and those are poisonous.
This bit of height in the 55 foot long bed will be a welcome change. Although, the palms are legging up more but trying to avoid the tree canopy from the neighbor's property line. I cannot call the massive azaleas and voluntary trees a "bed" since they never touch it. When we first cleared out our half and cut back the monster azaleas, no telling how many beer cans and booze bottles were among the litter. Now it is looking like a real bed, on our side at least. But thank heaven for that screening, since their house is no better maintained than the azalea bed.

Deb, you give some good advice which fits my experience so far. The new arrivals are in for a shock the first week or so....for the BEST of them......and then the others which are not as strong, somehow take a couple of months acclimating. Last year, Zippity Doo Dah never did get used to it before it went dormant in November. This year, this particular hosta, is doing great, almost like a born and raised southerner.
Last June

This May

So I may just go ahead and get the Empress Wu and pot her up for this year. Maybe buy her when the northern nurseries have final sale for the fall, near dormancy, and she'll be adjusted by next spring. If I can wait that long. She is something special. And, maybe just put my current Dick Ward in the bed, keep a new one in a pot...back up, just in case....would not want to lose that baby.

I'm also looking into the Dollar Tree waste baskets, not for vole control, but as a sub for spin out bags. You can barely dig holes in my yard, or the beds, due to roots. No rocks though. Just ROOTS.

Time to go check the shade location in my new bed. Ciao.
dg
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Zippy Doo Dah looks terrific! Rats, now I want one!

About your new Isle of Capris Oleander... is it deciduous, will it drop leaves then go dormant? If so, would those leaves still be poisonous and potentially harm your pups?

Just thinking out loud, also I'm too lazy to google facts about it...
:-)
Deb
User
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Deb, the oleander is evergreen here.
From an incident at the docks where my dad worked years ago, I know that even the burning smoke from the clippings can send people inhaling it to the infirmary.....they trimmed their huge bushes and tried burning the clippings, smoke filled all the warehouses and people were overcome with the smoke, blistered their softer respiratory tissues.

Also, where I intend to plant it is outside my fence, near the street. Folks around here are pretty familiar with the oleander, and leave them alone. But this one will bloom yellow, not pink, and it will be my first ever oleander to grow.It looks pretty healthy for a $2 plant. That and 3 butterfly weeds and a dwarf hardy gardenia, total $10. Plus 15 bags of mini bark nuggets for mulch and 4 big bags of MiracleGro potting mix w/o moisture control. Nice trip it was.
Linda's Garden z6 Utah
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hey, I love Palms and Hostas. I see no problem planting together. I would do it if I could. Sigh...No palm trees around here.

Can't wait to see the finished garden!

Linda

More Room For Hosta...South of I-10 version

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More Room For Hosta...South of I-10 version

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