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Need help arranging hostas

Ruth Kaiser_Gorczak

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Hello, I have several hostas that are scattered in a shady spot under a tree. The area is square about 20' x 20'. My question is how do you group hostas that have different colored leaves. Some have light green leaf edges, some are solid green edged, some have a lime green center with a darker or lighter green edge. I'm not sure if my arrangement - just haphazardly scattered is restful to my eye as I look out at the sea of hostas. Any suggestions on how to group these or are there any landscape design rules to follow? Thank you.

Featured Answer

mae (zone 5b On)

7 years ago

Hi Ruth. I'm a relative newbie to shade gardening but here are a few of my "rules".

1. If you decide to add to your collection I'd recommend shopping at specialist nurseries...wide selection grouped by size, healthy plants, free terrific advice, display gardens for inspiration

2. Follow advice given by the many wonderful experienced gardeners who post on this forum!

3. Copy their ideas until you feel more comfortable in trying your own design. ( Thanks to Josephine I've ordered this combo: Mourning Dove, English Sunrise, with Blue Jay)

4. Planting guide (found on Hallson's site ~ pg.113) Start with a variegated plant. Place a solid on either side..1 of centre colour & 1 of margin colour. On either side of the solids can use the opposite variegated colouring e.g. if that first hosta had a yellow centre then this time choose hostas with green centre and yellow edge. (have fun...break rules...move plants if not pleasing to your eye)

And another guideline...plant about 4 solids/subtly variegated for every more strongly variegated hosta

5. Play around with Comparison feature

6. Don't bother setting a budget!

Happy Gardening!

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Comments (10)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
it would be best to ID them first ... since you describe a couple thousand of them.. lol .. though i might not be surprised which they are ... if not 'collected' ...

that said.. i dont really care what other peeps say.. so i do whatever makes me happy ... lifes too short ..

if you are sitting there.. and one pisses you off.. go move it ... etc ...

ken
windymess z6a KC, Ks
7 years ago
This is a pretty good article with some photos... from Fine Gardening
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http://www.finegardening.com/designing-hostas That’s a link to an article that discusses design principles for arranging hostas and other garden companions. Also, I can’t find it now, but there was an article on the Hallson Gardens website... I think it was a planting guide from Chris Wilson.... but I did copy and save this bit of info/suggestion from it: Start with a variegated plant. Place a solid on either side..1 of centre colour & 1 of margin colour. On either side of the solids can use the opposite variegated colouring e.g. if that first hosta had a yellow centre then this time choose hostas with green centre and yellow edge. (have fun...break rules...move plants if not pleasing to your eye)
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Wow, that's a huge arrangement - looks great! I learned, at the Ontario Hosta Society meeting last Saturday, that the hosta leaves "breathe" through stomata on their undersides / backs - so when conditioning in water (3 or 4 days) it is important that they be face down so that the undersides are still exposed to the air...just in case you decide to do it again next year.
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josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years ago
I collect FG magazines and that particular one is a favourite! Otherwise, I do what I please and chaotic in my garden is norm, lol.
windymess z6a KC, Ks
7 years ago
Yes, I think it's good to look at lots and lots of pictures.... then do what you want and make it your own. The HostaLibrary has a 'comparison' feature that I like to use - you can put two different cultivars on the screen at the same time and see if they look good together, are too much alike, too blah, etc....
windymess z6a KC, Ks
7 years ago
Lol, Mae- "don't bother setting a budget".... isn't that the truth!!!
PRO
Paradise Alcove LLC
7 years ago
Great tips Mae, thanks for sharing them.

I laughed out loud too about "don't bother setting a budget" - so very true!

Or if you do have a budget, don't be hard on yourself when you blow your budget for those extra few that you could not leave behind for another time. :)
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years ago
Hey, Mae! Thank you for making my day! I love it when I manage to influence/enable someone to try a hosta I love :D. Your combined trio sounds beautiful and I love the differences in leaf shape and colour of those three. I don't own Blue Jay but it's colour is a wonderful blue. A vague thread comes to mind and so does Esther's name...?

I am looking forward to trying different combinations with my pots again this spring.
rpwoodard
7 years ago
I posted these design suggestions from Bridgewood Gardens a while ago. I can't find the thread, so I'll repost the article:

Hosta Planning: Buy What You Like!
windymess z6a KC, Ks
7 years ago
Oh - I love that! So funny. So true.

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