Hosta companions or how do you design your hosta beds
lindalana 5b Chicago
last year
last modified: last year
There been couple of great posts from Ken and Debra on gardens that have no beginning or end.
In my previous house I used same idea, mostly due to space being a premium, but also because I like wild gardens, starts in Feb with snowdrops and ends in November with late asters. I had no weeds but it was intensive gardening, ephemerals would be replaced by perennials growing in same space, bulb foliage to be hidden and clearance provided for later growth, verical space use, multiseadon interest shrubs etc.
New house has more space so I am mostly separating perennial garden from hosta garden but I really do not want to deal with weeds. Also I would rather add some interest with something else as hostas have unpleasant ability to get leaves trashed early and you kinda done for the season.
As much as I admire organized endless beds with mulch and properly spaced hostas it isn't my kind of garden...sigh
What do you use to add as understory or fillers for interest in beds besides primadonna hostas?
At National Green Bay we have seen garden of Kings, with multitude of primula japonica interplanted with hostas. Gives me thought as my soil is heavy and wet and I can easily winter sow tons of them.
Looking for suggestions what works for you and what design has been successful.
I see my host beds out of my bedroom window so a bit longer season of interest is a must...
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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
last yearlindalana 5b Chicago thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario CanadaRelated Discussions
How do you protect your expensive hosta?
Comments (23)Thank you so much for all your responses "whenever you get a new hosta, divide it immediately and put each division in a different area of the garden.." I would like to, but all of the expensive hostas come to me as single divisions, so they would need 3-4 more years until I will be able to divide them. "Why are you putting the pots in the shed for the winter?.." Because I am in zone 5-6, and to keep hungry critters away. It�s better to be on the safe side. This morning I ran out and replanted my expensive ones in pots. The gravel on the top will keep squirrels away. I would rather be on the safe side and will move them into shed for winter. I like the idea of using hardware cloth cylinders and gravel at bottom of the hole, and will replant the rest directly without pots. I really hope it will work. Thank you for this idea. I use soilless mix and the results are really good� no roots rot, but this morning I also realized that I lost another 10 out of a 2 dozen I purchased and planted last fall. I ran out of my soilless mix and was too lazy to drive for another bag. I had Miracle grow potting soil that I used to plant these 10. ALL of them are gone due to rooting rots, but the ones in the soilless mix are OK. Another lesson for me :( Out of my 0.3 acres the plant beds barely occupy 1/5 of it and I am overwhelmed with all the work that should be done to protect the plants. I do use Kaput vole baits, mouse traps, Cayenne pepper, Ammonium, slug baits ( and a beer sometime) in my arsenal. My husband, who hates gardening, would go crazy when every night I disappeared for an hour with a flashlight in my hand. I browse this forum frequently and looking at the beautiful manicured beds of hundred of hostas, and wonder how the folks with acres of hosta beds and collection of hundred of hostas are able to keep the critters and slugs away�. Dani...See MoreHow do you place large hostas
Comments (2)Large Hosta can several take years to reach mature width. The ones you're looking at are likely field grown divisions. They may have a setback next year since they probably had their roots severed when they were potted. The following year they may rebound. Either way, decide where you want to put a large hosta now and then plan to not move it. Krossa Regal is an "UPRIGHT" hosta....one that can have a large "canopy" but a relatively small footprint. So, for instance, in 5 years time, mine has nearly a 4' spread at the top, and maybe only a 1' footprint. You can put groundcover or smaller hosta tucked under them. Or even annuals. Sum & Substance is not a fast grower, But it can/will get big and it will tolerate a good bit of sun and will reward you for it. Since these get big and tall (hosta wise), I would place them either at the back of a bed, or in a "specimen" position... where they can be admired, but not where you're concerned about them dwarfing other plants. My belief is that if you plant large hosta, you can plant other things within a 3' foot radius, but you should plan on moving the companions when the big guy gets bigger....See MoreHow do you name your hosta beds?
Comments (24)A bed called Kokopeli would probably not appropriately have hosta in it (LOL). I have long been fascinated by the world-wide universality of variations of the word "Mano" as it applies to a great spirit or god in so many cultures. In some native american languages it is "Manitoon". In others it is "Manitou".Biblically food from God is called "Mano". Some of us believe we were made in the image of God so we call ourselves "man" and refer to ourselves as "huMAN": etc.,etc.---etc. I'd not made the association between the name Anisazi and Anishinaabe until you mentioned it. I read in the Michener book Centennial that the name Arapaho translates to "The People", which seems to have nothing in common. Pronunciation is important. One would have to properly pronounce Ojibwe to see how it could have been mis-interpreted as Chippewa. Ojibwe is a very complicate language. I am tirelessly working on how I would be identified in Ojibwe as "he who crawls through his hosta gardens with a camera in one hand and a clipboard in the other". Sorry - this is straying from how we name our gardens. Les Hwcthgwaciohaacbito (LOL)....See MoreWhat do you do each spring to care for your hosta gardens?
Comments (3)Here's my article titled SPRING HOSTA TIPS: Spring Hosta Tips The snow is melting and Spring is on the way. Youve been anxiously waiting for the chance to walk through your gardens and dream about the new plants youÂve ordered from your favorite mail order catalogs. And, you canÂt wait to put your gloves on and get your gardens cleaned up. Hold on. Tip #1: DonÂt remove that winter mulch until the last frost is gone. Early arrivals, like montana ÂAureomarginata may require additional protection from that late season cold and wind. When all danger of frost is past, then go for it. Get your rake and wheelbarrow. Tip #2: Thoroughly clean your gardens. All debris should be raked and added to the compost bin to eliminate a breeding ground for slugs. Be careful not to rake or step on the eyes that are just popping up to avoid damaging the leaves which are about to unfold. Are your plants in good shape? Tip #3: Look to see if the frost has heaved your plants out of the ground- especially young hostas which were planted last year. As the ground freezes and thaws, freezes and thaws, and freezes and thaws (get the idea?), those plants may need to be tucked in on several occasions. Can your friends easily read those plant labels? Or has the name tag completely disappeared? Tip #4: Make sure all plants, including new arrivals, are accurately labeled and the tags are in good condition. Remember that large hostas will cover up name tags that are too close to the mound. Perhaps you have trees and shrubs which need to be pruned. Tip #5: Spring is the best time to prune most trees, and shrubs after flowering. Those branches which are dead, or make it too shady, should be cut off cleanly, chipped up, and added to the compost bin or reserved for a woodchip path. That pile of leaves, garden waste, and grass clippings from last Fall should be flipped over now. Tip #6: Turn over your compost pile. You may want to add a little sand. The warm, rainy weather will turn all that stuff into black gold. Then when those hot summer days reach 70 or 80 degrees, apply that free mulch around the base of your plants. How is your supply of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides? Tip #7: Take an inventory of your gardening supplies- tools, gloves, hoses, sprinklers, wheelbarrows, fencing, tomato cages, etc. Shop and replace worn out items now so that youÂre not stuck in the middle of a job. Spring is a great time to divide and transplant your hostas. Did you promise to give a hosta to a friend, or donate a plant for the hosta auction? You can create interest and educate others about gardening, and eventually turn your neighborhood into a hostaholic community. Tip #8: Spring is the best time to dig in your hosta bed. Review your garden records from last Fall to see which ones need your attention. How wonderful to see those long awaited hostas shoot up, bigger and stronger than the year before! Tip #9: DonÂt neglect to apply a slow release fertilizer. But donÂt over fertilize, and keep those granules off the newly emerging leaves, or crown, of the plants. Above all, enjoy the fresh Spring breeze, the chirp of the robins, and the signs of life as they appear, knowing that old man Winter is giving way to a new season of hosta gardening and fun everywhere!...See More
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
last yearlindalana..my goal is a prettier woodland than if left on it's own 😂..natural but neater..
I like shade perennials with hosta more than groundcovers..love ferns, epimediums, hellebores, brunneras, astilbes, Painter's Palette persicaria..
I try not to plant too close together..I like space to be able to work..I use my homemade compost to cover the ground..2 areas I weeded recently..sawflies defoliated my red twig dogwood 🙁..
lindalana 5b Chicago thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
Marie Tulin
last yearlindalana 5b Chicago
last yearnicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
last yearlast modified: last yearthank you for the compliment lindalana 🙂..
I need to explain something better..I don't have space around every plant..I try to leave a path in a group of plants to be able to reach them..
my astilbes don't bloom as well as my neighbor..but mine don't dry out like hers..I like the foliage and don't worry much about the blooms..since this pic was taken I've removed quite a bit of the vinca behind the astilbe..
lindalana 5b Chicago thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolisperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
last yearlast modified: last yearlindalana 5b Chicago thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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