Hospitable Hostas...

[gina2000]

(....or how I learned to appreciate big leaves and little flowers - the beginner's course!)


Ah.....here we go again....the continuing saga of nearly flowerless wonders and how I learned to really look at them....part 92 and 1/2. (I only had one eye open for one slide show..... )


I grew up in a home of annuals. Impatiens, marigold, geraniums and begonias peppered my mother's garden with gay abandon.....a riot of color all summer. Needless to say, I became enamoured of those bright, beautiful sunshiny faces all summer. But when the dratted winter came.....poof....deader than a doornail off to the plant goddess in the sky.

Well, I got older (inevitably) and somewhat wiser when I began to plant my own garden. I wanted texture....shadow....light.....not just flowers. Those hard to grow dry shady spots just needed some sprucing up....and I didn't have the time or back to break through years of tree roots and hard clay soil. So I needed something more flexible.....



ENTER THE HOSTA!!!!!

"What an ugly plant!" was my first reaction. Until I really looked! Texture! Varigation! AND THEY COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS! (Sounds like my wardrobe but don't tell anyone!)

Look at their versatility!

They grow in shade.

They grow in sun.

They grow in dry ground.

They grow in wet ground.

They get BIG!

You can divide them! Share them! Throw them away!!!!



So my question to you is.....DO YOU LIKE HOSTAS???? AND WHY???

 

[cgcw]

I have several different varieties. They live well in my yard, which I can't always spend the time I'd like to watering, weeding and taking care of. We have the traditional rings around a couple of trees out front -- 2 trees have the variagated leaves and 1 has bright green leaves. They are starting to fill in nicely.

Sometimes, when I find a bare spot, I'll cut a little piece of one of the established hostas off and plant a little cutting. In no time, it grows into a plant of its own.

We have a shady area along our garage which is only about 4' wide. It was hard to cut so I filled it in with many different varieties of hostas. They filled up the area nicely and took care of the mowing problem.

My favorite part is early spring, when you can just see the tips of the hosta beginning to poke it's head out of the ground. Then I know it won't be long until sunnier days are here.

 

[Snowwark]

I look for the little hosta spears to start poking out too, cgcw.

I wish I had lots of different types of hosta, but I only have about 13 Montana (just keep taking pieces off), and one other kind in a half barrel, but I can't remember what it is. There are more than 300 different types of hosta!

I wish I had room for one of those monster ones that grows about 4' in diameter.

Even Arnie likes them, didn't you notice in Terminator 2........Hosta la vista, Baby!

 

[amid chaos]

I have a variety in a hosta bed...it also has some oriental lilies, lily of the valley and tulips right now!

 

[Tulirose]

......My favorite part is early spring, when you can just see the tips of the hosta beginning to poke it's head out of the ground. Then I know it won't be long until sunnier days are here.......
I look for the little hosta spears to start poking out too, cgcw...... Even Arnie likes them, didn't you notice in Terminator 2........Hosta la vista, Baby!

Very funny Snowwark!

How Timely! I also totally enjoyed watching the hostas emerge this year. And then I dug them up and moved them and shared some with my friend, and my mom tells me that the ones I gave her last year are growing too! She seemed so pleased.

I remember at my first house when the hosta started growing that first spring, I also thought it was so ugly and plain. Just like you, Gina, I didn't look close enough.

I don't know the names of what I have. They are green with cream colored edges and green with yellow edges (I like the cream ones better). I divided up two of the cream plants and made up seven new ones and moved them to a very shady corner of my yard. I also have one more cream colored one to dig up but I think I will wait on that now (it's the biggest one!). I also have a yellow edged one by the mailbox to move first because I wanted to plant something else there.

I am not really explaining very well why I like them now, am I? I guess they just kinda grew on me!