Plant Inspirations
May 2007 ~ Luscious Hostas

Love the luscious hosta!  If you are asking yourself what to grow in the shade of a garden tree or beside the garage or next door’s gable end, then look no further than this leafy double problem-solver.  As well as being great in shade, the wonderful leafy growth also comes at a time when spring bulbs are dying back.  Partner the two and mask the over-blown remains of the bulbs with fabulous new foliage.


But hostas are so much more than simply problem-solvers as their massive following would suggest.  They’re great in a woodland garden as well as in borders and beds.  They’re effective in combination with plants with Japanese heritage including the smaller maples, bamboos, hydrangeas and ferns.

Leaves in dense mounds are what hostas do best and depending on variety, they may be yellow, green, grey-blue or variegated.  The pattern and array of variegation along with the range of colour brings added interest to mixed borders or beds.  Leaves may be heart-shaped or oval. Most produce attractive flowers on tall and sturdy spikes in summer. 

There’s a terrific range to choose from.  Look out for ‘Wide Brim’.  This produces wonderful dark green leaves that have a wide margin of pale cream.  It reaches a height of about 45cm and a spread of 1m.  The leaves of Hosta fortunei appear early enough to combine well with late spring flowers, for example bluebells.  Many variants are available.  ‘Shade Fanfare’ produces large, bright yellow-green leaves with creamy white edges and reaches a height and spread of 45cm and 60cm respectively.  ‘Halcyon’ is a great choice if you’re looking for blue-green or glaucous foliage.

Hostas are clump-forming plants which really helps if you want to populate an area.  If you dig up established clumps of hosta, it’s possible to split the clump with a spade and replant the resulting halves.  They’ll do well under deep-rooting trees and are perfect near water, for example the shaded sides of a pond or stream.
As perennials they die back completely in winter, the new spear-like shoots of the tightly rolled leaves appearing in spring.  Hostas are fully hardy.  They need a reasonably fertile, moist but well-drained soil.  It’s important to stop them drying out but spreading compost over the surface (mulching) in spring should do the trick.  Their succulent leaves can prove too much of a temptation to slugs but growing in pots keeps the leaves out of harm’s way if the war against slugs is one that you don’t wish to engage in!

Newington Nurseries, a haven for plant lovers, on the A329, Newington, nr. Stadhampton, Oxon

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