Hostas (Hosta spp.) and hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) make excellent garden companion plants with the correct preparation. Both grow well in partial shade, and hostas may even survive the darker shade that the taller shrubs tend to cast. Hostas are a practical ground cover to plant behind hydrangeas as well. Large-leaved, bushy hostas soften the appearance of sometimes-leggy bottom portions of shrubs like hydrangeas and shade out weeds. Determine whether you’ll be viewing your hydrangeas and hostas from only one angle, as with a foundation or border planting, or whether you’ll be creating a “island,” or specimen planting, in which the hostas surround the hydrangea. This decision should be made before planting — or even buying — hydrangeas and hostas.
Which plants complement hydrangeas well?
Shrubs including boxwood, hollies, yews, mahonia, gardenia, and loropetalum look lovely planted in front of hydrangeas. Early color will come from azalea blossoms. Since the azalea flowers will have faded before your hydrangea blooms, you can choose your preferred blossom color.
During the winter, boxwoods and evergreen azalea species will provide some color. Depending on whether you want a formal or natural-looking landscape, boxwoods can be shaped or left in their natural state. These may also offer some wintertime protection from high winds.
What thrives close to hostas?
Hostas are ideal for shadow gardens because they add a bit of tropical flair to yard areas that would otherwise be barren. Look for companion plants that enjoy chilly afternoon shade and bright morning sun, just like your hostas, when making your selection. Hostas go well with astilbe, ferns, geraniums, and shady-tolerant bulbs. Heuchera and bleeding hearts are two of our faves.
When compared to bright, flashy, or variegated hosta plants, bleeding heart (dicentra) plants’ delicate blossoms and graceful, arching branches make for the ideal contrast. Additionally, they flower early in the spring, which gives your hostas’ flowers more time to shine later in the summer.
Heuchera, also known as coral bells, are planted for its leaf, which can give your shade garden accents of red, purple, or silver. Invert that notion like a vibrant arrangement of flowers: For a garden full of rich, vibrant leaves and light-colored flowers, combine red or purple heuchera with striped or marbled hosta species.
Where should hostas not be planted?
With a selection of exquisite hostas, you may brighten a dark spot in your yard. These leafy perennials add color and texture to garden beds while requiring little maintenance to maintain their good looks. The decision of which type of hosta to cultivate may perhaps be the most difficult.
Where to Plant Hostas
Choose a location that receives some to all shade if you want to plant hostas. Although most hosta varieties can tolerate early sun, they prefer a dark environment. It’s crucial to understand that these perennials thrive in rich, nutritious soil that has plenty of organic materials. Hostas shouldn’t be planted in dense clay soil since it won’t provide adequate drainage. Place hostas where snow tends to accumulate in places that receive a lot of snow in the winter to preserve stems and leaves.
What Kind of Soil to Use for Hostas
Mix 3 inches of Miracle-Gro All Purpose Garden Soil with the top 6 to 8 inches of soil in the bed for growing hostas in planting beds to enrich and improve the current soil. Some gardeners choose growing hostas in pots. Warmer regions with mild winters are where this works best (zones 7 and warmer). Fill pots with Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix when growing hostas in containers to help prevent overwatering and underwatering.
How to Choose Hostas
Hosta species occur in a wide variety of hues and patterns, and the size of the plants can vary from tiny to enormous. Green, gold, white, blue, and silver hues are available in leaves, either as solid colors or in varied patterns. Hostas are typically grown in gloomy settings by gardeners, however certain varieties may withstand brief periods of exposure to sunlight (though they still need protection from the hottest afternoon rays). Actually, the sun is necessary for the rich hue of gold types to develop. Hostas can be cultivated anywhere in the country because they are hardy in zones 3 through 9.
How to Plant Hostas
The best seasons to plant hostas are early spring or early fall (as soon as the summer heat subsides), and if your region has a rainy season, before it. There are several sizes of hostas. Check the plant tag to establish the proper spacing in the garden. Most hosta varieties, with the exception of the smallest, require a few years to reach their maximum size, so it’s crucial to give them adequate space to develop. Plant it so that the root ball is buried in the soil at the same depth as it was in the pot. After that, make sure to water thoroughly.
How to Plant Hostas in Containers
How big of a container you need depends on how big your hosta gets. Use a pot that is generally at least 2 inches bigger than the one the plant was shipped in. Be careful not to overwater a hosta if you plant it in a pot that is several times bigger than the one it arrived in. Root infections can thrive when roots are moistly retained for a longer period of time before they are firmly established. Once you’ve decided on a container, proceed according to the above-mentioned planting instructions.
How to Water Hostas
Providing hostas with constant moisture is crucial throughout their first growth season as they establish themselves. When the top inch of soil is dry, check the soil once a week (more frequently in the summer). Except in times of drought, hosta plants can typically thrive on rainfall once they are well-established. However, when growing hostas beneath trees, tree roots often scavenge any available moisture, necessitating watering. The same is true for larger hostas, whose leaves have the potential to build a canopy that blocks any water from reaching the ground by shedding it above (and their roots).
How to Mulch Hostas
Put down a 2 to 3 inch thick layer of mulch after planting the hostas. Since the mulch prevents weed development and sunlight access, this will aid in preventing moisture from evaporating and weed growth. Scotts bagged mulch, chopped leaves, pine straw, or any other locally obtainable material are all suitable mulch supplies.
How to Feed Hostas
Hostas require a consistent supply of nutrients throughout the growing season. Following the instructions on the packaging, feed them with Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed All Purpose Plant Food a month after planting. Your hostas will be nourished by this for up to three months.
How to Care for Hostas
The removal of wasted flowers is an important aspect of hosta maintenance. Even while it’s not essential, this chore does make plants look their best. After all the blooms have faded, cut the flower stems off at the base.
When cultivating hostas, the main pests to watch out for are slugs, deer, and rabbits. Use Ortho Bug-Geta Snail & Slug Killer or pet-safe slug baits and traps to control slug infestations. When dealing with four-legged creatures, try using bird netting to cover specific plants or a spray repellent like Tomcat Deer Repellent, which includes essential scents that animals find repulsive.
Autumn hosta leaves deteriorate and fall to the ground. To reduce the number of places slugs and other pests can hide throughout the winter, remove fallen leaves once they have completely collapsed. During the winter, plants go dormant and don’t need any extra attention.
How to Divide Hostas
Hostas often grow best when given room to expand. Many hosta types take up to five years to even reach maturity. But when they’ve grown, you might want to separate them.
Hostas should be divided in the spring or early fall, before the season’s rainiest period. Merely pull up any little plants that have grown around the main clump and replant them if you simply want to duplicate your plants to scatter about your yard. Uncover a massive cluster by pulling off as many roots as you can. To obtain enough root mass, you might need to dig down 18 inches with a huge hosta. Put the plant on a tarp and cut it into smaller pieces using a knife, a spade, or your hands. Replant the parts using the aforementioned recommendations.
How to Use Hostas
Grow hostas in your yard to give an attractive shade planting and to entice hummingbirds. An effective ground cover or hedge can be created by planting several giant hostas. A row of hostas can be used to edge a driveway, soften a tree, or skirt a fence. In a shaded garden, small varieties of hostas make good edging plants.
Hosta leaves are a beautiful accent to bouquets of flowers from the garden. Try arranging the leaves in a vase if you are growing hostas with various leaf hues. Hosta flowers, especially the fragrant varieties, give indoor spaces a lovely scent. It is better to harvest flowers when at least half of the buds have opened because the flower stalk blooms from bottom to top.
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Which shrubs complement hostas?
Look for flowers that will show out against the Hosta leaves and leaves with contrasting textures and hues for the most fascinating pairings.
Yellow and green variegated Hostas look lovely with blue Hydrangeas and pink spiky Astilbes.
If placed in partial shade, daylilies make an excellent Hosta companion plant due to their prickly foliage and vibrant flowers. If the place is excessively shaded, they won’t blossom as well.
Daylilies and hostas planted in contrast create a lovely border for a path or the edge of a retaining wall.
The crimson hue of the Maple tree above is echoed by the black foliage of the Heuchera in this image. And this plant combination works really well because of the contrast with the green Hosta leaves.
What might encircle hydrangeas?
When choosing what to plant beside hydrangeas, take into account both kinds that will look good together and those that will do well in the same growing area.
Understanding how to cultivate hydrangeas involves learning how to blend various plants successfully. Additionally, every plant in the mixture may benefit from companion planting.
“Hydrangeas possess a simple grace. They provide the ideal landscape companion for a variety of fascinating species, according to Kip McConnell, director of the Southern Living Plant Collection, because of their striking yet understated blossoms (opens in new tab).
Consider increasing color and lengthening the bloom period in your yard when selecting companion plants for hydrangeas. Hydrangeas can assist you in accomplishing this by enhancing a color scheme and providing months of beauty before handing the “baton” to their companion plant.
When do hydrangeas bloom?
The type, cultivar, planting zone, and hydrangea blooming season all affect when they bloom. The majority of hydrangeas with new growth form buds in the early summer in preparation for blooming the next spring, summer, and early fall. Hydrangeas may stop flowering in the heat of the summer in hot locations, but they will blossom again in the fall.
How do you cut back hydrangeas?
Hydrangea plants don’t require pruning if they are allowed plenty of room to develop in the garden. Only the periodic clearance of dead wood is necessary.
Do you need to deadhead hydrangeas?
Your hydrangeas will continue to bloom into the fall if you deadhead them. Hydrangeas make wonderful cut flowers, so there’s no need to wait until the flower wilts. Leave the early fall blossoms alone so they can fade naturally. In the days leading up to your freeze date, you don’t want to promote new growth.
How do you control hydrangea color?
The distinction of hydrangeas is that you can modify their color. But keep in mind that not all hydrangea varieties can change their color. H. macrophylla, a species of bigleaf hydrangea, responds to changes in soil pH. Hydrangeas can absorb aluminum thanks to a low soil pH, which gives the blossoms a lovely blue hue. Reduce the pH of your soil by mixing in sulfur or peat moss to enhance the number of blue hydrangea flowers. Throughout the growth season, you can keep amending your soil with extra aluminum sulfate. When you add ground limestone to boost the pH, pink and red blooms shine.
You may precisely modify your hydrangea color using a soil pH test. To avoid the plant from being harmed, keep the pH level below 7.5. In the fall, all hydrangeas will naturally fade regardless of the modifications you’ve made. Don’t worry, the plant will display vibrant, new blossoms once more in the spring.
Can hydrangeas grow in shade?
Although they won’t blossom in complete shade, hydrangeas prefer dappled or infrequent shade. How much sun do hydrangeas need is more important to consider than whether they love the sun or the shade. Your hydrangeas require more sunlight the further north in your garden you are. A general guideline is six hours of sunlight each day. However, southern hydrangeas can thrive with just three hours of sunlight per day.
Can hydrangeas grow in full sun?
While hydrangeas prefer morning sun, they struggle in the hot, afternoon sun. For these gorgeous creatures, partial shade in the later hours of the day is optimal.
Can you grow hydrangeas in pots?
Even if you don’t have enough room in your garden to cultivate hydrangeas, you can still enjoy these lovely blossoms by learning how to grow hydrangea in a pot. As long as you follow the fundamentals of caring for hydrangeas, the procedure is rather straightforward. Select a pot with at least an 18-inch diameter to accommodate the mature size of the particular hydrangea you are growing. In order to maintain the constant moisture level that hydrangeas demand, look for non-porous containers. Excess water will be able to adequately drain thanks to drainage holes. Consider growing dwarf hydrangeas like Buttons ‘n Bows, Mini Penny, and Little Lime.
How do you keep hydrangeas from wilting?
Morning irrigation on a regular basis can assist stop withering. Some hydrangea cultivars simply can’t stand the heat. No matter how much water you give them, they will begin to wilt in the afternoon heat. Mulch applied in layers can help soil retain moisture and stay cool. You shouldn’t be concerned if your hydrangeas bloom again once the day cools. A little midday wilting is preferable to overwatering and drowning your hydrangeas.
Do hostas enjoy direct sunlight?
Q. I’m curious to know if there is a hosta plant that can thrive in the Chicago area’s intense sunlight. On the north and east sides of our home, we have hostas that have flourished each year for the previous nine years. I want to plant some hostas in pots on the south side of the house in the backyard this year.
There, the sun beats down all day, therefore I’ll need a variety that can withstand virtually the entire day in full light. Can you let me know if there are any of these?
A. There are many different species of hostas, making them excellent plants for low-maintenance gardens. Despite being regarded as shade-tolerant plants, the majority cannot survive in extreme shadow. Many hostas grow more robustly and exhibit their greatest colors when exposed to some sunlight, such as early sun and afternoon shade. Full sun in the early afternoon is more intense than full sun in the morning. Most likely, late-afternoon sun will be acceptable as well.
However, I wouldn’t often suggest hostas for a full-sun south exposure where it would be hot and probably dry. To keep hostas alive in your backyard, you should be ready to experiment with different species and be willing to offer extra water over time.
Be on the lookout for signs of too much sun, such as dull or faded hues and browning at the outside edges of leaves. My blue hostas at home were stunted, more green than blue, and burned at the leaf margins when a tree was removed, which increased the afternoon sun.
Instead of a hosta that thrives on your site, the best you can hope for is one that can endure it. Hosta types with thick leaves or extensive white coloring are more likely to burn in direct sunlight. Hostas with blue leaves typically prefer shade, whilst species with fragrant flowers, golden or yellow foliage, or a faint white variegation may stand more exposure to the sun.