The shade garden’s mainstays are Hostas. Their lush foliage is unrivaled in terms of accent and groundcover value. On the north side of a home or under the canopy of huge trees, plant hostas with ferns, wildflowers, and shade perennials.
Can you eat hosta plants?
In reality, the Japanese have been consuming hostas for decades without incident. Urui is a type of seaweed that is typically boiled, tempura-fried, or eaten raw. They can easily be substituted in salads because they have a flavor similar to lettuce and asparagus. It also helps if you have ancestors: Hostas are members of the Asparagaceae family, which includes agave (think tequila), yucca, and, of course, the namesake asparagus.
What do hostas repel?
Citronella is a powerful pest repellent that can keep pests away from your hostas.
It comes in a variety of forms, including citronella sprays, candles, and even oils. Any one of these will work.
If you buy citronella spray, follow the directions on the packaging, or produce your own citronella repellent at home. In a spray bottle, combine 20 drops citronella oil, 10 drops dish soap, and 2 cups water.
Do hostas prevent weeds?
The leaves of Hostas will shade the soil under them, reducing weed growth and preventing water evaporation. During the hotter summer months, it’s critical not to let the soil to become very dry. Water the Hosta bed as needed in the morning.
Yes, deer, rabbits, and squirrels enjoy nibbling on the sensitive young leaves. Hostas, on the other hand, grow so prolifically that a few missing leaves are rarely noticed. Slugs are another hazard, leaving holes in the leaves from their nibbling. A tiny layer of sand surrounding the Hostas, for example, will irritate a slug’s fragile tummy.
It’s a good idea to divide your Hostas in the late fall. Gently lift a clump of Hostas using a shovel or garden fork. Divide the cluster into smaller clumps with two or three shoots each with a sharp knife or shovel. Expand the Hosta bed by replanting these clumps.
After a deadly frost in the fall, the dead Hosta leaves can be clipped and removed. However, because the leaves will practically vanish over the winter, it is not necessary.
The Master Gardener demonstration gardens at John Rudy County Park have an excellent example of a Hosta bed. Due to total shadow and poor soil, weeds and brush had developed under a giant Maple Tree, therefore the bed was made. The garden is available all year; come visit and get some inspiration for your own yard. Every year in August, there is an Open House featuring several demonstrations and lecturers. The event will take place on Saturday, August 8 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this year.
How long will hostas live?
The good news is that this section of the website isn’t particularly lengthy. Hostas are low-maintenance plants that can live for 30 years or more if properly cared for. While it is well-known for growing in the shadow, the truth is more complicated. Dappled shade is the optimum situation. Planting hostas on the north side of the building, where no sunlight reaches them, will not bring out the best in them.
Hostas have a wide range of solar tolerance as well.
Some (which are noted in our catalog) are quite sun tolerant, particularly in colder locations. Others, especially those with a lot of variegation, are more sensitive and can burn if they get too much sun. The more sun your plants get, the more crucial appropriate watering becomes for them.
Do hostas like wet soil?
Hostas, among other foliage plants for the bog garden, are perfect since they prefer constantly damp soil, but they only survive when drainage is good. Planting them upslope from the actual swampy regions is the solution. Ferns are an excellent choice for wet soils. Hostas prefer the same moist, well-drained conditions as cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) and shield fern (Polystichum braunii). Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), crested wood fern (Dryopteris cristata), and the glorious royal fern (Osmunda regalis), which grows up to six feet tall and can anchor the back of a boggy perennial border as well asor better thanany other plant, are all good choices for constantly wet, marshy areas.
Cleanup is sometimes best done in colder climates when the weather is below freezing; deciduous shrubs will have dropped their leaves, herbaceous plants will have died down, and the ice underneath will protect your feet from becoming muddy. Unless, of course, you enjoy galloping through the mud of your lovely bog garden like a child giddy with delight.
Zones 49. Astilbe chinensis var. pumila In August-September, bright rose-pink flower spikes reach a height of 12 inches. Semishade.
Zones 39 for Caltha palustris/marsh marigold Mid-April to mid-June, it blooms in clusters of yellow flowers on 1218-inch stems. Semishade.
Dodecatheon jeffreyi/shooting star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi): 59 zones In late winter and early spring, it prefers damp circumstances; in June, it produces beautiful blooms on 1- or 2-foot stalks before going dormant. Semishade.
Zones 49 for Doronicum columnae/bane leopard’s Early May-June, toothed leaves bring up foot-tall flower stalks crowned with beautiful yellow daisies; by late summer, it has vanished. Semishade in full sun.
Zones 49 Gentiana septemfida var. lagodechiana It’s easier to grow than most gentians, and it blooms with blue flowers. July-August, on up to a foot tall trailing stems It can range from full sun to semi-shade.
Zones 38 for Geum rivale/water avens Late May to mid-July, petite, drooping purple and orange-pink flowers appear on 18-inch stems. Semishade.
Zones 59 for Liriope spicata/creeping lilyturf It’s fine. Late in the season, 8-inch-tall grasslike patches of foliage with lavender to white blooms appear. Semishade.
Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides var. semperflorens): 39 zones 610 in. tall; small bright blue flowers continue to open. May-frost. It can range from full sun to semi-shade.
Zones 39 for Polemonium reptans/ladder Jacob’s It only reaches a height of a foot and produces clumps of fine-looking foliage and light blue flowers. April-July. Semishade.
Zones 38 for Trillium grandiflorum/white trillium Makes a low-growing trio of pointed leaves with a single white flower on top and a stalk reaching a foot or more tall. late April-early May Totally shady.
Zones 39 for Aquilegia longissima/yellow columbine A lovely pale yellow columbine that blooms from June to August, with spurs about 46 inches long on a 2-foot shrub. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 49 for Chelone lyonii/turtlehead From August to mid-September, this swamp denizen produces 2- to 3-foot stems topped with small spikes of hooded pink blooms. Full-semishade.
Zones 39 for Dicentra spectabilis/bleeding heart With heart-shaped pink and white flowers beneath arching 2-foot stalks, this perennial is one of the prettiest. May-June. Semishade.
Zones 59 for Iris ensata/Japanese iris Surmounting 2-foot swordlike leaves are flat, beardless blooms that occur in July-August and come in most colors except pink. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 310 for Liatris spicata/blazing star It produces 3-foot wands of vivid rose-purple florets that unfold from the top down from July through September. Plant where there is good winter drainage. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 28: Lobelia cardinalis/cardinal flower Late July to September, it blooms with 30-inch spikes of vivid scarlet flowers. It prefers swampy soil. Semishade in full sun.
Zones 39 for Platycodon grandiflorus/balloon flower It should be planted more widely. Many closed-ended flowers on 3-foot stems open into flat-faced, lilac stars in June-July. The sun is shining brightly.
Meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium): Zones 59. Columbine-like leaves and fluffy blooms form an open 3-foot structure. In bright violet to pink from May to July. Self-sows prolifically. Semishade.
Zones 49 Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ Large, speckled leaves and 3-foot stalks of bright orange daisies with brown centers are produced. Semishade.
Zones 48 for Lilium canadense/meadow lily In late June to August, it blooms with beautiful orange to crimson nodding flowers on robust 3- to 5-foot stalks. Semishade.
Zones 49 for Phlox carolina On 3- to 4-foot stems, clusters of classic phlox flowers in pink, purple, or white open in June-July. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 39 for Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Goldquelle’/coneflower From August through September, it grows 34 feet tall, with clusters of metallic yellow daisies on the stems. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 47 for Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’/globeflower Sturdy stems reach a height of nearly 3 feet. May-June, with lovely bowl-shaped double flowers on top. Semishade.
Zones 49 for Aruncus dioicus/goatsbeard In June-July, creamy white plumes emerge above ferny leaves and reach a height of 46 feet. Male plants feature more colorful, but shorter-lasting blossoms. Semishade.
Zones 39 for Cimicifuga racemosa/black cohosh Semishade; forms a basal clump of finely split leaves; produces wands of creamy white florets from 6 to 7 feet in early July-August.
Zones 47 for Eupatorium ‘Gateway’/joe-pye weed In August-October, it produces a stunning display of spherical, pinkish lilac flower heads that reach a height of 56 feet. Staking is not required for reddish stems. Semishade in full sun.
Zones 39 Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’/queen of the prairie In June, its long, robust 6-foot stems are topped with shaggy, puffy rose-pink plumes. This is an excellent plant to combine with joe-pye weed. Semishade in full sun.
Zones 59 Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Lord Baltimore’/rose mallow The 4- to 6-foot stems don’t need to be staked, and the large, 7-inch, vividly colored rose-red flowers don’t need to be stifled. July-October. It has a distinctively tropical feel to it. The sun is shining brightly.
Zones 58 of the Cardiocrinum giganteum One of the most beautiful flowering perennials, with stems reaching 10 feet tall in July with tubular white lilies atop. Semishade.
Meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum): Zones 49. A magnificent perennial that grows up to 8 feet tall and bears tiny lavender-purple flowers along the top third of its tall stems. July-September. Semishade.
Zones 39 for Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Album’/white culver’s root Early August to late September, it resembles a giant (56 ft.) veronica, with long spikes of tiny flowers in a spectacular display. The sun is shining brightly.
Are hostas fragrant?
Hostas are commonly grown for their beautiful foliage. Flowers are usually seen as an afterthought. Hosta varieties with fragrant flowers are a notable exception. To properly savor the scent of fragrant flowering hostas, place them near a patio, deck, or pathway. On quiet summer evenings, their scent is most evident. The following varieties are available to home gardeners who want to grow hostas with fragrant flowers.
Fragrant Blue reaches a height of 10 to 12 inches. It features heart-shaped blue-green leaves. In mid-summer, fragrant, light lavender flowers bloom.
Fragrant Bouquet has apple-green leaves with wide, irregular, light yellow margins. Fragrant Bouquet is a fast-growing plant that grows to be 18 inches tall and 24 inches broad. In mid-July to early August, white flowers with a little blue tinge bloom. The blossoms have a strong scent.
Fragrant Gold is a hosta with gold leaves. Plants reach a height of 18 inches. The flowers are a pale lavender color and have a pleasant scent.
Heaven Scent is a Hosta plantaginea sport with light green leaves and broad gold borders. The fragrant, pure white blossoms bloom on the 18-inch-tall stems.
Honeybells grow to be a huge plant with a height of 18 to 24 inches. The leaves are a pale green color. In mid-August, fragrant, light lavender flowers bloom.
Hosta plantaginea’s glossy, light green, heart-shaped leaves are 7 inches broad and 10 inches long. Plants grow into 24 inch tall and 36 inch wide mounds. In August, large, fragrant, trumpet-shaped white flowers bloom. August Lily is a common name for it.
H. plantaginea has a variation called Aphrodite. It has leaves that are similar to those of the species. The double, pure white, fragrant blossoms are Aphrodite’s distinguishing feature.
Invincible’s brilliant, glossy leaves make a 10-inch-high, 12-inch-wide mound. Invincible can withstand a lot of sun. Sites in the shade to 3/4 sun are ideal. In mid-summer, fragrant, light lavender flowers bloom.
Royal Standard is another sun-tolerant hosta. It thrives in the shade to half-sun. Royal Standard is a fast-growing plant with gleaming green foliage and beautiful white blossoms in August.
So Sweet has wide, white borders on its glossy, green leaves. Plants grow into 14-inch-high, 20-inch-wide mounds. In August, So Sweet blooms with huge, white, fragrant flowers.
The leaves of Sugar and Cream are wavy and green, with cream-colored borders. Plants range in height from 18 to 24 inches. The virtually white blossoms are big and aromatic.
Large, green leaves with light, cream-colored margins are produced by Summer Fragrance. In mid-summer, it blooms with big, fragrant lavender flowers.
Sweet Susan’s leaves are a medium green color. Plants grow to be 18 to 24 inches tall. In August, fragrant lavender blossoms bloom.
White Shoulders is the ultimate kind. It’s a light green kind of H. plantaginea with white margins. White Shoulders has sweet white blossoms.
Consider all of the qualities of hostas when shopping at your local garden center. The size of the plant, the color of the leaves, the shape of the leaves, and the color of the flowers are all key decorative aspects. Another factor to consider is the scent of the flowers. Hostas with aromatic blossoms make lovely complements to the garden.
What part of the hosta is poisonous?
The long, waxy leaves of the hosta may have first piqued your pet’s interest, but the entire plant the stem, bulb, and white, trumpet-shaped blooms is toxic to animals due to a chemical called saponin, according to DoggySaurus.
Are hostas medicinal?
Because of its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, Hosta plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers has been widely used as a single herb and in prescriptions in Asia as a traditional folk medicine. H. has yielded a total of 101 chemicals, including steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and others.
Do hostas attract spiders?
German physician Engelbert Kaempfer described and sketched a plant that would eventually become one of the most popular herbaceous perennials imported into the United States during his trips to Asia in the late 1600s. There are now over 7,000 hosta varieties in a variety of foliar shapes and colors, which were imported to the United States in the 1800s. Spiders thrive in these hardy, shade-tolerant plants with thick leaves and towering blossoms.