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Growing Hosta in the Shade Garden
You grow it for the foliage effect as the flowers in most varieties are small lily-like and not overly impressive. But what a foliage effect! You can combine any number of wonderful leaf colors to give you an impressive mosaic in your garden and you can do it using the tiniest plant at 6-inches tall right up to those 4-foot monsters for the back of the garden.
Growing Conditions
As with the ferns, the Hosta family will thrive in a rich, damp soil. They do not appreciate dry soils. From the smallest species to the largest new hybrids, the leaves and flowers will be at their best when the plants are grown in appropriate conditions.
I have seen more gardeners trying to grow hosta in appalling conditions under shade trees dense hard-packed soils, extreme root competition and a dearth of food or water. How much easier it would be to simply give the plant what it wants (water) and watch it stop struggling for survival.
Hosta will grow in the sun if they are given enough water. Different varieties respond differently to sunshine. Some such as the common H. undulata 'medio-variegata' shrug off sunshine. Others that have gold leaves will find the leaf color bleaching out in the sunshine. This is primarily a plant for shade or protection from the noonday sun.
They are hardy into USDA 3
Divide in the spring or fall. They will also self sow if the flowers are left on the plant. Note the seedlings will not likely resemble their hybrid parents.
Hosta Problems
Check out the articles at www.simplegiftsfarm.com (do a search using the left hand nav bar) for the latest methods of slug control as slugs do enjoy eating this plant. Currently the best control (and an organic one) is products that contain Iron phosphate (a naturally occurring material). Read the label and avoid any other ingredient that can harm pets and children.
Varieties
There are thousands of Hosta varieties available now. My recommendation is that you combine the blue and gold leaved forms for maximum color contrast and effect. Throw in some monstrous ones at the back of the beds, some miniatures at the front of the bed, and some fall-fragrant ones to delight you when the rest of the garden is fading. Don't forget some quilted and multi-colored leaves.
The choices are almost limitless in this plant family with tens of thousands of varieties on the market and more arriving every year.
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