Hosta Love

I remember gardening in Wisconsin and it seemed like people could get a little too "crazy" with Hostas. 

There is nothing worse than a garden bed bordered with a few dozen of the same Hosta all in a row.Well, I can name a few worse things, but that is pretty high on my list.

There are some pretty awesome Hostas available now and most of them on the cheap. I have bought some wonderful Hostas at Home Depot and Fred Meyer for just a few dollars ($3-$5), even a lot of the common varieties are worth growing.

You can spend quite a bit on something new and fancy of course. I just spent $15 on a nice yellow one and bought one with red stems, but I have "price amnesia" on that one. 

For me, some of the most desired Hosta features are:

•  They are nice mounds of color/texture, some having sort of a seersucker effect to their leaves.
• They don't spread everywhere, although they can get BIG over time, so give the really big leaved ones room to grow.
• They are easy to clean up after flowering and in the fall after leaves die back.  
• The flowers can be beautifully big and fragrant or inconsequential.
• They have a way of bringing light to a shaded area or a dark corner of the garden.      

Just be sure to slug bait early and often!  You don't want "Swiss Hostas".  

Hosta 'Thunderbolt'

Hosta 'Stained Glass' mixed in the boarder

Hosta 'Stained Glass'

Hosta x tardiana Halcyon

Hosta fortunei 'Aureomarginata'

Hosta nigrescens 'Krossa Regal'

Hosta 'Paul’s Glory'

Hosta 'Whirlwind'

Hosta 'Fire Island'