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Shade Gardening: How to Use Hostas to Best Advantage
by
Three Dogs in a Garden
(IC: blogger)
Hosta are hands down one of the best perennials for shade gardening! With two gardens as examples, I show you some of the most attractive ways to use hosta. Plus there are tips for planting and dividing hostas.
Whenever I begin to feel a bit snobbish and dismissive about Hostas, I'll come across a garden that reminds me just how terrific they can be when they are mixed creatively. This is one such garden.
In this first example of a great shade garden the lot is wider than it is deep. Mature trees around the perimeter of the yard result in a shady garden. Here the grass does not function as a traditional "lawn". It's more of a pathway that leads you in amongst the various garden beds. As you can tell almost immediately, this is a Hosta lovers garden.
Hosta plants come in a range of greens; everything from blue green to yellow-green. They can also have interesting variegation that turns simple foliage into something much more interesting.
For anybody new to gardening, a few tips on growing Hostas:
When should you divide hostas?
Dig up your Hosta and then cut through the clump with a really sharp shovel. Each division should have about three of the tight foliage cones.
There would be times in a garden like this where you'd have a lot to do and periods during the summer where the upkeep would be much less labor intensive. The main chore in the summer would be watering the garden and keeping the slugs at bay.
Holes in the foliage are a sign of slug damage. Various remedies for slugs is perhaps the subject for another post. To avoid this problem, look for varieties with thick, leathery leaves that state they are "slug resistant".
In this second garden, hosta has been used in a shady area in front of a backyard shed.
Look how beautifully the various hosta foliage has been combined here!
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Looking for some varieties of Hostas to use in your garden? Click the link below for the names on some of the hosta you see in these pictures.
Enjoyed the project?
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Published April 17th, 2016 12:57 PM
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3 of 91 comments
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Bla196627 on May 25, 2017
Hi I'm Vicki and I desperately need the name of a hosta book with names of hostas and pictures too..
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Three Dogs in a Garden on May 28, 2017The problem with a book on hosta is that there are so many new hosta introductions each year a book would quickly become out of date. There are however a number of books on hosta. The most recent I could find are from 2010. There is "The Book of Little Hostas" by Kathy and Michael Shadrack on miniature hosta. There is also "Hostas the Essential Guide" by Richard Ford. If you want a quick reference, check out the post I did for Hometalk on different varieties: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/grow/plants/collectable-hostas-16601899. On my blog there is another nice post on hosta and companion plants:http://threedogsinagarden.blogspot.ca/2017/02/perfect-partners-for-hosta-inspired-by.html This is a really nice shade garden with planting ideas:http://threedogsinagarden.blogspot.ca/2017/03/a-shade-garden-in-toronto-beaches.html
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Paula Usher on May 19, 2020
Gorgeous pics! Totally LOVE Hostas! In New
England (NH) it’s been a cold start! But I’ve just taught my daughter and granddaughter all about Hostas that I shared over Mothers Day weekend! Even with COVID-19, we got out into fresh air and planted!! We are Blessed🙏
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
My hostas are lack luster. They are small and don't seem to grow over the years. What can I do to get them more robust? They are in the shade.
And how do you keep the deer away from hosta?...my worst garden enemy ... I‘m getting tired of all the hosta being in containers
what fertilizer can you use for hostas ??