Hosta

Everyone knows the advantage of Hosta in the garden as a foliage plant or groundcover with most varieties hardy down to zone 2. The range of colours and variegation patterns seems endless. Less often do the flowers get noticed. In fact, I know gardeners that cut the flower stalks off rather than let them bloom. I don't think Hosta flowers are given their due. From the bicoloured bud of 'Captain Kirk' (above) that opens to a little white bell with a lavender stripe, to the more pendulous bells of 'Sun Power' in much darker lavender tones, they are almost as varied as the foliage. Some varieties have their flowers all bunched at the top of the stalk like 'Halcyon' with is blue toned buds and others have their flowers spaced out along the stalk like 'June' with her dainty, pale buds that open to almost white flowers. Hosta is easy to grow, requiring minimal care. As long as it is planted in the right spot, it will generally get bigger and bigger until it outgrows the space and needs division. Dividing Hosta is also an easy task since it is very forgiving of the process. The key, in my garden, does seem to be finding the right spot where it will thrive rather than simply survive. Hosta are good at surviving. When deciding on where to plant any new Hosta, a rule of thumb is that the bluer the leaf, the more shade it needs and the lighter the leaf, the more sun it can take. In fact, 'Blue Cadet' will turn green in sun, despite its' name. There are exceptions to this rule such as 'Blue Mouse Ears' which likes a lot of sun so always read the tag. But if you are like me and find yourself often without tags, the rule of thumb will come in handy. Additionally, blue leaf hosta are said to be more slug resistant than their light leaf cousins. Despite their over-use in the building landscape arena, I highly recommend Hosta as an addition to every garden. Their reliability can always be counted on.