Daily Mail - 17.08.2019

Page 96

HURRAH FOR HOSTAS

H

ostas dish out beauty by

the barrowload wherever

they grow. the strongest

varieties naturalise as

weed-proof ground cover.

Whether beside water, fronting shrubs,

or in a shaded border, hosta leaves can

look ravishing.

In smaller plots, their hand-

some foliage creates beautiful

features in restful colours.

Even in a tiny courtyard,

specimen hostas will thrive

in containers to make classy,

summer-long highlights.

the 70-odd wild hosta species

originate from China, Japan and

Korea. they’re all hardy in the

UK and most are easy to grow.

they thrive in shade or full light,

but those with pale variegations

may scorch in the sun.

all have shapely, oval leaves

that grow straight up from the

ground. Each is broad at the

centre, tapering to a point at

one end, and joining the leaf-

stem at the other.

the leaves arrange themselves

attractively, creating a beautiful

and weed-proof ground cover.

Veins run along each leaf, further

adding to their beauty.

Foliage comes in a mix of subtle

shades such as blue-grey, golden

green, pea green and with cream

or golden variegations.

Hostas’ pale violet or white

flowers tend to be secondary

features. they are carried in

clusters held above the leaves,

each bloom lasting a day.

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

For pot culture, where flowers

perhaps matter more, Hosta

Cherry Berry carries violet

blooms above leaves with

pale cream streaks.

But in most varieties, it’s the

leaves that matter. If you have

a roomy corner in shade, large

varieties, such as blue-green

Big Daddy, will grow leaves up

to 38cm long and 25cm wide.

Giant hosta varieties will get

even larger. Gorgeous, green-

gold sum and substance grows

a whopping 90cm high, in favour-

able conditions, with a 1.8 m

spread. When we had a much

bigger garden, my favourite was

the gentle, blue-green snowden,

which grows almost as large.

For containers, medium and

small varieties are more manage-

able. soldier Boy has green-gold

margins on olive green leaves.

For blue-grey leaf colour, Buck-

shaw Blue is medium-sized and

would contrast beautifully with

the larger yellow and green-

GARDENING

NIGEL COLBORN

Perfect companions: Blue-green hosta sets off a pink hydrangea macrophylla

leaved Choko Nishiki. You can

buy popular hostas at garden

centres, but there are specialist

nurseries including Brookfield

Plants (­brookfield plants.co.uk)

and Bowden Hostas (­bowden

hostas.com).

DAMAGE CONTROL

Most hostas are easy to grow,

but hate too much wind. they

prefer sheltered, semi-shade,

but are fine in sun if the soil is

moisture-retentive.

Hostas do not have year-

round interest. Leaves unfurl in

april, then die unattractively

in November. that leaves bare

ground for nearly five months.

relieve this by companion

planting with evergreen ferns

such as Polystichum setiferum

or Blechnum.

Hosta propagation is simple:

lift and divide mature plants in

spring, just before the new

shoots begin to extend. turn

out container plants when pot-

bound and replant divisions.

If you’re experienced with

hostas, you might be thinking:

‘Yes, fine, but what about the

snail and slug problem?’ Hostas

grow almost all their foliage in

that first spring flush, so any

damage can last all summer.

standing potted plants in

trays of sharp grit can help

to deter snails and slugs. there

are also nematode treatments.

Despite being robust and easy

to grow, hostas will always find

their nemesis nearby. But do

everything you can to fight the

fight. It will prove worth it.

Their lustrous

foliage will

add beauty to

any shady spot

Picture: STEFFEN HAUSER

(^) Daily Mail, Saturday, August 17, 2019