Content
Hosta June is a unique shrub with very beautiful, often glossy leaves of different shapes and colors. Periodically, it produces shoots from which new young bushes grow. The plant is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, for which it is valued by both experienced gardeners and amateurs.
According to the results of a survey of the American Society of Host Amateurs, the June host variety has consistently ranked first for more than 10 years.
Description of hosts June
Hosta June is one of the most beautiful hybrid varieties. In fact, this is a whole group of varieties that forms more than 10 attractive varieties with different leaves - from bright yellow to rich green, herbaceous and bluish:
- Leaves in the shape of a heart.
- Narrow, pointed shape.
- Ovate, bluish-green foliage.
When in bloom, Hosta June produces white or soft lilac lavender double flowers with little or no fragrance.
The height of the peduncle is up to 90 cm, flowering begins in mid-July and lasts until mid-August.
The flowers are not particularly decorative: in the photo and in the description, Hostas June are especially emphasized by the lush, dense leaves with a matte or glossy surface. The bushes are often low - up to 30-40 cm, quite spreading - up to 50-60 cm in diameter. More often they prefer partial shade, and in the south they need to be shaded more thoroughly so that the plant does not get burned.
June's winter hardiness is quite good - it can be grown in climate zone 4 (withstands frosts down to -35 degrees). This is the entire Central part of Russia, with the exception of the Komi Republic, as well as the southern regions of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.
Sports hosts June
Compared to other species, the June host has an interesting feature. Mutating buds with altered genes periodically appear on it. They produce slow-growing shoots that are significantly different from the original plant. These varieties are called sports.
They do not form an independent variety or species, but if they are separated from the mother bush, you can get an interesting variety. Moreover, the sooner this is done, the greater the chance that the shoot will take root and actually retain the changed characteristics (new leaf color, surface character, etc.).
June Fever
Hosta June Fever produces beautiful yellow leaves with a green edge, triangular in shape, with a pointed tip.
This variety of hosta decorates the garden with bright leaves and looks impressive against the background of a darker lawn.
The foliage of Hosta June Fever is very dense, thanks to which the bush completely covers the ground. Therefore, it is used in carpet plantings to hide open ground.
Ednless summer
Another attractive sport hosts June. The bush is small, up to 30 cm in height, but spreading - up to 50 cm. The foliage is bright yellow and attractive.
Hosta June Endless Summer is shown on the left - a yellow border is visible on large leaves with a green center
Junes Gold
Hosta June's Gold is an ornamental, elegant bush with lemon-yellow wrinkled leaves. There is a green border along the edges, making this hosta look like a real exotic plant.
Like many other hosta species, June's Gold prefers shady areas.
Oli time
The small shrub produces wide leaves with a wrinkled surface and an original yellowish color.
This sport, obtained from June, attracts attention with its unusual foliage pattern.
May
A miniature variety of Hosta June with small, light green leaves.
Hosta Mei looks especially beautiful against a dark background.
Ripley effect
One of the most unusual sports in June. The dwarf bush grows long, narrow, wavy leaves.
The leaves of this hosta are yellowish, with a narrow green border.
English sunrise
A very beautiful variety of Hosta June, a photo of which is presented below. Produces greenish-yellow, heart-shaped leaves with a pointed tip and wrinkled surface.
The English Sunrise bush is small, but miniature and compact, with very dense foliage
Kiwi Gold Star
A low bush with green-yellow leaves with a wrinkled surface.
Along the edges there is always a faint green border of a darker shade than the leaf itself.
Kiwi Classic
Another interesting sport with elongated, heart-shaped leaves. The bushes grow small, but they perfectly decorate the area in combination with other varieties of June hosta.
The leaves of Kiwi Classic are light yellow with dark green edges.
Apple Candy
Apple Candy is the seemingly low-key sports host of June. Looks attractive in combination with bright green shrubs and flowers.
Apple Candy's leaves grow with a distinctive lemon-yellow edge.
Aisha
Unlike many other sports, June Aisha produces bright green leaves with a glossy, shiny surface.
Dense leaves and stems are practically not affected by diseases and pests
Frosted June
Frosted June is a low shrub with distinctive greenish-yellow leaves. They are quite dense, so they are excellent at resisting various pests. The bush is compact and symmetrical.
Frosted June leaf edges have a thin light yellow edge
Green Fever
This June sport is a dwarf shrub with yellow leaves.
The foliage of the plant is quite large, glossy and very dense.
June Spirit
June Spirit also produces small bushes with attractive foliage in shades of green, bluish and yellow.
The surface of the leaves is matte, for lovers of gentle, calm tones.
Justin
A variety of Hosta June with very interesting, brightly colored foliage.
Bright glossy leaves with spectacular colors immediately attract attention
Orange Star
Orange Star is a small bush with glossy, dense leaves with a wrinkled surface.
Bright yellow leaves with dark green edges will decorate even the most inconspicuous corner in the garden.
Application in landscape design
Thanks to such diversity, it is easy to fit June sports into the design of any garden. It often finds application in:
- carpet plantings;
- rock gardens and rockeries;
- multi-tiered flower beds, mixborders;
- borders along the road and to separate flower garden zones;
- flower beds (usually at the edges, since many varieties of June are dwarf);
- in distant corners of the garden to cover empty spaces;
- on rocky flower beds;
- in rows along the coast (you can create a multi-tiered composition).
Various hosta June sports will favorably highlight both bright flowers and beautiful shrubs, as well as perennial grass that is inconspicuous at first glance. Therefore, in design it can be combined with a variety of plants:
- garden geranium;
- peonies;
- daylily (preferably low-growing);
- taller hosts (Blue Mammoth, Dino, Jade Cascade);
- forget-me-nots;
- astilbe;
- perennial conifers (arborvitae, juniper, dwarf fir).
Hosta June makes a good background for garden geraniums and many other flowers.
Reproduction methods
June can be propagated by seeds, but most often it is propagated by cuttings and dividing the bush. Moreover, the latter method is considered the simplest and most effective, but only for adult bushes aged 4-5 years and older (it is better not to disturb the seedlings at all or to propagate them from cuttings).
The optimal time for reproduction is almost the entire season: spring, summer and autumn, 1-1.5 months before the onset of the first frost. To divide a June hosta bush, you will need to sharpen your shovel and knife well. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The earth is cut out along the tree trunk in such a way as not to touch the roots (they lie to a depth of 30-40 cm).
- Then the hosta bush is lifted along with the ground and the soil is shaken off, hitting the plant on the surface several times.
- Next, straighten the root hairs and take a sharp knife.
- Cut several sections so that each of them has at least 3 buds.
- Replant in the same soil at a similar depth of about 30 cm.
Landing algorithm
Hosta June is purchased in specialized stores. When purchasing, pay attention to the rhizome - it must be healthy, without damage and have several buds. It can be planted in the second half of April, when the snow has completely melted and night temperatures no longer drop to 0 degrees.
When choosing a location, pay attention to:
- decorativeness (how well the bush fits into the overall design);
- shade – there should be light shadow from bushes or trees;
- protection from strong winds;
- no stagnation of water - it is better to plant on a small hill.
Despite its attractiveness and exceptional variety of varieties, June is very undemanding to the soil. It can grow even on depleted soil. Before planting, the soil is dug up and a bucket of humus and complete complex fertilizer are added per 1 m2. Then proceed like this:
- Dig a hole of small depth and diameter (30 cm) so that the roots fit freely in it.
- Lay a 5-7 cm drainage layer of small stones.
- Fill it halfway with soil. If the soil is infertile, you can mix rotted manure with compost soil in equal quantities and add half the peat.
- Add a few pinches of sand, mix and water generously.
- Root the hosta, fill in the remaining amount of soil and water again. In this case, the root collar of the bush should go no more than 5 cm deep.
Hosta June is best planted in an area with partial shade.
Growing rules
Hosta is not capricious, but is quite demanding when it comes to watering. It is important to ensure that the soil surface always remains moderately moist (but too much water is also harmful). To make your task easier, you can water generously in the spring, then on the eve of summer and mulch the roots with hay or straw - then the layer will protect the soil from drying out.
Feeding is applied 3 times, starting from season 2:
- In early April, you can fertilize with nitrogen (for example, urea) - this will ensure rapid growth of shoots and foliage.
- In mid-July, when the first flowers appear, add superphosphates and potassium sulfate.
- In mid-August, add a similar composition. After this period, no additional fertilizing is necessary.
Even minimal care allows you to get a lush, beautiful June hosta shrub
Preparing for winter
Sports June are resistant even to severe winter frosts down to -35 degrees. Therefore, the bushes do not need special shelter for the winter. In autumn, plant care includes the following actions:
- Feed for the last time at the end of August.
- Give abundant water a month before frost.
- Remove all flower stalks immediately after flowering, trimming them with pruning shears or garden shears.
Diseases and pests
Most varieties of Hosta June have very dense leaves with a good protective layer that prevents pests from entering. Sometimes the plant can become infected with viral and fungal infections, as well as insects, for example:
- root collar rot;
- HVX virus;
- black weevil;
- aphid.
Infections are quite difficult to deal with - it is better to immediately remove and burn the affected leaves and shoots, and if this does not help, you will have to destroy the entire bush. To effectively combat fungi, you can use any fungicide - for example, "Skor", Bordeaux mixture, "Topaz". To combat insects, insecticides are used, for example, “Karbofos”, “Decis Profi”, “Green Soap”.
Hosta June is rarely affected by diseases and pests
Conclusion
Hosta June is a bright, attractive and very unpretentious plant that produces mutating shoots with new characteristics. Thanks to this, flower growers can in the future create large compositions based on these varieties. They will fit perfectly into any garden and literally transform it due to their unusual, often exotic appearance.
