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Plants with massive green leaves are often found in gardens and parks; they frame flower beds, are planted along fences, and decorate rock gardens and rockeries.
These are hostas - plants from the asparagus family with large leaves and short stems. Hostas are used more and more often in landscape design, because the green bush is an excellent backdrop for any flowers and plants.
Are hostas always appropriate in the garden, how to grow them and what to combine them with – this is discussed in this article.
Hosta varieties
In appearance, the bushes resemble plantains - they have the same massive leaves with large veins. The roots of the plant are strong and compact; the hosta tolerates transplantation well. Besides this, culture also has several advantages:
- unpretentiousness - the plant does not require special care;
- the possibility of planting on any soil - hostas grow both on clay soils and on sandstone or black soil;
- compatibility with any types of flowers, bushes and trees;
- the possibility of planting in any area: be it the sunny side of the garden or a shady corner;
- variety of types and shades;
- possibility of long-term cultivation;
- good growth - in 2-3 years the bush occupies an area of about one square meter;
- frost resistance - in the southern and central regions of the country, hostas do not need to be covered; they tolerate low temperatures well.
Today there are about four thousand hybrid varieties, each of which has its own distinctive characteristics. From this variety it is quite difficult to choose the most suitable plant.
However, all varieties can be divided into just a few groups, based on external distinctive features:
- Hosta curly - a very remarkable crop with dark green leaves, which have a beige or white frame around the edges. The leaves are very large, the bush itself reaches 0.6 m in height.
- Wavy Hosta, on the contrary, the inside is white, and the edges of the leaf are green. The edges of the leaves are wavy - hence the name of the species. The height of the bushes reaches 75 cm.
- Bloated varieties They are distinguished by green leaves with pointed tips. The peculiarity of the species is its strongly pronounced veins, which give the leaves volume. These bushes reach a maximum height of 0.5 meters.
- Plantain varieties in appearance they are very similar to ordinary plantain, only they are larger in size. The leaves are colored rich green and have a glossy surface. Plantain hosta bushes rarely grow higher than 0.5 meters.
Another distinctive feature is the height of the bushes. So, plants are:
- dwarf – up to 15 cm high;
- short - from 15 to 25 cm;
- medium – 25-45 cm;
- high – from 50 to 70 cm;
- giant hostas can reach a meter in height.
For example, it is better to plant tall plants separately; they themselves are an excellent decoration for the garden. Medium-sized hostas go well with flowering plants in flower beds. And low-growing ones are successfully used in garden design together with rock gardens or alpine slides, decorative ponds, stone borders for flower beds.
Features of growing hosta
In order for the hosta in landscape design to “feel” good and delight the owners and guests of the garden with its beauty for as long as possible, the plant must be properly cared for.
When purchasing a hosta for your site, you must remember that it:
- does not like strong sun;
- does not tolerate wind well;
- needs regular watering;
- it should be fertilized frequently;
- requires attention and regular inspection for infestation or pests.
There are two ways to plant ornamental bushes:
- Using seeds.
- Cuttings.
The good thing about the first method is that it doesn’t require much time or effort. However, it must be remembered that most hostas are hybrids, which means they have underdeveloped seeds. The percentage of germination of seed material collected from plants, even after treatment with growth accelerators, does not exceed 80%. In addition, there is a high probability that completely different plants will grow from the seeds collected with your own hands, unlike their “parents”.
Most often, hostas are propagated by cuttings. For this method, it is necessary to separate a shoot from a 3-year-old bush and bury it in the same soil.At first it may seem that the cutting has not taken root - the leaves will become limp, the stem will bend towards the ground. But that's how it should be. Timely watering by sprinkling will help the sprout grow stronger, and in a couple of years it will grow into a large healthy bush, which is then transplanted to a permanent place.
Plant care
Hostas do not require special care, but require minimal attention. First of all, these ornamental plants with massive leaves need water. You need to water the bushes at least twice a week. In this case, you cannot use the sprinkling method - irrigate the crop with a gentle pressure stream directed at the root.
If the ground around the hosta begins to turn to stone, it must be loosened, hard soil harms plants, they begin to turn yellow and disappear. Mulching is very useful for this crop; it can be done at any time of the season. For these purposes, cut straw and rotted sawdust are used.
Hostas need to be fed once a month., any fertilizers are suitable for this: phosphate, potassium, and mineral.
Many gardeners do not allow hostas to bloom, believing that this spoils the landscape design and disrupts the harmony in the garden. But some people like the delicate inflorescences that hostas produce in the summer.
Even before the seed pods appear, it is necessary to remove fading flowers so that they do not take away the plant’s strength. Dry and wilting leaves are also removed. However, before wintering it is not recommended to cut the foliage from the bushes; this will weaken the plants. In addition, the hosta’s own foliage will provide additional heating.
What can harm
In addition to wind and scorching sun, these ornamental bushes can be damaged by slugs, aphids or various diseases. Methods to combat these problems are as follows:
- Finding out about the appearance of slugs on the host is quite simple - large holes form on the leaves. These pests are very fond of large fleshy leaves and the humid climate that forms under the bush. You can get rid of them in a simple way - spread coarsely crushed eggshells around the bush. Slugs will not be able to crawl to the bush, as they will be injured by the sharp edges of the shells. Another way is to place several bowls of beer, which is very attractive to slugs.
- You can get rid of aphids using an antibacterial agent.
- A common problem with moisture-loving plants is rot and fungus. In this case, fungicidal drugs will help.
- White cotton rot is another hosta disease. It appears on the root collar of the plant. Dichloran will help cure the bush.
- If the leaves on the hosta turn yellow, this indicates excessive waterlogging of the bush. Hostas need nutritious soil, and frequent watering helps to wash out nutrients from the soil. To save a yellowing plant, you need to water it less often and fertilize it thoroughly.
What is the best way to combine hostas in the garden?
As mentioned above, these plants are unpretentious in their choice of “neighbors”. They also look great with any other crops.
For example, near a decorative pond or waterfall, the hosta can be supplemented with water lilies, lilies, and creeping plants. It is better to grow low hosta bushes on rocky rockeries and hills; in this case, choose the shaded side of the artificial structure for them.
You can plant any type of green crop along the fence; flowering hosta bushes look especially beautiful.In flowerbeds, it is preferable to plant low bushes that will limit the edge of the flowerbed and create a background for flowering crops.
The giant hosta is quite self-sufficient; it is planted alone, on the lawn or at the entrance to the house. These plants go well with coniferous trees and shrubs and look great together with geraniums, peonies, heucheras, and astilbes.
Photos of hostas in landscape design clearly demonstrate the beauty of these plants. In such a simple and affordable way, you can decorate the garden on your own, without involving expensive designers to create the landscape.
