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Most garden crops need sufficient sunlight and react painfully to its lack. However, there are also those among them for whom shade is a necessary condition for good development. These also include giant hostas - shade-tolerant ornamental plants that many gardeners use for planting in those areas of the garden where the sun's rays rarely see.
Benefits of growing large hosta varieties
Giant hostas will appeal to all lovers of large plants. Even though they are herbaceous plants, their size is impressive. The height of the host can reach 1.5 m, while in circumference the bush can reach a diameter of 2 m or even more.
Giant flower beds look great in group plantings
Growing such giant plants has several advantages:
- Each giant hosta occupies a large area.Therefore, a small amount of planting material is required to fill the required area.
- Giant hostas are unpretentious and grow well in shady places, unsuitable for most garden plants. This allows you to increase the decorativeness of the garden in general and its individual corners in particular.
- For normal development, giants need very little: shade, fertile soil and plenty of moisture.
- A large number of colors and sizes allows you to use giant hostas in various landscape compositions.
- Plants are perennials; they can grow in one place for up to 10, and sometimes up to 20 years.
- Giant hostas have good frost resistance and even in the middle zone they do not freeze out in winter without shelter.
Another advantage of growing these plants is the ease of propagation. Giant hostas reproduce well both by seeds and by vegetative methods.
The best types and varieties of large hostas
Types of giant hostas differ not only in size, but also in the shape and color of the leaves, the way they are painted, shades, and shade tolerance. This makes it possible to finely select plants for the design of each specific site in accordance with the requirements of the existing landscape and the desires of the designer.
Jade Cascade
Hosta Jade Cascade fully lives up to its name. In appearance, it is a falling fountain of large drooping green-olive leaves growing on long petioles. It can reach a height of 1.1 m, the diameter of the bush’s circumference is 1.5 m. The leaves of Jade Cascade are large, oval, with a wavy edge and a sharp tip, with deep longitudinal veins that are clearly legible on the leaf plate.The inflorescences are a panicle of bell-shaped lavender flowers with an elongated corolla, growing on a long peduncle.
In appearance, Jane Cascade resembles a fountain
Elegance
A very interesting large hosta Elegans, growing up to 0.7 m in height. A distinctive feature of this plant is the specific relief surface of the leaf plate, which noticeably intensifies as the bush matures.
The leaves have a bluish color in the shade; in the sun they lighten and turn green. The plate has the shape of a heart, is slightly bent like a boat, the edges are turned slightly upward. Peduncles slightly extend beyond the size of the bush. The flowers are white, with a slight lilac tint, and appear quite early compared to other species, in June.
Elegans leaves have a bumpy textured surface.
Crossa Regal
The large vase-shaped hosta Krossa Regal grows up to 0.7-0.9 m, and with the appearance of flower stalks its height can increase to 1.2 m. The bush can eventually grow up to 1.5 m in diameter. The petioles are light, almost vertical, massive, dense. The plate has an elongated pointed tip and is slightly twisted. The leaves of Hosta Cross Regal are light green, with a bluish tint, and deep longitudinal veins are clearly visible on them. Flowers with a purple tint are collected in paniculate inflorescences.
The vase-shaped bush of Cross Regal can grow greatly in breadth
Empress Wu
The giant hosta Empress Wu, or Empress Wu, is considered the tallest in the world. With good care, its height can reach up to 1.5 m, and the diameter of the bush - up to 2.5 m. Under the leaves of this plant, a small person can easily hide from the rain.The leaf blade is dense, rich green in color, with clear deep veins. The length and width are slightly less than 0.5 m, and in some cases this figure can reach up to 0.7 m.
Empress Wu is considered the tallest in the world
This giant hosta blooms in July, with large flowers with an elongated, light purple corolla. For normal growth, it requires a shady or semi-shaded area with moist, fertile soil.
Francis Williams
This giant hosta received its modern name quite recently, in 1970. Until this time, it was classified as the Elegance variety and was not identified as a separate species. The giant hosta Frances Williams grows 0.65-0.7 m in height. Its distinctive feature is bluish leaves with a yellow border along the edge. The sheet plate is corrugated, bubble structure. The flowers are white, with an elongated corolla, and quite large. Flowering period – July.
The wide yellow border on the leaves gives Francis Williams a special decorative effect.
Icy Halo
Hosta Aisi Halo grows in height up to 0.9 m, while its width is much stronger; the diameter of the bush can reach 1.8-1.9 m. The variety has large, pointed green leaves with a grayish tint, bordered along the edge by thin light stripe. Flowering occurs in July. Icy Halo flowers are lavender in color, large, collected in paniculate inflorescences.
Icy Halo leaves are heart shaped
Montana
The giant Hosta Montana is one of the largest. Its second name is Gornaya. The leaves are heart-shaped, with a pointed end, green. The veins are very clearly readable on the plate, forming a beautiful relief pattern.
The deep veins on the leaves of Montana form a clear relief
Liberty
The giant Liberty hosta has full two-color leaves. Their outer part is yellow, golden or creamy, the inner part is bright green. The bush is distinguished by its respectable size; it can reach 1 m in height and grow to 1.7-1.8 m in circumference. In July, flower stalks appear on which large, light, funnel-shaped flowers with lavender-colored petals bloom.
Liberty has a two-tone color
Coast to Coast
The Coast to coast variety of giant hosta has a characteristic yellow-light green color. The leaf blade has clearly visible, slightly depressed veins, giving it a special relief. The edge of the leaf is wavy, the tip is elongated and pointed. The average height of the bush is 0.7-0.8 m, the crown circumference is 1.2 m. The flowers are lavender in color and appear in July.
Coast to Coast - a variety with unusual lime-yellow leaves with a wavy edge
Montata Aureomarginata
A rather large hosta Montana Aureomarginata is vase-shaped, the height of which reaches 0.6-0.7 m. It is distinguished by the rich green color of its leaf blades with a characteristic light yellow border. Over time, the color of the edges of the peripheral areas changes to milky, while the central young leaves do not change it.
Montana Aureomarginata forms a vase-shaped bush
The leaf blade of Hosta Montana Aureomarginata is heart-shaped, with pointed ends slightly drooping. Peduncles are straight, not very thick. The flowers are white, not numerous.
Dino
Hosta Dino can, under good conditions, grow up to 1.2 m, while growing in width to almost 2 m. The leaves are rounded-elongated, with a sharp tip and clearly visible veins.
Dino can grow very large over time
Along the edge of the leaf blade there is a blurred light stripe of yellow or milky color.Blooms in mid-summer.
Sagae
The giant hosta Sagae grows as a vase-shaped bush, the height of which can reach up to 0.75 m and the circumference up to 1.75 m. The leaves are green, with a bluish tint in the center and a light border along the edge, broadly ovate with a heart-shaped base. The plate is dense, even hard to the touch.
The leader of the rating of the American Association of Hosta Amateurs is the Sagae variety.
Peduncles can grow up to a height of 1.25 m. Hosta Sagae blooms in July-August; the petals of large funnel-shaped flowers have a pale lavender hue.
Blue Mammoth
The Blue Mammonth variety owes its name to its large size and bluish color. The dome-shaped bush can grow up to 0.9 m in height and 1.65 m in diameter. The leaves are large, broadly ovate, in the center the color has a blue tint, later becoming bright green. The leaf plate is dense, the veins are clearly readable, creating a convex relief. The flowers are funnel-shaped, large, almost white, appear on peduncles in July.
Blue Mammoth got its name from its huge leaves and bluish color.
T. Rex
The height of the hosta bush of the T-rex variety can reach up to 0.7 m, while the plant grows greatly in width, up to 1.8 m. The leaves are bright green, very large, with a wavy edge, oval-elongated, heart-shaped in structure. Venation is strong. Peduncles grow up to 0.9 m, flowering time is July. The flowers are large and white.
T. Rex grows up to 0.7 m
Blue Umbrellas
The giant hosta Blue Umbrellas grows rather weakly in width. With a bush height of about 1 m, its circumference usually does not exceed 1.2 m. The leaves are large, with good venation and clear relief.The color is bluish, becoming green towards the end of the season. Peduncles appear in July-August. The flowers are large, bluish or lilac in color, funnel-shaped.
The bluish leaf plate of Blue Umbrellas is highly corrugated
Sam and Substance
This is one of the varieties of tall hostas with a yellow color. The dome-shaped bush Sum and Substance can grow up to 0.9 m, while its circumference reaches 1.75 m. The leaves are dense, with deep veins, green at the base, increasingly yellow towards the end. It blooms in July-August with large, pale lavender flowers.
Sam and Substance - a hosta with a yellow color that intensifies in the sun
Es Angel
Blue-green leaves with a wide border of golden-cream color are the real highlight of this giant hosta. Visually, the bush looks very impressive; in the ranking of the US Hosta Fans Association for 2009, this variety confidently took 1st place. The height of an adult plant is about 0.8 m, the circumference is about 1.5 m. Earth Angel blooms in June-July. The flowers are white, lavender or pale purple, large, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped.
Spectacular Es Angel bushes will not leave anyone indifferent
Niagara Falls
An adult bush of this giant hosta can reach a height of 0.9 m, while growing in width up to 1.7 m. A distinctive feature of the Niagara Falls variety is convex bright green leaves with deep veining and a wavy, embossed edge, which gives the plant a special decorative appearance. Peduncles grow up to 1.2 m. Flowering occurs in July, the buds are light, purple or lilac, bell-shaped.
Niagara Falls resembles a dome
Big Daddy
Hosta of this variety forms a large dome-shaped bush about 0.6 m high and about 1 m in diameter. The leaves are cup-shaped, dark at the beginning of the season, with a blue tint and a persistent light chalky bloom, later turning green. The Big Daddy plate is highly corrugated, especially in adult specimens. Peduncles grow up to 1.2 m; in July-August, large light flowers of a white-bluish color appear, collected in tassel inflorescences.
Young leaves of Big Daddy are covered with a chalky coating
Giant hostas in landscape design
Giant hostas are versatile plants and can be used in a wide variety of garden arrangements. They are planted solo and in groups in flower beds, and used to decorate paths and the banks of artificial reservoirs and ponds. The massive greenery of hostas is often used as a backdrop for flowers. In shady corners they are used as ground cover plants. Giant hostas are used to decorate gardens in English, French and Japanese styles; they are planted at the foot of vertical supports, on architectural objects.
Hostas are often planted as border plants.
Features of cultivation
Giant hostas are usually planted in shaded and semi-shaded areas of the garden, in places where the sun appears for a limited amount of time during the day. There are no special requirements for the composition of the soil, although fertile loams are best suited for planting this plant. Poor soils must first be fed with humus and fertilized.
Hostas do not require increased care during the season. They just need to be watered regularly, care for the root zone, and loosen the soil. Mulching the surface with organic matter is of great importance. It is mulch that is the main source of nutrients for the hosta, especially if the plant is planted next to a large tree. They are usually fed with organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers at the beginning of the growing season and at the end of flowering.
Hostas require regular care of the root zone
Giant hostas do not require shelter for the winter. Whether or not to cut the leaves before wintering is up to the gardener to decide. There is no consensus on this issue. Some consider the dying above-ground part as additional protection from the cold, others see them as a source of possible diseases and pests. In any case, the root zone after the onset of winter must be insulated with a layer of snow. This is quite enough, since high frost resistance allows you to endure winter cold without any additional shelter in most regions of Russia.
Diseases and pests
Giant hostas get sick infrequently, but fungal infections sometimes develop on weakened plants. The most common diseases of these plants:
- Phyllosticosis, or brown spot. The disease can be recognized by brown spots on the leaves. Infected parts of the plant should be cut out and burned, and the hosts themselves should be treated with Abiga-Pik or Strobi. In case of severe damage, it is necessary to dig up and destroy the entire plant.Since the fungal pathogen lives in the soil, the soil must be disinfected with formaldehyde.
Brown spots on the leaves may indicate hosta disease with phyllosticosis.
- Gray rot, or botrytis. It is detected by an ashy coating or rotting of the tips of the leaves, which gradually spreads to the entire leaf blade. Diseased shoots are cut out and burned, and the plants are treated with Kuproskat or Topaz.
Gray rot usually begins to develop from the edge of the leaf
- Rust. Most often, the manifestation of the disease can be seen along the edges of the leaf blade in varieties with a colored yellow border. It is a consequence of insufficient watering or improper planting. The affected plant's metabolism is disrupted and it gradually dries out. There are no treatments. Prevention is timely watering and correct choice of planting site.
Rust occurs due to water imbalance
Of the pests, the greatest danger to hostas is slugs, which actively eat the green mass of the plant. A sign of their appearance are numerous round holes in the leaves. To combat these invertebrates, various traps are used, mollusks are collected by hand, and bulk materials are poured around the host, which prevent gastropod pests from moving.
Slugs are the worst enemies of hostas
For large numbers of slugs, you can use chemicals such as Thunderstorm or Thunder, as well as biological products, for example, Ulicide.
Conclusion
Giant hostas are excellent ornamental perennials that are widely used in landscape design. They do not require much care, reproduce easily and thrive in places where other plants do not develop well - in shade and partial shade.There are several hundred types and varieties of hostas of various shapes and colors, so choosing the most suitable one will not be difficult.
