Let's talk about Hostas

[Moxie]

I'm hoping to tackle the front yard this spring and I'd like to put in a hosta garden. Anybody have one? Any suggestions before I start?

 

Here is the other issue--neighborhood dogs. We've talked to the neighbors, they refuse to believe that their precious baby is pooping in my yard. Idiots. Anyway, Dh wants to use rocks instead of mulch to keep the dogs out. Pros and cons?

[LostSurprise]

Hostas are great shade plants and very hardy. I would look more at leaf variety (different colors/shadings) than flower color. A lot of hostas look alike and the flowers are small and last a short time. 

 

Also, because they look alike you have to plan features (creating hills, lines, or borders to create texture that a garden with staggered vertical line might not need). They also need to be separated periodically so you need to decide how much space to leave around them. 

 

 

I've never known rock mulch to be a dog deterrent but perhaps someone else has more experience with that. . 

[KungFuPanda]

I have this link bookmarked. I got it from someone on this board. I plan to do this 'someday.'

 

https://www.directgardening.com/783-perennials/7427-handful-of-hosta#/quantity-6

 

As for the dogs, video them and SHOW the neighbor. Of course, if they cared their dog wouldn't be roaming, but at least they can't deny/lie to your face anymore.

[PinkInTheBlue]

I've used rocks twice and why the first time didn't teach me not to the second time, I don't know why!

 

When you lay the rocks they will look lovely. Keeping them clean and good looking is impossible.

[datgh]

Hostas come in so many leaf shapes, colors, and sizes.  They are beautiful in shady and partly shady areas.  Some varieties can take full sun in northern climates but even there the leaf color will fade (my experience in NH).  If you have any chance of deer being in your neighborhood, then I would find an alternative plant to use.  Deer see Hosta and think salad bar! I have a lot of Hosta and hadn't had any deer problems for years but once they discovered them they come back constantly.  Even my big Golden Retriever doesn't deter them.  They just wait for her to go inside. I spent the summer spraying the plants with a mixture of hot sauce, garlic and raw eggs.  It worked great at repelling the deer but for 24 hours every week my yard smelled like an Italian Bistro.

 

As far as rocks versus mulch, I would go with the mulch.  As one poster said, it is hard to keep the rocks looking good and really isn't going to deter the dogs.Especially don't use marble chips as they turn green with algae really quickly.  Bark mulch is good at preserving the moisture in the soil and it is easy to freshen it up by just adding a bit more on top.

[Guest]

Another question--if I go with bark mulch, do I use weed paper or not?  I've used it in the past and it was quite the PITA but it did keep the weeds out.

[MBM]

One of my favorite hostas for back of the border is Sum and Substance. It's a lighter green-yellow with huge leaves that are a bit thicker and a bit more resistant to hungry slugs. If you want to use hostas that have a blue leaf, research which ones tend to remain blue. Some of them change to a greener color during the season. You could also throw in some variegated hostas and contrast big ones with little ones like Blue Mouse Ears. Remember to space them properly. The first year, your garden will look sparse but by the third year, everything will be much fuller. "The first year they sleep. The second, they creep. The third, they leap."

 

If you want to divide hosta, gently tie the bigger leaves up  before cutting through the roots. Doing that makes it more likely you won't cut through the leaves.

 

You will also be doing battle with slugs so research how you want to do that. I use Sluggo. You can also set out little lids of beer that they'll fall into. Copper pennies scattered around the stems can help, too.

 

White Flower Farm has some good information about the different varieties:

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/hostas.shtml

 

If the bed gets enough sun, you could also plant some of the shorter ground cover roses to help keep out the dogs. Our house in on a corner with no fence but is separated from the street by a long shrub and perennial border garden. I mixed in about a dozen carpet roses, which are taller than the ground covers, to keep dogs from crossing from the street into our backyard. They've worked well.

 

I would not use rocks as a mulch in most gardens. You will be dealing with the rocks turning into the soil and having to replenish it and also having to keep them confined to the bed. It might not stop the dogs, either. If you find dog poo, try picking it up quickly, then dousing the spot thoroughly with water and sprinkling something strong-smelling over the spot. Dogs will sometimes go where they've gone before. If they don't catch their smell, they might go elsewhere.

[MBM]

Another question--if I go with bark mulch, do I use weed paper or not?  I've used it in the past and it was quite the PITA but it did keep the weeds out.

 

Try putting down just a thick layer of mulch -- 2 inches should be fine. Use a mulch that's a bit finer, not the big, chunky stuff. I really like leaf mould/mulch for some of my beds.

 

ETA: you could also put down several sheets of newspaper and then mulch on top of it if your weeds are bad. The newspaper will eventually decompose.

[JumpyTheFrog]

A previous owner used white rocks instead of mulch. Please don't do this to the next owner of your house.

[Laura Corin]

First install a (wild) hedgehog.  The hostas that we have near the house do really well - I have seen a hedgehog, so I think s/he is on slug patrol.  The one I planted further from the house gets eaten up.

[BrookValley.]

Agree with the others about rocks!

 

As for the dogs, consider a sprinkler with a motion sensor.  :) 

[hornblower]

Hedgehogs are not wild in North America. They're an exotic (& difficult pet) here.

 

I have monster hostas because I'm defaulting to what we're calling Darwinian gardening - if you grow with minimal care from us, you're more than welcome. Hostas & rhodos & cedars thrive here. I despise mulch because sooner or later (usually sooner) enough dirt gets in there that the weeds/grass starts growing & then it's impossible to weed. I prefer clean dirt I can hoe & weed quickly that way. Top dress with weed free top soil/compost on a regular basis.  We divided some a couple years ago but mostly we just leave them alone.

Remember they need to die down. I've read if you try to grow them year round they'll eventually languish & fail altogether.  In my climate they die down in Oct. So ideally you plan for the holes in the garden left by them....

For neighboring dogs, I'm for document (photos preferred), confront owners & then, if that doesn't work, take it to whoever is in charge of your bylaws.

Also motion activated sprinklers (except for labs & other water loving dogs. Then they come to play in the yard & chase the sprinkler.... LOL)

[Tammyla]

We have rocks on top of landscaping material around our hostas.  We've never had problems with the rocks here, maybe it depends on where you are.  

[hornblower]

Tammyla - how long have you had it?

I find the rocks on top of fabric lasts for about 5 yrs. Then either the material breaks down or enough soil/vegetation falls on top of the rocks & you end up with a horrid mess to try to weed.  This is esp true if you actually have plants you need to divide because you end up disturbing things. & it's a pita to pull away all the rock to get at the plants & weeds.

We have one area left with river rock over landscaping fabric (was here when we bought it) & ugh, I hate working in that part of the garden.  The lava rock on top of fabric by the cedar hedges has survived much better but there's nothing there we need to divide or really tend other than the semiannual trimming....

http://gardenmentors.com/garden-help/gardening-guidelines/why-landscape-fabric-weed-barrier-wasteful/

[Spryte]

Rocks will not deter the dogs, and it will create more work for you ultimately.  Rock is a lot of upkeep.

 

We have rocks, but not in our front yard - we have rock paths in our back yard, around a patio and some raised beds.  The rocks are a lot of work to keep free of weeds, debris and clean.  And, yes, the dogs will still use them for pottying, if their preferred areas are not scooped quickly.  We scoop yucky areas, and have even resorted to using the shop vac to remove soiled rocks.  We hire a guy to come once every couple years to come in and freshen it all up - he puts down new weed barrier, levels the paths and puts in more rock if necessary (it sinks, with time).  I would never, never recommend rocks again though!  But at this point, removing our *tons* of rocks is not feasible, so we just keep it looking nice.  And it does look nice.  It's just a lot of work.  

 

Love hostas - definitely choose the leaves you like best, and remember they'll need to be separated.

[Pam in CT]

Another intermittently attentive Darwinian gardener here.

 

 

I'm hoping to tackle the front yard this spring and I'd like to put in a hosta garden. Anybody have one? Any suggestions before I start?

 

 

I used to live in New Jersey and had such a glorious hosta garden on my shady side.  Truly, it is a noble plant.  There are enormous blue ones and big green and variegated ones and medium sized small ones of every shade from deep blue to pale vermillion.  Big fat circular leaves to tailored stiff leaves to loose floppy floozie leaves.  4' high purple blossoms to 1' white ones to various heights and shades of just-on-the-pink side of purple, usefully blooming in stages from late June to late September.  They are easy-peasy to divide (though you don't ever need to), so once they're established you have a ready supply of free plants to broaden the borders and/or give away as gifts.  Once established they don't require watering, even in a sustained dry spell.  They tidily enact their own fall clean-up, withdrawing discretely back into the soil without needing to be pruned back or cleaned up -- much like the bleeding hearts with which they go so nicely.  (It is, definitely, a shade plant.  Your front yard is shady?  Up here -- I'm on the warm side of Zone 6 -- they'll start out OK in sun, but they'll scorch out by mid-summer even if you water, and the whole point of hostas is their fabulous capacity to take care of themselves.)

 

I would carry on rhapsodic, except that then I moved to CT.  Where I learned that the received wisdom noted above that "you can't kill a hosta" is not actually true.  Well, a person can't, but the full herds of deer that roam freely around here, can.

 

Here, I've learned to love ferns.  Which also have a certain nobility and which you might also consider...

 

Here is the other issue--neighborhood dogs. We've talked to the neighbors, they refuse to believe that their precious baby is pooping in my yard. Idiots. Anyway, Dh wants to use rocks instead of mulch to keep the dogs out. Pros and cons?

 

Now see before I read all the other posts, I assumed your dh planned to THROW the rocks at the dogs and didn't understand the connection to mulch.   :lol:   People use rocks as mulch??  (Not so much around here...)  I can't imagine that would even block the weeds after a few years, let alone how would you keep it clean?

 

Anyway, if you plant good-sized hosta densely enough they actually will block out (or cover) the bulk of the weeds naturally.  I do use newspaper-under-chipped mulch in most of my beds.  Four or five layers of newspaper under 2-3" of mulch will mostly get you a full growing season.

[LostSurprise]

A mix of fern and hosta can be quite lovely. I see a lot of that here in the Great Northwoods. If you can get trillium too, so much the better. 

[Happy]

Use a thick layer of newspaper under your mulch. Do NOT ever buy the landscape fabric stuff to put down. Ever. I'm still regretting that decision....

 

As others have said, hostas die back in the winter. Plan on a few small ever green plants or a plant or two with interesting bark for winter interest.

 

Happy Gardening!

 

[MBM]

Japanese forest grass would also be pretty. I have the golden variety but a neighbor of mine has the regular old green variety, which in winter is stunning! It turns a bright gold and hers somehow remains upright even after snowfalls. It's more like a true fountain of grass than the gold variety which tends to fall over to one side. Both are very beautiful in a breeze.

 

Hydrangeas can survive in filtered light. Deep shade, probably not so well. You could leave the flower heads until spring and that would give you something to look at during winter. Azaleas can do well in shade, too.

 

Ahhh, I love planning gardens!

[JumpyTheFrog]

To be more specific, a previous owner put down those small white rocks. The guy we bought the house from covered them up with landscaping cloth and pine straw (pine needles). The pine straw is only doing a so-so job keeping the weeds down. Now when I want to plant anything, I have to cut through or remove the landscaping cloth, watching out for the rusty garden staples holding it in place, and then hope there is enough dirt mixed in with the rocks for a new plant to survive.

 

The rock guy also thought it would be good to line the side of the driveway and the decorative fence with the rocks. Previous owners didn't weed, so now we have those parts of the "lawn" that look rather sparse and weedy, and my standards aren't very high. It would take about ten billion hours to remove them all. Hmmm...maybe I'll save up removing rocks as a punishment for some really atrocious behavior.

[Tammyla]

I'm guessing, but it's been longer than five years here less than ten.  They're on the sides of our house and the rocks are smooth and big; the fabric was doubled. 

Tammyla - how long have you had it?

I find the rocks on top of fabric lasts for about 5 yrs. Then either the material breaks down or enough soil/vegetation falls on top of the rocks & you end up with a horrid mess to try to weed.  This is esp true if you actually have plants you need to divide because you end up disturbing things. & it's a pita to pull away all the rock to get at the plants & weeds.

We have one area left with river rock over landscaping fabric (was here when we bought it) & ugh, I hate working in that part of the garden.  The lava rock on top of fabric by the cedar hedges has survived much better but there's nothing there we need to divide or really tend other than the semiannual trimming....

http://gardenmentors.com/garden-help/gardening-guidelines/why-landscape-fabric-weed-barrier-wasteful/

 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Hedgehogs are not wild in North America. They're an exotic (& difficult pet) here.

 

I have monster hostas because I'm defaulting to what we're calling Darwinian gardening - if you grow with minimal care from us, you're more than welcome. Hostas & rhodos & cedars thrive here. I despise mulch because sooner or later (usually sooner) enough dirt gets in there that the weeds/grass starts growing & then it's impossible to weed. I prefer clean dirt I can hoe & weed quickly that way. Top dress with weed free top soil/compost on a regular basis.  We divided some a couple years ago but mostly we just leave them alone.

 

Remember they need to die down. I've read if you try to grow them year round they'll eventually languish & fail altogether.  In my climate they die down in Oct. So ideally you plan for the holes in the garden left by them....

 

For neighboring dogs, I'm for document (photos preferred), confront owners & then, if that doesn't work, take it to whoever is in charge of your bylaws.

 

Also motion activated sprinklers (except for labs & other water loving dogs. Then they come to play in the yard & chase the sprinkler.... LOL)

 

This is now what I will be calling my garden style.

[Laura Corin]

Hedgehogs are not wild in North America. They're an exotic (& difficult pet) here.

 

 

It was more-or-less a joke.

[klmama]

At least in our neighborhood, the deer and rabbits prefer the solid green hostas.  The bicolored ones don't get munched nearly as often.  Maybe you don't have deer where you live and it won't matter.

 

Another vote against rock.  It's impossible to keep clean, particularly if you have trees nearby.  Our house had rock when we bought it, and we hated it so much after a year that we decided to go with mulch. We gathered up the rocks and piled them at the end of the driveway with a free sign.  They disappeared within a couple of days.

 

 

 

 

 

[idnib]

Beware the hosta stealing neighbors!

[KungFuPanda]

With all the amazon boxes we get here, I just put a layer of cardboard down before starting a new bed. It kills any grass before it decomposes and I just cut a hole for plants and hide the cardboard with mulch.

[Bensmom]

I love hosta, but too often we get spring hail storms that shred the leaves and then they are a sad mess the rest of the summer as they do not continue to put out fresh foliage. Some years I rush outside before a storm and tie plastic bags over the hosta to prevent shredded leaves.

Just something to consider if you are prone to severe weather in spring.

[The Girls' Mom]

No advice to add on hostas, but I do know rocks don't deter dog poo.  Our dog actually prefers to poop in the gravel driveway  :confused1:

 

[merry gardens]

Hostas, at least mine, are impossible to kill. I live in the boonies with tons of deer, yet they've never eaten a hosta. They prefer my tulips and rhododendrons.

 

Sadly, they're not impossible to kill. There's a virus that can spread from one hosta to another called "Hosta Virus X" . The leaves look interesting when the first sign of it shows to the point that some infected plants were named as "new hosta varieties".

 

Be careful how you split hostas or cut their leaves as the virus can spread from one to another through contaminated tools. You can look up more about it, but it has me worried for some of my favorite plants.

[Seasider]

Rocks are a pain to work through if you ever repurpose that garden. After a few years the whole top foot of soil can be a rocky mess. Also, this may not be an issue if you're talking about a shady spot, but rocks in direct sunlight retain a lot of heat and can cause the plants to fail to thrive.

[pehp]

I have found that my hostas are easy and resilient.  I am especially enamored by variegated hostas--with the beautiful leaves.  I divide them, they keep rewarding me.  See also: peonies. 

And I have never bought a hosta--I just get splits from the neighbors! Love it. 

 

I would not use rocks or landscape paper.  I use bark mulch.  It doesn't hold all the weeds back, but that's what children are for.

[BlsdMama]

I love hostas.  (And a taser for the neighbor's dog - bet it would learn quickly.)  Sigh.  (I have three dogs - I'm a dog LOVER, but ugh.)

[Guest]

What are the best online shops for ordering hostas?

[Amy in NH]

My chickens ate my hostas.

 

Put in a motion-activated camera to catch the poopetrator.

[Spryte]

My chickens ate my hostas.

 

Put in a motion-activated camera to catch the poopetrator.

 

She said poopetrator.   :lol:

 

Ok, I posted earlier about our rocks - and we just had our yard guy here yesterday to work on them.  They really are high upkeep to keep clean and free of debris.  He had to add more to keep it all level, too.  But there is one advantage to rocks, which I failed to mention - another PP reminded me.  One reason we put in rocks where we did (in paths, some of which border our yard) is that they are recommended for anti-tick landscaping.  They get hot, and ticks don't cross them easily as ticks don't withstand heat well.  Mulch is tick-friendly, rocks are not.  So that was a factor in our choice for rocks.  That said, I still wouldn't opt for rocks again.  There are other ways to prevent ticks.  Diomateous earth (spelling, sorry), damminix tick tubes, so on and so on... 

[idnib]

What are the best online shops for ordering hostas?

 

I like White Flower Farm.