Never was big on Hostas but apparently the previous owners of this house were. There are more of them around the yard but here are four of them. I would have staggered them but they are pretty nice and wow, sure are healthy... they're huge.
Starting to become a fan
Those are lovely, CAM. Thanks for posting that photo.
Thanks. I need to ask the Hostas who they would prefer as neighbors, I need to put some other plants in that bed with them. :)
Ferns and Heucheras go well with Hostas.
True... I've grown Heucheras before and I think they would thrive in this spot... gets maybe 4 hours of morning sun then in shade the rest of the day.
Thanks for the ideas !
Astilbe also goes well with hostas.
Thanks for the suggestion.
By the way, those Hostas are still getting larger. They are over three feet across and one is nearly four feet across each by now. And I ordered some Heuchera "Paprika" to go in that bed with them. I was thinking the orangish-red should be a nice contrast.
The hostas appear to be a fairly old, standard variety - quite possibly Undulata Albomarginata or maybe Fortunei Albomarginata. I wouldn't do anything drastic to them at this stage, but you can control the size somewhat simply by taking a spade to the perimeter of the mound in early spring. But if you want to split them to use elsewhere, you might want to lift the mound and re position it.
Thank you... appreciate it. I just bought this house in February but it's 20 years old. No telling how old those Hostas are. Having only had Hostas for one day prior to these (yeah, one day, deer ate all five of them to the ground so I gave up on them), I'm no expert on them so again... thanks.
I just looked at your picture again. There seems to be a lot of mulch in front of those hostas. Is that all garden? And what are the light conditions there? If it's all garden, you've got a lot of possibilities for what you could do.
No... just a six foot deep flower bed. I just got the three Huechera "Paprika" in the mail today. Will plant them in front of the Hosta. There is about a foot of room left behind them that could be usable space too.
That bed is on the east side of the house. Gets direct morning sun but is in the shade from about 1:00 thru evening.
East side of the house is near perfect for hostas. You could plant many more in there. :-)
Good, because I just got another as a house warming gift from a friend in our local gardening club. :)
Yes, Hostas appear to love the morning sun and afternoon/evening shade.
That's exactly how my passion for hostas started. We bought this house in 2004, and the property was fairly shaded. The previous owner had several hostas, only two varieties that I could tell--plain green leaves, and green leaves with white edges that look exactly like yours above. All these years later, I still have all of the previous owners hostas, have divided them, spread them around the yard, and given some away. I've added too many others to count--all special varieties. They're so easy to have in the garden--virtually no upkeep--and the selection available today through online stores is practically endless! Have fun!
Thanks for sharing. Yes, these need to be divided next Spring. And yes, there are SO many varieties available now. Thanks again !
But hostas NEVER need to be divided UNLESS, you want more space or you want more plants. Or unless they are sporting to something less desirable (which usually grows faster and will eventually take over).
Yes like Ann says they really never need to be divided. They do not die out in the middle. The large varieties are totally different looking in their adult phase.
Yes true, i have had some of my hostas for 15 years. They only get more beautiful each year. I like how they spread out and grow so much over the winter. It is always a surprise every spring. I like your hostas in your yard. Very nice grouping for sure. Will look lovely with your hucheras you purchased.
Thanks for the info and advise, all. I doubt I'll divide them, They're awesome the way they are. The "coral bells" are tiny at this point but if I recall, they are pretty fast growers.