Hi, this cutting board is interesting and I've been getting different ideas. I had never thought about using hostas. Does any one have suggestions about what varieties of hosta would make good cutting plants. I've been trying to study up on what flowers look good together in a cut flower bouquet. Is there any forum you can go to that has lots of ideas. This one has good ideas, but it's just beginning!
varieties of hosta for cutting?
have to wait on someone who grows hostas...wish i could help....
I've just started harvesting a few leaves from my hosta collection for use by themselves or with a little flower or two.
There is such a variety of hostas available, you should be able to find some you like. Things to consider include leaf size, leaf color (blue, green, gold, or variegated), growth rate, leaf texture (smooth, satiny, ruffled, corrogated), leaf size, and petiole length and color.
If you want a hosta that can have leaves cut off and still not be harmed overall, then you will want something with a good or excellent growth rate. Hostas can take up a lot of space, so plan ahead for a shady garden spot with plenty of room. Another thing that is important is to choose something with leaves with "good substance"--a heavier leaf that is less likely to be damaged while you are working with it, and which is more likely to have a longer vase life.
Photos of hostas can be found at http://www.hostalibrary.org
Hostas I have in my garden that seem to work well and have a good growth rate are Hosta 'Wide Brim', which has a variegated leaf. A plain green hosta with satiny leaves and a long petioles is H. 'Ventricosa'. An impressive size leaf with multi-color variegation and very beautiful is 'Sagae' (though I would not have the heart to cut mine!).
Laura
Thanks, that was really helpful. About the only one here has been here for years, we have a 200 year old house. Grandmother (who's no longer with us) always called it August Lily, and it was her favorite "flower" as she loved the way it smelled. I'm sure it has a more modern name I'll have to look up in the hosta library! It might work though some for cut flower arrangements.
If it is that old, and has fragrance, it is probably a species hosta called 'Plantaginea'. You can take some of that clump and transplant it into other places in your garden, though it may take awhile to get that big. It can take a little sun. Most hosta prefer part to full shade. Some people love the huge clumps. It is a fairly fast grower too, though the substance may not be as heavy as others. I haven't tried cutting flowers for a vase. The flowers last a day each. I have a small plantaginea, so don't know how the scent is yet and my nose doesn't distinguish it as well as others do.
Laura
It does look like that 'Plantaginea'. I have planted it around elsewhere, but it still is coming up pretty thick, so I might just thin it down a little more. It also looks like some of the other plants that start with August. But the flowers resemble more the planaginea. So I'll have to do some comparing this summer when I can take pictures of it. Thanks for your help.
Plantaginea flowers are very distinctive, as they are huge, maybe 5-6 inches long.
Laura
You can grow hostas for your needs. I grow a variety of hostas and local flower arrangers were surprised when I began to use them in my arrangements.
I was the florist for our church last year. Our congregants can not afford flowers for the altar or for any services so I supplied them (a few of us rotate turns)
I like sum and substance, or other large leaved cultivars for casket arrangements - casket saddles. They tend to have long stems and look fabulous when used with dark leaved cannas, also as a base for the flowers.
My other favorite are some sort of plain green with long, thin leaves. Was here when I moved in. The leaves last way longer than any flowers.
Cast Iron plant leaves also work very well.
GGG
Last year I had so few plants to make arrangements with - so I used what I had. Asiatic Lilies, hosta leaves for background - and then the hostas started blooming - so I figured, why not? I will try some flowers in an arrangement. They were FANTASTIC. These are not special hosta - just stuff left over from the previous owners, more or less wild, that I transplanted under some trees. The flowers were sort of mauve, and on a tall stalk. They lasted for a couple of weeks in a vase!
so go for it. Actually, we should start a mini-competition for the best arrangment using hosta. Winner gets to be Hosta Monarch for a day :-)
I can't compete yet - still too early for my gardens.
What if any preservative solution and type of conditioning do you use (if any ) for your hostas?
HI GGG!
P
Southern Living this month has a mason jar that they covered with hosta leaves and then put some flowers in it. Interesting.
I'm sorry, I don't know anything about preservatives.
Another nice hosta I'd consider for an arrangement is "Royal Standard", it has a stately shape and the veins are just graceful on the leaf. It is a good multiplier. It is a plain medium to darker green with a long petiole.
My wide brims have multiplied nicely this year. Just hoping I can keep the voles out of them.
Sagae is a very easy to find hosta an done of my favorites. There are so many shapes of hosta.
If you want a round leaf, In blue with corrugations, "abiqua drinking gourd" has cupped leaves, 'Sieboldiana Elegans" is rounded, but slow growing. For small yellow rounded leaves, you might look up "Maui Butter Cups", and "Fire Island" has bright yellow leaves and contrasting red petioles. It's still very brightly colored. Many hostas fade after late spring and don't look as nice as in May and June.
Laura