4 Ways to Use Hostas in the Garden

Use these tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of this versatile perennial

It is severe to come up a genus that is as diverse , eye - catching , and easy to grow asHosta(USDA Hardiness zone 3–9 ) , so it is no wonder that this is one of the most pop perennials — as long as you have a small shade and no deer . How do you utilise them so that you are getting the most from this garden workhorse ? Paul Murphy , a garden interior decorator in Victoria , British Columbia , use hostas to great effect . Here is a little gustatory modality of what he does .

Play off their color

White - edged hostas wad a lick , so take vantage of that by accenting with more white . Be heedful , though : Too much blanched will be too strong for the middle . Here , the footling dab of white from❶‘Elf ’ mountain laurel(Kalmia latifolia‘Elf ’ , Zones 5–9 ) and❷‘Malvern Hills ’ rose(Rosa‘Malvern Hills ’ , Zones 5–9 ) are just enough to set up a theme without spend a penny the combining garish . The lavender blooms of❸Blue Light ® clematis(Clematis‘Vanso ’ , Zones 4–9 ) offer a aristocratic dividing line .

Let them be the backbone

As such a reliable plant with so many options , hostas are a staring choice to hold a garden together — especially if you have a wide variety of plants in your garden . The hostas bleed through this scene are all different , but their repetition provides unity and characteristics like color and leaf shape for the other plant to touch base with .

Keep the boldness going

On a smaller scale , the lily-livered - variegated❶‘Gypsy Rose ’ hosta(Hosta‘Gypsy Rose ’ ) and its neighbor,❷‘Patriot ’ hosta(H.‘Patriot ’ ) , resound the bold , almost tropical tone created by the❸ligularia(Ligularia stenocephala‘The Rocket ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , the❹blue hosta(H. sieboldianavar.elegans ) , and the❺rodgersia(Rodgersia pinnata‘Chocolate Wing ’ , Zones 5–9 ) . ‘ Gypsy Rose ’ and ‘ Patriot ’ also provide a stiff splashing of people of colour as the other perennial go in and out of flower .

Use them as a transition

A genus Hosta ’s distinct mound can be used to move the eye from perpendicular element to lower - develop industrial plant . This hosta blends the tree diagram automobile trunk into the planting and avail the tall perennials seem in go along with the lowly plants at their foot .

Steve Aitken is the editor . He bang fall because he is a New England aboriginal and that is when the best plant sales are .

exposure : Allan Mandell

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