I thought I would be stronger. I thought I could resist. But now I know nothing can stave off the unquenchable hunger for hostas. I buy three or four kinds at a time, all distinctive and seductive, and then dream at night of the 5,000 other kinds I still crave. Time to stand up and admit the truth: My name is Steve, and I'm a hosta-holic.
I'm not alone. Sneak around, and you'll likely find closet hosta-holics on every street. What makes hostas so addictive? Simply put, no other hardy perennials offer such beautiful foliage in so many colors, shapes, and sizes.
Take Your Pick
Depending on the selection, plants form clumps from 4 inches to 5 feet wide. Leaves range in size from as big as the ear of
an elephant to as small as the ear of a cat. They may be blue, green, yellow, variegated, smooth, wavy, puckered, quilted,
rounded, heart-shaped, or sword-shaped. Pretty summer flowers make the craving worse. And the blooms of some, such as 'Royal
Standard,' drive us to madness with their sweet perfume.
Made for Shade
Hostas love shade but don't want deep shade. The majority prefer light shade all day, but quite a few tolerate morning sun
if the soil is moist. The farther south you live, the more water and shade hostas need. Sorry, but hostas won't grow in the
Tropical South. Use peacock gingers instead. Those of you in the Coastal South should stick to heat-tolerant Hosta plantaginea.
Nothing trumps good soil in growing great hostas. Avoid planting them in thick woods; they hate root competition. Don't plant in clay either. Instead, provide loose, moist, well-drained soil that's jam-packed with organic matter, such as composted cow manure. Feed hostas in spring with a slow-release, organic fertilizer (such as cottonseed meal, blood meal, or fish meal) at the rate recommended on the bag.
Foiling Pests
Hostas fend off most pests, but a few can create problems. The first is a mouselike rodent called a vole, which chews off
the plant at ground level or below. If you have voles, don't mulch hostas, because voles burrow beneath the mulch to dine
unseen. When you plant, mix either sharp gravel or a slate product called VoleBloc with the soil as you fill in around the
roots. Voles don't like the jagged particles.
Slugs and snails, which eat holes in leaves, are another bane. The simple answer is to plant thick-leaved selections such as 'Halcyon' and 'Elegans.' Slugs and snails leave these alone.
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