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new garden, no sun
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Posted by Jan.ON 5b/6 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 9, 12 at 13:28
I am planning to plant a small hosta group at the cottage where we spend all summer. Our property is mostly "unimproved" but we're gradually starting to establish some gardens there. The area I want to plant is on the north side of a small stand of mature oak, ancient lilac, and unkempt hydrangea, and right beside our (grass) driveway and a somewhat seasonal road in Zone 5. There should be years of accumulated leaf mold on top of the rocks.
Please suggest hostas that would grow on Ken's driveway if there was NO SUN there--cheap and cheerful, common as dandelions, tough as nails, sure to grow with no attention from late September until the next June. Fast would be good, and even invasive would work!!! (Don seems to have lists for everything else!) Can you help? (I'll name it the hosta web garden.)
Jan |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: new garden, no sun
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Of course I meant "hosta forum garden"!!
Jan |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| the undulatas.. and lancifolia ... golden tiara .. the bullet proof ones.. that multiply like rabbits ... is where you start ... i am surprised you have no deer ... at a seasonal home ... most cottage owners complain that things disappear while they are gone ... ken |
RE: new garden, no sun
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Thanks Ken; Our cottage is located in a small village on a strip of land between the St. Lawrence River and a major highway. We're at the end closest to the traffic, and completely bordered by water on one side, so although there are certainly deer in the area and we have spotted some further down the road we have never seen evidence of them on our property. I think our largest "varmints" are chipmunks! However, tasty hostas may prove me wrong.
Jan |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| sounds good.. except you never planted a buffet for them before.. whats there doesnt sound like high priority for deer ... but hosta??? who knows.. give it a go ... i am blanking on the other workhorse hosta.. but dont plant fragrant ones ... ken |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| Not that I'm experienced with invasive nature of hosta, but I'm told that the venusta sort will multiply quickly. Only it is allegedly not endowed with high substance. |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| Venusta hasn't grown all that fast for me. Lemon Lime grows faster than weeds. I wouldn't spend very much in setting up a salad bar for the deer. If you build it, they will come. |
RE: new garden, no sun
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So now I'm getting cold feet. And "don't plant fragrant ones".... are deer actually attracted by fragrance? One more thing I learned today!
Jan |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| No, Ken means that Plantaginea and it's progeny need more sun to grow well. Plant a few inexpensive Hosta (i.e. Lancifolia and Undulata) and see if you get Deer damage. How deep is the shade you are planting in? Does it get any dappled sun? If as you say there are large Oaks, my guess is that you may have high dappled shade. If so that is good Hosta growing light. You can always bring in a professional tree guy to thin the canopy. That would provide you with the perfect amount of light. Steve |
RE: new garden, no sun
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| no steve .. of the 1600 hosta.. and deer roaming thru my garden on the way to the lake [and i use the term very loosely] down the street .. the ONLY hosta nibbled on .. are the fragrant ones .. and usually only the flower and stalk ... YES THE SCENT IS AN ATTRACTANT ... do not let the discussion stop you .... how else will you/we learn ... what i would do.. is walk thru your garden.. and choose any that have doubled in size inside two years ... and take a piece .. and go for it .. yes on lemon lime.. yes on venusta.. yes on the oldest of the tiaras .... when i said workhorses.. i meant the ones that multiply faster than rabbits .. besides the fact.. you can get them for free.. and they can live on the driveway ... which makes them great to experiment at the cottage with ... i believe that this is covered in the FAQ regarding hostaholics .. e.g. having to take your hosta.. on vacation WITH YOU .. lol ... well its not a FAQ .. but i bumped up an old post ... and linked it below ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
RE: new garden, no sun
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Jan - I planted a ton of Ginko Craig under oaks with no sun in the shallow gravely soil of northern Arkansas. They all did well. GC is a medium hosta, green with white margins, but tough as nails and very well displaying with dense blossoming habit.
Les |
RE: new garden, no sun
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In my experience, with profuse watering not an option, my hostas grow better in light shade. That is a high tree canopy, perhaps an hour of morning or afternoon sun. Usually, 2 or 3 hours of sun will get them scorched.
Bernd |
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