Perennials Forum FAQ
Can you give me some information on hosta varieties, care and culture?
- Deb D - I have fallen in love with hostas and have decided to collect different varieties. Today I found a unique herb farm with dozens of different hostas. Several were giants. I couldn't get much info. Is anyone familiar with it's needs?
Joe - I have 'Blue Angel' and it is huge, almost 5' across in its 2nd year. The blue hostas need to be in alot of shade. If they are in just about any sun they will burn or scorch on their edges.
Marcia - Royal Standard will tolerate the sun. It is a light green, with a fragrant white bloom.
Lynn - Sum & Substance, Fringe Benefit, Sunpower, plantegenia, Golden Medallion and So Sweet are all growing in full mid-day sun from 12:30 to 5:00 pm in my garden. I provide them with lots of moisture and heavy mulch, so far little or no burning on the edges.
John - 6a - H. 'Devon Giant' is quite large, 36" X 36". I couldn't find any information on it's sun tolerance, but the further north you are the more sun they can tolerate.
Stephen - 5 - How 'bout H. 'Elatior' a/k/a H. nigrescens 'Elatior'? It is very large and nice. The scapes are a little more parallel to the ground than probably desired, but it is nice. 'Sagae' is another choice. Had you thought about massing large varieties? Like a big thick row of plantaginea or 'Royal Standard'?
Ronald - FL/9b - I think the secret is the further south you go the more shade they will need.
Lynn - 4b - Unfortunately, exposing blue leaf hostas to four or five hours of full sun would result in "green" looking hostas, they seem to need bright shade to grow well, but maintain their color. Now there are some hostas that are large leaf that do tolerate sun quite well. Blue Umbrellas(actually green/blue color) huge leaves, with a shiny texture, Fringe Benefit, greenish /blue tint center, with cream/white margin. Shade Fanfare holds out pretty well also.
John - 6a - Hosta's will do just fine in zone 8. Need a little extra shade, definitely from the afternoon sun, and some good mulch, and plenty of water.
Andie (MO/Zone 6a) - You don't necessarily have to move hostas because of slugs. They are a perennial problem in my garden, but have never managed to kill a hosta (yet). You do need to try and get rid of them, though. Here's a tip that I got from watching TV. Mix 1 part aluminum sulphate with 4 parts lime and broadcast among the plants. This should kill the slugs. To be sure, put out a saucer of beer at night. If you find slugs in the beer in the morning, repeat the treatment. I've tried the beer method by itself, and it works. The aluminum sulphate just does the job quicker.
A Pearson - At Pacific Shores Nature Resort, we only use natural pest controls. For slugs in your hostas, [or elsewhere] try "diatomaceous earth" which is pulverized remains [spicules] of microscopic sea creatures. It is very effective but be careful to use a mask since the dust could damage your lungs.
Paul - If you like Hostas sooner or later you may want to propagate them. Splitting them is the conventional way of doing it but some rare and small varieties do not make large clumps. Something to try is to dig up the clump and in each shoot with a sharp knife make several (4) vertical slits from the roots to about an inch high. This makes each growth produce more offsets than usual which can be removed the following year.
Stephen - Hosta do require some dormancy...about 40 days of temps in the lower 30's to satisfy their metabolic requirements. ALL Hosta species and cultivars require the rest according to the data collected by us growers and collectors. If they are deprived of the dormancy period, they will decline. This will not manifest itself immediately...it will require several seasons to be apparent.
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