I’m looking forward to getting into my wild garden this weekend for some frenzied weeding and general taming, but I have to admit that I’m a little afraid of the hostas in the shade garden. These are plants that I inherited so I’ve never been particularly predisposed towards them, but they are so thoroughly rooted that I’ve never considered taking them out. I don’t even know their varieties, I’m embarrassed to say: I pay them no mind whatsoever except for a few hours in July or August when I snip off their less-than-impressive flowers. I have the generic shiny dark green plants (none of those variegated ones that you see everywhere, thank goodness), and then the less common greenish blue variety, which are always large but GIGANTIC this particular year: these are the ones that are intimidating me at present.
I will admit that the advantages of this particular hosta are its relative resistance to slugs, who seem to prefer the shinier varieties, and its flowers, which are a bit more delicate: an odd juxtaposition as the leaves are tough. Perhaps the slugs are fearful as I am! I’ve included a shot of the garden looking west towards Hamilton Hall, so you can see how wild it is at present: I’ve got my work cut out for me.
June 15th, 2012 at 7:04 am
They’re gorgeous!
June 15th, 2012 at 7:13 am
Thanks Julia: high praise from you.
June 15th, 2012 at 7:07 am
Donna, I am a hosta lover, having rescued 30 plants from a neighbor’s re-landscaping project. I definitely agree with you on the size of the leaves this year. I plan to capture them in a photo with my daughter in the picture for scale.
June 15th, 2012 at 7:12 am
Well, I would love to see that, Cathy! My pictures are missing scale–I tried to lure one of my cats out there, but (like cats) they wouldn’t stay put.
June 15th, 2012 at 7:19 am
Hostile Hostas, eh? I can’t keep hostas, they get eaten before they get going… if these are resistant to slugs and snails though maybe I’m growing the wrong varieties.
June 16th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Oh, I would have to say these are my favorite variety too. I grew up with plenty of variegated hostas and, no offense to the hosta lovers out there, they are so blah. These flowers, though, look lovely. Wishing you strength and bravery as you venture into your untamed lands.