Yesterday I promised I'd show some of the Hosta I have in sunny places. Keep in mind that my gardens are on Long Island (just east of New York City) so this might not work for the deep southern locations. Also, even though we have 1.3 acres, we are surrounded by tall trees so there is no such thing as direct sun from sun-up to sun-down.
On the left is Hosta 'Spritzer' which I bought at a daylily auction (yes, I know...) it turned out to be one of the best auction buys I've ever made! The plant to the right is Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'. This location gets full sun from early in the morning until at least 2:00pm and then quite a bit of filtered light after that. The Pulmonaria wilts a little in the summer on a hot day but quickly recouperates in the late afternoon.
Here you can see the same spot from another angle, what this photo doesn't show is that there are lots of daylilies planted in this area too. You can see how the chartreuse color in Hosta 'Spritzer' shines like a beacon in the garden. Also in the back drop (still getting 5 hours of morning sun) is Hosta 'Blue Angel' which is now so massive that I need to divide it this spring.
One last shot of this area, this is in July and while full sun is shining here (I hate how full sun washes out the colors in photos). Hosta 'Spritzer' now has a few holes, either slug damage or broken twigs from the dying Cedar tree just north of this bed (my neighbors tree of course). But it's still hanging strong and adding lots of foliage interest to this garden.
Hosta are also great perennials for planters that you plan on leaving outside for years. Clay pots will shatter here but cement planterss or the new fake ones make it through the winter just fine. This spot also only had morning light but last year we increased the front stoop by quite a bit and even further out with more direct sun, the Hosta did fine.
My all time favorite Hosta so far is this cultivar 'Sea Fire'. I've been back to Schmidt's farm dozens of times and never saw it for sale again. This year I'm going to bite the bullet and split my clump but I don't think I'll offer any for sale. I'll plant all those pieces in nice rich sunny soil with lots of yummy composted manure. Maybe in a few years somebody will be able to talk me into sharing a piece :-)
This last shot is out along our back property line. As I mentioned yesterday, right after this was planted the neighbors took out most of their trees (they live south of us so those trees cast shade into our yard). This garden is 5 years old now and this photo is 2 years old. I really have to get in there and divide like crazy this year!
Take a careful look at that white fence in the back drop. My next post will be about choosing the right kind of fence for your garden. I wish somebody would have explained that to me in the past as we've made mistakes here too.
Oh yes, I saw my first crocus bloom today! What a surprise!!! Photos to come soon :-)
Bye,
Melanie
On the left is Hosta 'Spritzer' which I bought at a daylily auction (yes, I know...) it turned out to be one of the best auction buys I've ever made! The plant to the right is Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'. This location gets full sun from early in the morning until at least 2:00pm and then quite a bit of filtered light after that. The Pulmonaria wilts a little in the summer on a hot day but quickly recouperates in the late afternoon.
Here you can see the same spot from another angle, what this photo doesn't show is that there are lots of daylilies planted in this area too. You can see how the chartreuse color in Hosta 'Spritzer' shines like a beacon in the garden. Also in the back drop (still getting 5 hours of morning sun) is Hosta 'Blue Angel' which is now so massive that I need to divide it this spring.
One last shot of this area, this is in July and while full sun is shining here (I hate how full sun washes out the colors in photos). Hosta 'Spritzer' now has a few holes, either slug damage or broken twigs from the dying Cedar tree just north of this bed (my neighbors tree of course). But it's still hanging strong and adding lots of foliage interest to this garden.
Hosta are also great perennials for planters that you plan on leaving outside for years. Clay pots will shatter here but cement planterss or the new fake ones make it through the winter just fine. This spot also only had morning light but last year we increased the front stoop by quite a bit and even further out with more direct sun, the Hosta did fine.
My all time favorite Hosta so far is this cultivar 'Sea Fire'. I've been back to Schmidt's farm dozens of times and never saw it for sale again. This year I'm going to bite the bullet and split my clump but I don't think I'll offer any for sale. I'll plant all those pieces in nice rich sunny soil with lots of yummy composted manure. Maybe in a few years somebody will be able to talk me into sharing a piece :-)
This last shot is out along our back property line. As I mentioned yesterday, right after this was planted the neighbors took out most of their trees (they live south of us so those trees cast shade into our yard). This garden is 5 years old now and this photo is 2 years old. I really have to get in there and divide like crazy this year!Take a careful look at that white fence in the back drop. My next post will be about choosing the right kind of fence for your garden. I wish somebody would have explained that to me in the past as we've made mistakes here too.
Oh yes, I saw my first crocus bloom today! What a surprise!!! Photos to come soon :-)
Bye,
Melanie
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