Monroe Conservation District Hostas

Hostas

Plants are 3.2 x 2.6 round plugs

To place an order, please use the Order Form and order by March 22, 2010

Abiqua Drinking Gourd - Medium 18-22”, dark blue-green seer suckered leaves displaying unique cupped form.

Blue Mouse Ears - Small 8-12”, thick heart shaped blue/gray to green leaves. Bell-shaped lavender, flowers.

Blue Umbrellas - Giant 32-40”, huge blue leaves exhibit excellent slug resistance. Darkens to green in summer.

Fair Maiden - Medium 14-16”, irregular yellow margins that turn white as the season progresses. Lavender flowers.

Great Expectations - Large 20-24”, puckered leaves with wide irregular blue-green margins. Creamy yellow-white centers.

June - Medium 14-16”, Jetting blue-green margins and chartreuse centers in spring. Centers turn gold in summer.

Maui Buttercups - Small 10-18”, bright yellow 5” rounded leaves are cupped and corrugated. Flared violet flowers.

Northern Exposure - Giant 36-42” huge corrugated leaves are blue-green with 2” wide yellow-green margins.

Hostas are exceedingly popular perennials in today’s gardens due to their versatility in the landscape. Their subtle colors, tall flower scapes, and broad, coarse leaves fill a niche in garden designs that few other plants can achieve. Their large leaves provide excellent coverage for dying bulb foliage. Hostas also grow well in city environments where the air may be polluted by care exhaust, etc.

Homeowner Growing & Maintenance Tips:
Hostas grow best in moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Sandy loam is better than clay because it provides more aeration for the roots. High-filtered or dapples sunlight is necessary for clean, healthy growth. Morning sun is tolerable and will help to intensify the leaf colors, but hot afternoon sun is usually deadly to hostas (unless otherwise indicated). They are most at home in shady, woodland settings and often work will as specimen or edging plants. Hostas are very easy to propagate through division. This can be done at any time during the growing season with little or no affect on the growth of the parent plant. Since each division should have at least 3 eyes, plants should be allowed to mature for several years before being divided. Especially in northern zones, hostas should be mulched with a layer of finely shredded organic material to prevent heaving in the winter. Mulch is beneficial because it retains moisture around the plant’s roots, but it is also the ideal place for slugs to hide. Watch for holes in the center of the leaves. If they are present, so are slugs. Applying a slug bait in early spring when new shoots are beginning to emerge will help to reduce the slug population. After a few years when plants are firmly established, the mulch can be removed completely, which should eliminate the slug problem altogether. Also be sure to clean all hosta foliage out of the garden in early winter after the plants have gone dormant. By doing so, you will be ridding the area of the eggs of slugs and other leaf-eating insects. - Walters Gardens Inc.

Photo Usage Agreement from Walters Gardens

To place an order, please use the Order Form and order by April 30, 2010.