Northeast Gardening: Hosta Pics, 1 by MissFabulous

MissFabulous wrote:
Off topic from hostas, but about snakes - a neighbor and I were talking a few days ago and she told me they had a snake that kept sunning itself right outside their door. Since, like me, they appreciate ecology and know that snake helps keep the rodent population down, they didn't want to kill it, but they sure didn't want it right outside the door either. A friend of theirs told them to plant, or all things, peppermint! So they did, and Blanche said it really worked! She also said that since then, they've put peppermint in their vegetable garden, too and it has deterred all kinds of bugs, too. I just ordered some seeds and I'll probably plant it in pots, and put some of the pots in the ground to keep it under control.

I knew herbs can make terrific companion plants (my herb garden is trouble-free other than weeding and chasing out the lily of the valley that was in there before I came along) but I had never heard this about peppermint. I've known those neighbors a long time, and they're very perceptive about nature and their gardens, so if they say it works, I certainly believe them!

I have no idea what these plain green hostas are, but they're unstoppable. They get bigger than all the other ones and grow much faster. I divided two of these this year and you can't even tell. Yesterday, I popped an entire one out and it's barely noticed since the other ones are so huge. I guess I'll have to start a few more shade beds for them! I didn't like the plain green ones much years ago when I moved back, but I've really come to appreciate them for their hardiness and because they set off the variegated ones so nicely.