Your 'Ghost' (times three) are much prettier than mine. I have two huge clumps and a small clump. I think I'll move them now that I see how nice yours are in the shade. Mine only get afternoon sun but I don't get the same effect as you do. Time to move them, I'm sure. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hosta Pics
Why smaller? And why move it? Do you really feel it's too large.
That is one excellent photo with the way you captured the sun on the hosta! The whole scene is so pleasant.
Yes, please move it to my garden, noreaster!
Thanks Pirl, I love taking pics of this bed at the end of the day when the sun highlights certain ones like that. I like the size of that hosta now, which is farily large, with dinnerplate leaves....but at maturity it's gonna be ginormous, and out of scale with the rest of the bed, I think. I do need a large one to balance with Regal Splendor and Thunderbolt at the top of the bed, though. So large, but not gigantic, I think. Here is the whole bed, with Parhellion down on the left. The far left lower corner is pretty unresolved at this point. The big pot is masking a tree trunk and this Spring I removed all the suckers that were around that.
I think it's gonna go along the north side of the house if I can convince my husband that the scraggly yews need to go! It should totally obscure the foundation at that point. I really need to get rid of those yews if I'm gonna add any more hosta. That's my mission this summer. He keeps telling me I have too many of "those", meaning hosta. He's a lost cause.
Stained Glass would give the same effect. Mine is just a year old but quite a few eyes and isn't huge. I hope it stays just as it is. I'm not a hosta fanatic so I don't know how large it gets.
This photo was taken at the end of September last year.
You mean you haven't begun scratching your arms and telling him how they irritate your skin? That's a must do to convince him.
That's a nice spot, Pirl. I also have a one year old Stained Glass, and was surprised to see only two eyes this Spring, after the vigorous growth it showed in just it's first season. But, the two eyes have big leaves, so it's a pretty nice size so far. I bet yours is gonna be huge by the end of this season if it has a bunch of eyes. I'm not sure how big a mature SG is, either. There is so much conflicting info on the web about sizes. I think up here, we grow 'em big! Has something to do with the superlong winters, I guess. My one concern about swapping it with Parhelion is that it might almost get too yellow with the afternoon sun..not sure I want a screaming yellow one there. But, Parhelion is gonna get pretty gold by the end of summer too.
This one might be a possible replacement, too. I bought it from NH hostas last year, and although it only came up with one eye, the leaves are big and thick. It should be lime with a cream edge, and that's about all I know about it. It's called "My Cup of Tea". Delta Dawn is another one I have and am thinking about for that spot.
Noreaster ~
That's a beautiful spot you have in that photo. And yours, too, pirl. I have been 'given' a spot between the pines down back that I'd like to turn into a shade garden like both of yours. I have ideas, but no plans as yet.
I just started a shade garden a month ago after putting in a sun garden of perennials ,I am in love with Hostas and Ferns.
This is my feeble start ,as its the back of the shade grdn I'm not going for a whole lot of interest just background for the side I can see from the deck.
Picture of Big Daddy Hosta and Blue Cadet for company.
This is one section of four that are between pines along the lot line between neighbors.
OOPs consider the above a "before"
This is the correct pic taken a few weeks later. All hostas bought at Bluestone sale 30 in all spread out along 75 feet of gsrden
That's exactly where 'my spot' is located, Jo Ann ~ it's between the pines, which stand between the houses. We have lots and lots of rocks, so that's one thing that will be 'planted' there.
Looking at the beautiful arrangements of rocks and Hostas that Pirl and Noreaster has I wish I had some for interest if nothing else.
We are not allowed to have fences in this neighborhood but everyone is civilized and considerate of how they keep their lawns and borders. This "shade" border starts as shade,part shade and moves to morning and afternoon sun so I get to play with a variety, I have DL's at the oposit end and there will be a Butterfly bush or two near the lone hosta that was there when we moved here last July.
I will have an Acer Palm Spring Delight planted between the first two pines and sprinkle in a few red rodies, I'm trying to take up space so not every foot is perennials.
Noreaster - I love your stone containers! Where did you get them?
Very interesting about the Mint. I will have to do some research on that. As for Companion Planting; here are two links. I think I have them in the sticky here too. http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html#ALFALFA: & http://www.minifarmhomestead.com/gardening/companionplant.htm
Norester - great setting with the hosta's and ferns. I've been struggling trying to get other shade plants like toad lily to take without success. I have so many ferns on my property (mostly Christmas ferns - some cinnamon) growing wild that I have been hesitatant to put them in my main hosta bed. I do have ghost and jap. painted ferns in other areas (planted in old plastic pots and buried to stop them from spreading to much).
You've convinced me to give them a try (burying in pots) and stop feeding the voles toad lily's and others. In fact I have a new hosta, red dragon, that hasn't been planted. It will also go in an old plastic pot into the bed. Maybe this will stop the feeding frenzy.
Wha: I have ordered Toad Lilies for fall planting, what problems did you have? and what dilusion am I laboring under that makes me think I'll be successful.
Are Moles your problem?
I know I sent some to Anita...but there was someone else that I promised some hosta divisions to. If you are the person that dmailed me, please do so again. I feel like a complete and total heal.
ge - i've seen others mention toad lilies and I do not see that they have been a problem. I planted them twice, once in fall and once in spring, and both times they just did not come back. The roots did not grow and take hold. It may be because the ground is not nice dirt, it has a bit of a mat finish with other stuff sucking up water and nutrients. there is a maple (beautiful red in fall) and three silver birches in and around this bed so they win the water battles. The voles/moles did a lot of damage to mostly hosta's this winter - even some lilies by the pond down back, and a mess to the lawn. I've started spraying some stuff on the ground that "guarantees" two months protection.
You probably will not have a problem. I might try them again with the plastic bucket method.
Glad you spoke about that, I will use the bucket when I buy ferns for the shade garden, I really don't want them to wander I like the form they have when they are upright and the red stems sho on the Lady in Red ladyfern, also I love the short spreading habit of the Jap Painteds,I will definatly have to have a Ghost but need to see how things develop to know exactly where to put it.
I always learn something new when Gardeners talk about how they solve problems, the bucket idea is great.
cut the bottom out of the bucket or the plant will drown.
I was just returning to Hostapics to ask if you drilled holes in the bottom.
What type of Bucket do you use?
The five gallon spakle compounds seem too big.
I have such a supply of plastic plant buckets from buying who knows what at nurseries. I re-use these. As you know most a just thin plastic containers and be cut with heavy scissors or clippers by hand.
Thanks Ive been throwing mine away but will keep the larger containers.Say over 4" pots
MissFab - thanks for that peppermint info for the snakes. As some may recall, I had a horrific problem with a huge aggressive black racer snake last winter in Fla. He insisted on camping right outside my patio door and all around the cool stones where I set my large ceramic pots with my veggies in them. He and I had a very upsetting incident, and then I read somewhere to use red lava rocks to keep snakes away because they won't cross the sharp edges if they are pointing upward. Fortunately, that did work this past winter and I had no aggressive snake encounters to fill my nightly dreams. BUT, we do have the smaller (not aggressive) snakes here at the farm, especially where our stone walls are, so I am going to try some of your peppermint idea to see if that will keep them from around our stone & brick BBQ pit. I, too, will keep it in containers so it won't take over.
My husband played a mean trick on me yesterday by hiding a fake snake in my hosta bed!!! Then of course he had to be there when I came across it. Unluckily for him, I had a water squirt bottle in my hand.
Anita, my containers are all ones I've made out of hypertufa, which is a combo of cement, peat, perlite, and sand. Not hard to do, just messy.
I don't know if I should be scared of my ferns going crazy or not. My garden is still young. But I figure if I can deal with LOTV, I can deal with ferns...they can't be as hard to dig up as LOTV. Ferns are the one thing I have left out in containers over the winter and they've always come back.
I don't have toad lilies either....mainly because I've never seen a picture of the overall plant as opposed to just the blooms. I'm not sure I'd like the look of the plant when it wasn't in bloom. Does it have a nice form to it?
Not the best.
Well maybe that's why I never see a pic of the whole plant then, lol.
Hard not to like this though. You can always hide the foliage if you really don't like it. And it blooms in fall!
I do really like the flowers, and them blooming late is a plus. Does it bloom around the time Cimicifuga does? Just not sure where I could stash some where I wouldn't be annoyed all summer by the boring foliage!
That photo was taken last Sep 24th.
I have toad lilies in with my hostas too.
Here is a shot of some of my old hostas, Gold Standard(I think), Just So and Pacific Blue Edger, the green one second from the right I don't know what it is.
Very nice, Al. TL's go great with hostas.
The variegated foilage on some of the toad lilies is pretty neat. Especially if you interplant them with solid colored hostas, mayapples, and solid colored grasses...not that I am biased...pic forthcoming.
Thom, did you see that mayapple link I posted the other day??
Nope. I have been falling behind on posts, and reading. What I started doing, not sure if this is wise because I'm probably missing out on some really nice stuff, but once a thread gets longer than 310-320 I stop watching it :-( I do have DSL but it takes awhile for everything to DL.
Victor-what was the link? If you wouldn't mind posting I would greatly appreciate it!
Here is the varigated toad lily (tricyrtis)...I believe it's called 'Lightning.'
Thanks for the toad lily and surrounding plants.
I always learn something when I see plants in combos.
I just realized lilies can be planted near other plants.
Love it. I'll order toad lilies from B&D and see how it goes. Had them at my other house and liked them .
ge-LOL...had to relook at the pic I posted, at first I was like, "What the heck lily is ge talking about?"...There is one lily, that one in the pic, that, I would hate the word "weed" but it seems to come up just about everywhere, the shadiest spots, the sunniest spots, the most waterlogged spots, the driest spots...just everywhere. It's pretty and smells nice, but I have them growing everywhere. Sometimes I just forget they are there...until I smell them!
I'll try to find it, Thom. Now I can't remember where I posted it!
Nice shade garden, Al.
Found it Thom! I gotta have this.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/852849/#post_5034378