Browsing category: Hostas in My Gardens

Hostas, Slugs, Iron Phosphate … and a Dilemma

There is only one thing I don’t like about hostas… their susceptibility to slug damage. I don’t use poisons on my gardens, so I have spent a lot of time researching natural methods for eradicating slugs. During those first few years I think I must have tried them all.

What Do Hosta Flowers Look Like?

Reader question… “I am very interested in growing hostas from seeds and I found your posts about this very interesting.”

How To Harvest Hosta Seeds

The usual advice is to let the seed pods dry on the stalk in the garden until the pod is somewhat dry and about to open. I’m sure that works well in a warmer climate, but here in the northeast, the seed pods never reach that stage before the first frost.

Hosta ‘Northern Exposure’

A mature Northern Exposure is a very large hosta… measuring around three feet high and five or six feet across, or more. The flowers are a light lavender and the leaves are thick with a puckered texture… very large (12 inches) and broad and heart-shaped.

Do Hostas Seed Themselves?

Reader question… “I have what I think is a hosta seedling growing in my garden, but it is not near my other two hostas. I have not planted any seeds.”

My Surprise Streaked Hosta Seedlings

Here is some pictorial proof that you don’t always have to have seeds from streaked hostas to end up with streaky seedlings. These little streaked beauties grew from seeds I had collected from a number of hostas… but none of those hostas were visibly streaked.

How I Divide A Hosta

Reader question… “I have a hosta that has gotten very big and is developing an empty area in the center. My neighbor told me it needs dividing, but I don’t know how to do it.”

Hosta ‘June’ And Its Seedling

My June hosta has produced only one seed so far that had what looked like a viable bump. The seed germinated quickly and the little seedling thrived, but it was obvious from the beginning that this seedling was going to become a miniature hosta.

Hostas I Have Grown From Seed

One of the things I like best about hostas is how easy it is to grow more hostas from seed. For the past several years I have been collecting seed each fall and growing seedlings under lights through the winter.

Hosta ‘Twilight’

Hosta Twilight is a sport of Fortunei Aureomarginata and has dark green leaves with wide, creamy to yellow, wavy margins. The leaves are round and thick, somewhat shiny, and very slug-resistant.