Hosta

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Hosta: How to Plant, Hybridize and Care for Hostas

October 11, 2016 Summer Perennials

hosta

Like potato chips, one Hosta is never enough! Infatuation with this hardy perfect perennial for shade gardens is a malady shared by all gardeners. The history of Hosta is short compared with most of our perennials for it was discovered in Asia by botanists. The two most famous of these botantists are Phillip Franz von Siebold who is the namesake for the corded, glaucous blue leafed hosta like the famous hosta sieboldiana. Blue heavy corrugated leafed hostas are hybrids but still carry the genetics of the early discovered hostas as do the Fortunei hosta introduced by a Scottish botantist named, Robert Fortune. Fortunei hosta are the satiny leafed, variegated hostas...

Heartleaf – Brunnera macrophylla

April 6, 2016 Cold-Hardy Spring Perennials, Spring Perennials

Heartleaf - Brunnera macrophylla

How many gardeners have wished for a lovely perennial that would naturalize in a shady spot where only weeds seemed to grow? Brunnera macrophylla is that plant. Brunnera’s flowers are a looalmost Forget-Me-Nots look alikes for they both have the showy true-blue, tiny blooms with a yellow/white center and are often called False Forget-Me-Nots. Here the resemblance stops for Brunnera is a strong, not fussy, long-lived excellent perennial for zone-three western gardens while Forget-Me-Nots acts like an annual, creeps on the ground and has mildew problems. Brunnera is so carefree it can be used as a replacement for Hosta and will not attract snails. Brunnera breaks dormancy early in spring...