Hostas thrive in shade
Q. Why are the leaves on my hostas turning brown already?
Greg from Youngstown
A. Oh, hostas! Everyone loves these elegant plants when they see them growing somewhere else. From the large blue-leafed variety to the stunning contrasts of different shades of green, this is the most striking foliage plant that is the easiest to care for in the garden.
That is, unless you forgot to read the tag.
But most of us don’t get hosta plants with tags on them. We get the extras from someone else’s garden when they decide theirs are crowded or they have too many.
We take them home and put them where we have an empty spot in the garden – or by the mailbox. When I get a break to take a walk in my neighborhood, the mailbox seems to be one of the most popular places to plant hostas. Usually, it is the hottest and sunniest place in the landscape, too.
That’s when the love affair with hostas end for some people.
To grow hosta, you need a location with more shade than sun. Afternoon shade is best. Dappled shade is great. Shade under deciduous trees is better than shade under large evergreen trees. These trees tend to have shallow roots and out-compete the hosta plants for moisture. Moist shade is great, but these areas tend to be hotels for slugs. Just use your cardboard pieces on top of the soil (under the hostas) to attract the slugs living there, then throw the cardboard away when they congregate underneath.
There are many more hostas than the old-fashioned green-leafed variety with white stripes on the edges. There are many, many hues of blue – some that get up to 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. There is one called “Guacamole” that is a superb combination of lime green and clover green. “Rainforest Sunrise” is a large-leafed variety with a golden center and a green margin and cupped leaves. The flowers of this one are a pale lavender.
Take some time this year to update your hosta collection – and be sure to give them a home in the shade!
To learn more about planting and growing hostas, go to http://go.osu.edu/hosta.
Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours are 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays.