The
World's best perennial for shaded and semi-shaded areas:
Hostas are native mostly to China, Japan and Korea. They
are also grown in Europe and America, for more than 150
years. In that time, many varieties have come and gone,
but today there is over 800 officially registered cultivars.
Hos-Tas aims to offer the best of the old and new varieties.
Currently we have 350 cultivars growing in large shaded
houses, which are open for the customers viewing pleasure.
Gardeners all over the world are discovering the joys
of Hosta!
These soon to be popular, shade perennials remain attractive
from when they emerge in spring until the autumn frosts.
The spectrum of gold/yellows through greens to the blue
hues, will grow in nearly all soil conditions. (But the
better the conditions the better your hosta.) Scapes
sway with flowers coloured , from dark purple shades
through to white from early summer.
Some Hosta flowers have stripes, but only some are fragrant,
especially in the evening, when the scent will be stronger.
Most find the scent, somewhere a cross between a daffodil
and a lily and quite sweet but not overbearing.
Hos-Tas is continually adding and upgrading our Hosta
range. We do not sell immature plants or tissue-culture
plants. Nor do we import them.
All our varieties are guaranteed true to name, 12 months
old with established root systems, and in the rare case
they turn out to be something different, they will be
replaced.
For best performance:
* Light shade it is a misconception that they are shade
loving, this is not true; Hostas tolerate and grow in
the shade. But all plants require some sun whether it
is full, mottled or some morning sun.
* A couple of hours of morning or late afternoon sun
will encourage better colour, especially with the gold
colours. A good rule of thumb is no more than 20% full
sun in a given day.
* Free draining, slightly acid soil that is high in organic
matter.
* Adequate water in summer months is eventual but only
moist while dormant.
* Feed in spring with slow release high nitrogen fertiliser.
* Can be transplanted at any time of the year, but keep
as much soil medium on root system (ball) while actively
growing and keep plants well watered.
* Slugs and snail are the only insect problem; keep these
under control with snail bait (dry saw dust is an environmentally
friendly way of repelling the slugs and snails).
The
longer Hostas are left undivided the better they will
look, although some do require regular division.
Divide
only after 5 years, but division can be done at any time. |
