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Great
Hosta Combos
One of the fun things
in hosta gardening is to combine plants with contrasting foliage colors.
Recently we have had some new foliage siblings offered to hosta
gardeners. These are usually sports
of popular solid-colored hostas with a new variegation in the foliage.
Bob selected some sibling combinations that could be used in pairs or
even adjacent sweeps in the hosta garden.
Hostas
‘Pearl Lake’ and ‘Veronica Lake’ ‘Pearl
Lake’($5) is one of the first hostas we ever bought for our gardens.
It has rich solid green, heart-shaped leaves that cascade into a nicely
rounded, medium-sized, fountain
mound. Both cultivars are
attractive as a specimen or as a sweep. Its
bloom is an abundant bouquet of lavender blooms in mid-summer.
‘Veronica Lake’ ($20) was registered in 1993 but only recently became
widely available to hosta growers. It
is a white-margined version of its all green sister plant with the same
appealing leaf shape, mound characteristics, and bloom.
Hostas
‘Krossa Regal’ and ‘Regal Splendor’
‘Krossa Regal’ ($8) is a large, blue-green hosta that has long been
popular because of its glaucous blue leaves in spring, its elegant vase-shaped
foliage mound, and its tall lavender flowering bloomscapes.
‘Regal Splendor’ ($15) has all those valued attributes with creamy
margins on its leaves.
Hostas
‘Halcyon’ and ‘June’ ‘Halcyon’
($9) is one of our favorite medium-sized, blue-green hostas because of its
beautiful coloration in spring and early summer.
It is the hosta paired with ‘Janet’ on the first photo of our website
and the two form a striking sweep on the bank above the large pond on the farm.
‘June’ ($15) is a gold centered sport that retains the rapid growth
and the striking blue-green margins of ‘Halcyon.’
Hostas
‘Elegans’ and ‘Northern Exposure’
‘Elegans’ ($8) is a giant, dark blue-green hosta with puckered,
nearly round leaves. Like most
giant blues, it is slow growing. ‘Northern
Exposure’ ($20) is a sport with creamy margins and the puckering of
‘Elegans’ but much faster growing and a medium-sized foliage mound.
This newer, variegated plant is one of Bob’s favorites here on the
Farm.
Hostas plantaginea and
‘Ming Treasure’ Planaginea ($6) is the shiny, light green
leaf hosta that goes back to 19th century gardens. It is the plant with the long, waxy white trumpet flowers
that are so fragrant each August. Now
we have a new creamy-margined sport that has been named ‘Ming Treasure’
($40). This is a new plant for our
gardens as well but look for it in our garden.
It will be in a sunny, well watered spot in the gardens because
experience has taught us that those are the best conditions for plantaginea
hostas.
Hostas
‘Blue
Angel’ and ‘Guardian Angel’ ‘Blue Angel’ ($12) is one of the
all-time great giant blue hostas. Slow-growing,
at maturity this plant will have enormous dark blue-green leaves shaped like a
pair of angel wings. We cannot grow
enough of these to supply the demand here on the farm. In 1995 a new white-centered sport of this popular hosta was
introduced. ‘Guardian Angel’
($40) is still in limited supply, but advance reports are that it is a great
addition to hosta collections. The
white centers are striking in spring, but as the season progresses they
gradually turn green. Even in late summer, however, one can still see the
lighter shade of green in the plant center.
Hostas
‘Patriot’ and ‘Fire and Ice’ is another winning duo.
‘Patriot’ ($12) is loved for its bright white margins on rich green
leaves. ‘Fire and Ice’ ($25)
reverses that coloration with white centers and rich green margins.
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Dogwood Farm Copyright 2008 |
