Hall's Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica var. halliana - Hall's Honeysuckle


Hall's Honeysuckle - buds, new flowers white, old flowers yellow

My favourite vine for part sun. I have heard that in other places this is invasive (by seeds spreading and by spreading and rooting as it goes and occasionally popping up from the roots... I have had none of these problems.) but I have never had that problem here in zone 5. It does look fantastic by late June when it is covered with white and yellow flowers that fill my back yard with a Jasmine-like fragrance for several weeks. I find it will flower off and on through the rest of the summer as well but never as much at one time as it does in June. I grow mine in part sun where it gets some morning sun (in my neighbour's yard) and some late afternoon sun in my yard. It is at the top of a slope in clay where I would expect runoff to be a huge problem... but it never seems to dry out. I don't water this thing, I barely fertilize (only to keep the yellow leaves they're fairly well known for away) and this plant just keeps on growing. Going to do a major pruning of it next spring as after 4-5 years it is starting to get a little large for the small trellis I have mine growing on.

Colocasia 'Black Beauty'

Super excited! My Colocasia 'Black Beauty' which I thought died this spring has just started to grow again.



Two new shoots from last years (rotten) bulb in a 4" pot

Last year this almost flowered for me twice but didn't quite open either time. I doubt it will try this year because of its size but next year it might get another shot.



Last years flowering attempt

Since we're already off topic... Other than plants hardy to zone 5 I keep Aroids (including this Colocasia, several members of the Cryptocoryne genus and off and on Anubias species, none right now), Ferns, Orchids and Bromeliads (Tillandsias and Vrieseas). Actually from that list I suppose I also keep Ferns, orchids and aroids that are hardy to zone 5... My orchid and Jack in the Pulpit were both just recently planted so I can't comment on them too much but maybe expect a fern post in the future?

Astrantia major - Masterwort

Astrantia major (Masterwort) is a fantastic shade plant that I don't feel gets enough credit for being as great as it is.

The flowers are made up of a ring of bracts which generally range from dark pink to light pink with small true flowers that may be light green, cream coloured or pink.



Astrantia major 'Dark Shiny Eyes' - This cultivar has interesting flowers that start dark pink and lighten to a medium pink. The true flowers in the center are dark pink and light green which stands out well in the shade.

I grow mine directly on the north side of my fence where it gets maybe an hour of morning sun and indirect light at best the rest of the time and despite this low light it will still manage to flower for most of the summer. Flowers are lightly fragrant (you need to be pretty close to notice the fragrance) and held above the low mound of deeply cut leaves on tall branching stalks. There are also cultivars with green/yellow variegated leaves.

Naturally a woodland plant, Astrantia major will also grow in sunnier locations provided they are kept cool (avoid a west exposure!) with mulch and soil that will remain evenly moist. Plants will apparently self seed and may spread by runners but I have found it a very well behaved plant.

Grows to 24-36" tall (including flowers, leaves form a lower mound, 18-24") and 18-24" wide and hardy to zone 4.

Hostas - part 2

Part 2 (I think of 2 because everyone knows a lot about many hostas already and also because I want to move onto new and much more exciting things) - Notable varieties and why they are notable and, if applicable how they've grown for me and/or things I've heard second hand from people who have grown them.

Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ - Very cool looking plant. Leaves are blue, bullate and very cupped. Good slug resistance due to very thick leaves. 'Love Pat' is supposed to be an improved variety with more reliably shaped leaves.

Hosta 'August Moon' - Nice smallish yellow hosta (2-3' wide) that forms a dense mound of leaves, does very well in sunny areas, presumably better if these are not also dry but I have seen them growing in that sort of spot (but not to 3').

Hosta 'Blue Angel' & 'Blue Mammoth - Two nice large blue hostas, 'Blue Angel' has leaves than are more mounding while 'Blue Mammoth' has more upright leaves.



This is very likely 'Blue Mammoth' - but you can see a 100% confirmed picture in my previous post... I just didn't want to post the same picture twice.

Hosta 'Blue Arrow' - Great colour and texture with narrow blue leaves and wavy margin.



Hosta 'Blue Arrow'

Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' - Cute. Tiny blue hosta with rounded leaves.

Hosta 'Captain Kirk' - Nice looking mid-size plant (pictured in the previous post) with leaves that will cup either up or down with a narrow yellow center on a green leaf. You'll have to ask me about pest resistance next year on this one though nothing's eaten it in the week I've had mine.

Hosta 'Christmas Tree' - Nice plant. Name apparently originates from the shape of/leafiness of the flower stalk or something along those lines? I'll take a picture of it in flower (in bud right now).

Hosta 'Elvis Lives' - Good texture. Narrow leaves with a very wrinkly margin.

Hosta 'Fire & Ice' - Similar to 'Remember Me' in appearance and growth habit. An attractive plant but unfortunately not vigorous due to the wide white center which emerges with the leaf from the start. More vigorous would be something which starts out with mostly green leaves that lighten but I don't know a variety that lightens to the white this selection has ('Paul's Glory' is like that but with a yellow center)

Hosta 'Fireworks' - Very nice. Leaves are similar in shape to 'Ginko Craig' and 'Hi Ho Silver' but with white centers with green margins. Only just planted this one last week but mature specimens I've seen have been small plants that look great.



Hosta 'Fireworks'

Hosta 'First Frost' - Beautiful plant. Similar blue leaves to 'Halcyon' but with a yellow edge fading to white later in the season. Supposed to have its best colour in a shady spot.



Hosta 'First Frost'

Hosta 'Fragrant Bouquet' - Nice bright green leaves with a white/off-white margin and as the name suggests fairly large fragrant white flowers later in the summer. I've found good pest resistance and that it's a vigorous grower. Mine is growing in fairly heavy shade (filtered morning sun then bright but indirect light (blocked by trees and a fence on the south and west) for the rest of the day) and doing well which is not common for most varieties than lean towards yellow. I think I'd describe it as "bright green" though so that may be where the difference is, possibly it would be more yellow in more sun.

Hosta 'Francee' - Fantastic plant, even if a bit ubiquitous. Green with a white edge but differs from many green leaved hostas in that the green is a nice dark green (darker than 'Silver Crown' etc with lighter green) which makes the white stand out very well even though the white edge is much thinner than 'Minuteman' or 'Patriot.' 'Francee' also does very well in extremely heavy shade (Three maples that were planted too close together thirty years ago = some of the densest shade I've had to deal with).

Hosta 'Frances Williams' - Very popular larger gold edged hosta with a reputation for good slug resistance and excellent shade tolerance.

Hosta 'Ginko Craig' - Small hosta with narrow green leaves with a white margin. 'Hi Ho Silver' is similar but with more white while 'Fireworks' is similar but with a white center/green edge.

Hosta 'Golden Tiara' - Smallish to moderately sized hosta with fairly round brightly coloured leaves. The small leaves compared to the size of the plant make this one interesting. Probably has good potential for use as a hosta groundcover... haven't tried but I imagine it would be nice.

Hosta 'Great Expectations' - I like this one. Similar to 'St. Paul.' Narrow yellow stripe in a large green leaf. Pretty big plant.

Hosta 'Guardian Angel' - Stunning. See previous post for a picture of the plant. Blue on a more difference blue, nice leaf shape. This will be the next hosta I buy for personal use. Too expensive to put in public areas (which is what most of my landscaping basically is) but perfect everywhere else. #1 on my most wanted list by far!

Hosta 'Halcyon' - The best mid sized blue. Even though these are everywhere everytime I see it I fall in love again. This is one of those plants that is everywhere because it is awesome.

Hosta 'June' - Another midsized plant. Similar to 'June Fever' and 'Paradise Joyce'. Interesting because its colour depends so much on the growing conditions. I have two planted on either side of a tree trunk - the one on the east that gets slightly more light has much more yellow in the leaves, the one on the other side of the tree has more blue/green in the center. 'Paradise Joyce' differs in that the center of the leaf will go almost white in good light while 'June' never gets much past yellow. I've got one of these recently planted in a fairly sunny spot to grow with a clematis (and shade the roots and all that jazz).



Hosta 'June'

Hosta 'Krossa Regal' - Nice form on this one. Try a low growing gold hosta under the upright leaves for a fantastic effect or any low growing groundcover (Purple flowering Dead Nettle or Golden Creeping Jenny would be my picks for colour contrast). The colour isn't as stunning as 'Halcyon' but the shape is really unique.

Hosta 'Love Pat' - Like an improved ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd.'

Hosta 'Minuteman' - (And 'Patriot') Similar to 'Francee' but with wider white margins.

Hosta 'Orange Marmalade' - Nice spring colour. I've found this one to be pretty slow to establish. Hopefully it will be bigger next year because the colour is a really nice deep yellow (not actually orange).

Hosta 'Pandora's Box' - Small to dwarf but bigger than 'Blue Mouse Ears' with good green and white colour, nice flower colour if I remember right as well.



Hosta 'Pandora's Box'

Hosta 'Paradigm' - Was pictured with 'Guardian Angel' in the previous post. Really nice texture with the heavily bullated leaves.

Hosta 'Paul's Glory' - Nice big plant with leaves that start green (improved vigor because of this) that then lighten to a yellow center. Good choice if you want something like 'Orange Marmalade' that will be bigger faster.

Hosta 'Praying Hands' - Very unique hosta. Leaves are long and narrow, wavy to the point of looking almost curled.

Hosta 'Regal Splendor' - 'Regal Splendor' is a white edged sport of 'Krossa Regal' and is similarly awesome for all the same reasons.

Hosta 'Revolution' - Green margin, white center with green blotches through the white. This sort of blotching is fairly rare in hostas. 'Independence' has the same blotching but in a white edge with a solid green center.

Hosta 'Stained Glass' - Nice bright hosta which is supposed to be sun tolerant. That's good because in my experience it certainly is not shade tolerant! Definitely give this one some sun. I like it but I'll be moving mine in the fall to sunnier ground. Fragrant lilac flowers later in summer.

Hosta 'Striptease' - Another favourite of mine. Green with a narrow gold strip down the center, very thin white line loosely separates the green and gold.

Hosta 'Sum & Substance' - The big one. I planted a small pot of it last year and the leaves are already a good 16" long. Sure to amaze in sun or some shade (best colour in more sun).

Hosta 'Summer Breeze' - Wide gold margin on a bright green leaf. In my experience good pest resistance. Nice plant.

Hosta 'Tattoo' - Unlike all other hostas in this list I have not seen this hosta in person but I've heard rave reviews from a friend. Googled it and I've in love. Think 'Great Expectations' meets 'Striptease' - Bright green leaves with a wide irregular gold center. An unexpected dark green line divides the light green and gold. #2 on my must have list though it's small so I've more likely to get this than any other.



Assorted Hostas

Hosta 'Touch of Class' - Classy. Like 'Great Expectations' but with blue and gold. I'll probably plant one of these in my landscaping work but not a personal must have. Though I'd certainly buy one if I had the space.

Hosta 'Whirlwind' - Like 'Guardian Angel' this hosta has an irregular combination of colours (darker center than I'd expect) and interesting curled leaf shape. Would definitely stand out from a collection of albo-marginata & similar.

Hosta plantaginea - Grow this for its (4-6") flowers and you won't be disappointed but plant it close to a window or patio so you can enjoy the fragrance. Large glossy green leaves won't be touched by slugs. #3 personal must have. All fragrant hostas have this in their lineage. 'Aphrodite' is nice, 'Venus' will be harder to find but has double flowers and the same scent.


I hope you've enjoyed this in-depth look at Hostas! Obviously I could only cover a small fraction of hostas available but these are some the best varieties I've seen and rest were the most common available so it'll at least be a good starting point. You'll be seeing more pictures of course as I get to either garden profiles &/or winning plant combinations.

Hostas - part 1

I should start by saying that even though I work at a large cooperate garden center There is nothing better than visiting some smaller specialists from time to time. That was the case last weekend when I visited a place that specializes in hostas (including hybridizing new varieties and maintaining amazing display gardens).


Hosta 'Blue Mammoth' (back), 'Super Nova' (in front of 'Blue Mammoth' on the left), 'Tokudama Flavocircinalis' (front far left), 'Golden Tiara' (front left), 'Sum and Substance' (front center) & 'Valentine Lace' (small one on the right).

Most people know hostas to at least some degree but are often surprised by the huge variety available and occasionally are surprised that they flower (Hosta Plantaginea Grandiflora is one of my favourite hostas even though it only has green leaves - the amazing 5" fragrant flowers in late summer more than make up for it!). With their fantastic range of sizes, colours and even texture as well as tolerance of anything ranging from full sun to full shade (they all do best in full morning sun, afternoon shade - "Shade tolerant, not shade loving") there's probably one that will work for everyone. Sometimes there are many that will work for some people (I have 5 personally and have planted many more around in the landscaping I do - These will be discussed in part 2).

General care for hostas:
Light - Full morning sun is ideal, many can tolerate full sun (yellows can look nicer in sun), some can tolerate full shade (blues and greens do well).

Water - "Evenly moist but well drained" - They don't like drying out but they're not bog plants. Basically average garden conditions will be fine.

Fertilizer - I haven't fertilized mine and they've been fine but I've seen the results when you do fertilize and can't argue with them. Something balanced like a 10-10-10 is supposed to be good. I like slow release granular fertilizers. In general I personally don't fertilize (anything) and they're alright with that.

Potential pests - Snails & slugs mostly, potentially earwigs as well. Supposed to be fairly tasty for deer but fortunately I do not have that problem. Best prevention is to choose resistant varieties though snails and slugs are not overly difficult to deal with and rarely do more than make plants look like crap.

Hardiness - Zones 3-8 - definitely hardy in zone 5.


The only one here I remember the name of is 'Captain Kirk' with the green leaves and gold centers and cupped leaves.

Variations:

Foliage - Colours I've seen in hosta leaves include green, white, yellow and blue You can basically take any of these individually or combined with any two on the center or margin (which can be thin as in albo-marginata or thick as in 'Touch of Class' or 'Striptease') of the leaf and you'll have a plant that already exists. Leaves can also be long and thin ('Hi Ho Silver'), have a wavy margin ('Blue Arrow') - wavy to the point of almost being curled or folded occasionally as in 'Praying Hands', cupped leaves ('Love Pat'), bullated leaves ('Captain Kirk'), round leaves ('Golden Tiara'). Foliage can be upright ('Krossa Regal') or more mounding ('Blue Angel').

Flowers - Generally about an inch to two inches and white to dark lavender and generally flower in July though some are much larger and fragrant and flower later in the summer (I've only seen these in white). I've seen pictures of some double flowered hostas but never seen one in person. Other colours are being worked on as well.

Size - from minuscule ('Mouse Ears', 'Holy Mouse Ears') to huge ('Sum and Substance', 'Blue Mammoth').


Front to back - unknown hosta with smooth green leaves with a thin yellow margin, 'Paradigm' with bullated leaves, green with a moderately thick blue edge, & 'Guardian Angel' with smooth leaves, wavy edge variegated with what looks to me like a dark blue edge lighter blue center.

Next post will deal with a few selected varieties I want to go into more detail about including (as long as the weather's dry enough I can get pictures) the varieties I grow as well as some more from Limestone Gardens.