Making a flower bed with hosts for beginners. Charming hosta: cultivation, planting and care in the open field. Varieties and types of hosts with photos and names

There are very important points that southern gardeners - lovers of hosts should definitely pay attention to. Planting and caring for it in the Kuban have certain features, because the sun and heat are not always favorable for this plant. But we also want to decorate shady corners by planting beautiful plants. And the hosta in the garden, in the open ground, is very decorative. It will ennoble any area, regardless of whether it blooms or not. The main wealth of the hosta is the leaves. They can be with smooth or wavy edges, narrow or wide, with or without edging, light or dark, striped or speckled, high or low. Where to plant, how to care for the host in the south?

A huge bush of plants of one variety or of several will look beautiful.

Hostas in the garden

This plant is not for nothing called the "queen of the shadow." She loves shade, moisture, and there are certainly cozy shady places in any garden. But it is unacceptable to refuse to grow this magnificent, incredibly diverse in shape, beauty leaf color, even in our sunny hot climate.

Many Kuban gardeners do this very well. No need to rack your brains: what to plant in the shade! Of course, hosts!

By purchasing at least one copy of this plant, you will love this goddess of shady places forever. Lush balls of dense bright leaves of different colors, shapes, placed together with other plants or separately, look great. Any, even the most abandoned shady corner of the garden will acquire the atmosphere of the tropics.

And delicate flowers, at least for a short while, will delight you with their delicate aroma. To make a lush bush feel great in the Kuban, you need to know some secrets.

How to plant a hosta, where and when

First of all, you need to determine the time and place for this oriental beauty.

The dry, hot air of the Krasnodar Territory is a real test for a plant brought to us from East Asia. And the sun's rays are a serious enemy for its juicy foliage.

When is the best time to plant a hosta, when to transplant? The plant is picky, but we really need our seedlings to take root, develop well, don't we?

If you are going to plant a hosta in the fall, then you should know that the seedlings after planting should have time to take root, get stronger before the onset of frost. If they are planted in late autumn, they may not survive until spring - they will freeze due to the lack of natural shelter - snow. Although some impatient gardeners take the risk of planting a newcomer late in the fall, one must hope for luck or not.

Therefore, the best time to plant a new pet in open ground in the Kuban is spring, when frosts have already passed. Most likely, this is the month of April or the beginning of May.

It is not recommended by specialists, experienced flower growers to plant it in the summer (in the south) - heat, dry air, even in the shade, can interfere with the rooting and development of the plant. It will not soon acquire a magnificent, chic look. But if such a need nevertheless arose, then one of the conditions is to plant it with a large clod of earth so that the root system is not exposed or damaged.

When choosing a place, it must be taken into account that not all varieties prefer shading and coolness. The lighter the leaves are colored, the more sun the bush requires.

The main rules for landing, choosing a place are as follows:

Plants with dark green, bluish foliage should be planted only in the shade.
Light varieties can be planted in partial shade, where the sun is until 11 or after 16 hours.
It is allowed to be placed in sunny places with lacy shade from trees or shrubs at noon.
The hosta is not very picky about the soil, but if you want your pet to thank you with beautiful, lush foliage, it is worth preparing a place with her needs in mind. The soil should be fertile, light, moist. Which, unfortunately, is not found everywhere in the Krasnodar Territory - in our country it is most often heavy black soil. Moisture is the best friend of these plants.
The acidity of the soil is not important, alkaline is also suitable for the root system of this plant. Only one thing needs to be taken into account: the oriental madam does not tolerate sandy and heavy clay soils.
When choosing a seedling, pay attention to its roots. They should be at least 10 cm long (optimally 10-15 cm), juicy, elastic (live). The more buds a seedling has, the better. But 2-3 is good too!
Before planting, study the characteristics of the selected variety, especially consider its size in adulthood, because its bushes are also gigantic.

So, we land or transplant the host!

It is better to choose the landing time in the evening, after 18 hours, when the sun is no longer so scorching, and the air temperature drops slightly. So it will be easier for a young seedling to endure stress.

We dig a fairly deep (about 25-35 cm), wide hole. The width of the planting hole is important because the roots grow horizontally underground, close to the surface. If we plant several specimens, then we place the pits according to the scheme 30 × 30 cm or 50 × 50 cm (the distance depends on the varietal characteristics of the size of an adult plant).
We add compost or rotted manure to the bottom of the planting pit, thereby improving the nutritional value of the soil. It will be good if there is peat - add it for breathability, splendor of the root pad. If the soil is acidic, add a couple of tablespoons of ash so that the bush does not waste energy on all sorts of nonsense.
A little trick for the hot Kuban: add a plant hydrogel (moisture accumulator) to the soil mixture, which will absorb water, nutrients, and then become their source, thereby preventing the roots from drying out, which can damage the beautiful hosta in our hot climate. In the presence of hydrogel, the reserve "reservoirs" formed by it will contain moisture, even if the earth dries up. The root system of the bush will “pump out” as much liquid from them as it needs. This, believe my experience, is a real find for Kuban gardeners! It is necessary to add the gel already swollen, saturated with water.
We fill 2/3 of the planting pit with the prepared soil mixture, spill it well with water.
At the bottom of the pit we form a mound from the soil. We lower the seedling, spreading all the roots down the mound. We fall asleep with earth, pressing down with our hands. Sprinkle with water again.
Important: all kidneys must be above ground level.
It is desirable to mulch the soil around in order to retain moisture, to protect it from the formation of a crust - this often happens during the heat. For mulch, you can use peat - scatter it under the plant about 2 cm thick. Mulch will replace loosening, which can damage the roots due to their close location to the surface of the earth. Do not use tree bark for mulch, as it can become a pathogen, especially when soaked after rain.

All! Your plant is ready to delight you with its beauty, unless, of course, you follow certain rules.

Hosta cultivation and care

The main thing is regular watering, which should be done after sunset, but not too late - the leaves should have time to dry by night.

The bush will thank you with its beauty, splendor, if you sometimes spoil it with an evening shower.

But remember: blue varieties cannot be watered from above, since the leaves of this species are covered with a thin layer of wax, which is washed off with such irrigation. Firstly, the leaves remain unprotected from external influences, and, secondly, they lose their decorative effect, since it is the wax that gives the leaves their blueness.

It is advisable to feed the hosts several times per season:

in the spring, after the appearance of the first rudiments of leaves,
during flowering
after the plant has flowered.

Alternate organic and mineral fertilizers.

In the spring, you can make compost "tea" - a real energy drink for all plants, including fruit species. This is the secret of many gardeners.

It is easy to prepare: put fully “ripened” (this is important!) compost in a gauze bag (about 3-5 glasses), tie it up. Dip the compost bag into a bucket filled with water. Infuse "tea" for about 3-4 days, stirring occasionally. When the color of the solution begins to remind you of strongly brewed tea, you can use it to feed plants without diluting, concentrated.

But if the resulting compost "tea" has an unpleasant putrefactive odor, then it cannot be used.

During flowering, any fertilizer containing potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus is suitable. And after the hosta fades or in the fall, you can put ready-made dry compost or humus under the bushes.

The magnificent view of the beauties of the garden also implies the timely removal of yellowed old leaves, flower stalks, weeding, replenishment of mulch if necessary.

These are frost-resistant plants, but in very severe frosts, in the absence of snow, rare collection varieties can be covered with spruce branches or white covering agromaterial of good density in two layers.

They do not like to be disturbed, they can grow in one place for a long time. They can not be transplanted for twenty years.

If the sockets have grown a lot, having conquered the allocated space too tightly, then the division of the bushes is still recommended to be carried out once every 5-6 years.

Reproduction of hostas, how best

By the way, reproduction by division is the most reliable way to get a beauty for your garden. The best time for this procedure in the Kuban is spring. The bushes are divided simply - you don’t have to make much effort. Sometimes a rough division with a garden shovel is required. But be sure to dry the sections, sprinkle with ashes.

Again, advice: rare collection varieties should be divided carefully, without aggressive intervention, as they are more capricious. Divided bushes are planted in the same way as described above.

Hostas in the garden - landscape tricks

The use of the host by landscape designers is very diverse. These magnificent plants are very beautiful throughout the growing season from spring to autumn. They can be planted both in flower beds, where they decorate other plants that have lost their attractive appearance, as well as in separate groups, for example, in the middle of a lawn or near a fence.

A hosta border looks great, giving a finished look to flower arrangements. What can we say about artificial or natural ponds! Chic leaves of one or different shades along the coast will complete the landscape. After all, these succulent "pillows" in the wild often grow along water bodies, on mountain slopes, and forest edges.

They look very beautiful together with the stones laid out between them.

Variety Wide brim (Wide Brim)

Plant a flower bed consisting of hostas of different varieties in a shaded corner of your garden, place small solar-powered lanterns between them, bring a bench - here is a place for you to relieve fatigue in the evenings, personal thoughts, family conversations.

Hosts go well with ferns, geyhers, lungworts, brunners. Gardeners' favorites will look just as great as framing coniferous compositions.
The right place can change the whole look of the garden.

It often happens that if there is a lot of shade, then the flower bed looks somehow gloomy. You can plant hostas with leaves there that have a bright, light edging, for example, a white-edged Marginata variety - a dark place will immediately come to life.

Grade Albomarginata (Albomarginata)

There are some more landscaping tricks when planning a hosta flower bed.

Plant spring bulbs between them - crocuses, muscari, pushkinia, chionodoxes, blueberries, etc. It can be a flower bed with daffodils, that is, with flowers that do not require annual digging. In the spring you will have a blooming flower bed of primroses, because the host has not yet woken up after winter. But in the summer, a lush powerful bush will close the empty places where the first spring flowers pleased the eye not so long ago.

Variety Paradise Island (Paradise Island)

In general, you can come up with a lot of compositions, of course, not to list them all. But one of the main rules is the observance of contrast, then it will definitely be beautiful!

Hosta diseases and their treatment

Root collar rot

One of the most famous, dangerous diseases of the host. Symptoms: the diseased bush stops growing, the leaves become colorless, die off.

Treatment: if you notice these signs, then it is urgent to dig out the diseased plant, cut out the damaged tissues with a sharp knife, and dust all the sections with any fungicide. Be sure to transplant the plant to another place, and on the former land must be replaced.

Viral disease Hosta Virus X (HVX)

They only affect hosts. Most often, blue varieties are susceptible to this disease, for example, Siebold's host. Be careful when dividing the bush, as well as trimming leaves, inflorescences with non-disinfected garden tools. The virus enters the plant through the juice on the cuts.

Symptoms: the leaves are covered with light, yellow-tinged dots, rounded spots. Often, such spotting is not paid attention, since it is very similar to the natural color of the plant.

Treatment or prevention: the first thing to remember is to always disinfect the instrument after each division or trimming operation. The biggest problem is that the virus may not immediately manifest itself, but already be a source of infection for its neighbors.

Viral diseases are not treated. Therefore, if you see signs of a viral disease - immediately, even ruthlessly destroy it completely - dig it up, burn it. It's better to delete one than to lose the whole collection.

But the good news is that the virus can only survive in living tissues. Dead, rotten parts do not contain the virus. Even if pieces of roots remain in the soil, they are not dangerous. It will take two weeks and you can safely plant new plants in this place.

After removing the infected specimen, the instruments must be disinfected with formalin.

Secondary anthracnose infection

This is an infectious disease. For the first time it appeared far from Russia, but it settled here recently. During a hot rainy summer in the Kuban, due to high temperature, high humidity, there is a high probability of this infection. The cause of this disease can also be phosphorus-potassium starvation, so you should not forget about top dressing.

Symptoms: reddish spots on the leaves. Sometimes at first the spots have a light color with a red border, and then they change color completely - they become burgundy-brown.

Treatment: to fight the disease, you need to apply a fungicide, for example, Fitosporin, Abiga-Peak, Acrobat MC, and if there are serious lesions, you will need Fundazol, Ridomil Gold MC, Skor or the like. But, unfortunately, the spots will not disappear, they will remain until the end of the season.

Rust

This disease is more common in yellow-bordered cultivars, as well as hosts from the Sieboldiana family. It occurs due to the wrong choice of place, irresponsible care, too long a dry period.

Symptoms: dehydrated leaves, lethargic, sometimes completely dried.

Treatment: in order to reanimate the plants, it must be transplanted to a shady place, do not be lazy to water abundantly.

Phyllosticosis

A fungal disease that affects weak or frost-affected leaves.

Signs: large yellowish-brown spots appear on the leaves, gradually growing together with each other. It happens that flower stalks suffer. Later, the spots are covered with a grayish coating from the sporulation of the fungus, then the spots crack and finally fall out.

Treatment: first, remove, burn leaves affected by the fungus, reduce watering of the plant. Spray the bush with antifungal drugs, for example, a solution of Strobi fungicides (4 g / bucket of water), Vectra (3 ml / bucket of water), Abiga-Peak (50 g / bucket of water). Repeat the treatment in 10-12 days. If the flowers are affected, then they should be sprayed with a 1% solution of sulfur or copper sulfate.

Botrytis (gray rot or mold)

Signs: the disease begins with the leaves, their tips seem to rot. And then the rot completely affects the entire leaf. If nothing is done, your beauty will become a rotten bunch in a short time. Therefore, treatment is recommended to start at an early stage.

Control measures: at the initial stage of the disease, it is necessary to spray the foliage with Bordeaux liquid, Abiga-Peak, Oxych, Hom, Kuproskat, Topaz, Champion preparations. If the bush is already heavily affected by mold, then, unfortunately, the treatment is already useless, you should dig it out completely and burn it.

In fact, the cultivation of beautiful beauties in the Krasnodar Territory does not have any special wisdom. They are almost immune to disease. More often, hostas lose their decorative appearance not from diseases and pests, but from the hot sun or a little snowy winter. In the south, you need to follow this more closely, choosing the right place for your pet, carefully caring for it.

Well, we have considered all the rules, tricks, features of growing hosts. Planting and care is not difficult, even for novice gardeners. If you are imbued with sympathy for a magnificent host, then settle her in your place. This charming, mysterious Asian will transform your site beyond recognition. An abandoned shady place will become the most comfortable corner.

Photo hosts

Corner of the garden - variety Plantain

Grade Green Gold

Variety Gypsy Rose (Gypsy Rose) and Risks Business (Risky Business)

Sort Plantain (Hosta plantaginea)

Grade France (France)

Variety Wheee

Ecology of consumption. Manor: She does not strike the eye with spectacular beauty, but conquers with sweet charm. And besides, it opens up great opportunities for creating a stylish garden ...

Meet the shy hosta. She does not strike the eye with spectacular beauty, but conquers with a sweet charm. And besides, it opens up huge opportunities for creating a stylish garden. We will talk about them today.

In shadow and in plain sight

Hosta is the lifesaver of any gardener. She will readily agree to any soil and will not be capricious about her neighbors. The only thing that the plant tolerates with difficulty is direct sunlight, and even then if they “roast” it all day long. But in the shady corners of the host feels like a fish in water and even blooms beautifully in such conditions, which very few inhabitants of the garden can boast of.

She also has another significant trump card - diversity. Among the varieties of this plant, there are dwarfs and giants, characters with bluish foliage, individuals with yellow and originals with motley, and the “relatives”, painted in various shades of green, cannot be counted.

The shape of the leaves can be very different: from round, heart-shaped to narrow, elongated. Not the same size: there are dwarf hosts bred specifically for alpine slides, and there are real giants.

Advice: propagate the hosta with rhizomes - this is much more convenient and faster than seeds. Water as the soil dries up, periodically feed with mineral fertilizers (during flowering) and organic matter (in spring), and do not forget to remove wilted flowers in time.

The green "pillow" of hosta looks great at the foot of the vertical support.

The "layered" border is just one of the original uses of the host in the modern garden.

Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ (“BEST”) is the most popular variety from the light-loving group. An adult plant fascinates with its huge size: 80-90 cm high, huge heart-shaped shiny leaves up to 45 cm long and 38 cm wide and a bush with a diameter of up to 200 cm.

What are hosts capable of?

These cute shy perfectly combined with absolutely all plants, so they are desirable in any flower garden - whether it is a ceremonial composition or a free corner in a landscape style. They are able to create a very advantageous backdrop for any group of plants and also perfectly fill empty spaces.

Hosts are especially good for decorating various water objects- ponds, streams and garden fountains. They will harmoniously fit into the landscape of the Japanese garden, making an excellent company for rhododendrons, sedges and ferns.

However, this laconic plant can play a major role in the garden landscape. Single plantings of the host on the lawn, in the entrance area of the garden, at the bends of the paths, next to the paving look spectacular. In the garden "modules" soloist hosts can be decorated with gravel, which will only emphasize their elegance.

Advice: lovers of original compositions can complement the hosta with a beautiful snag. "Collective" plantings of these plants can be used as a "living frame" bordering a recreation area, or in other corners where it is important to emphasize the original forms of elements or the graceful curve of garden paths.

Important: in this use case, all plants should be of the same variety, size and shape. Dwarf varieties of hostas will decorate any alpine "venture": a hill, a rockery, a rock garden or a rocky composition.

Tall varieties are best chosen for single plantings or a living border for a silky lawn.

Even in the bright flower garden of the modest hosts will not get lost and will receive their "portion" of fame.

Be original

An exquisite use of our prudes in site design is host garden: a luxurious composition composed without the participation of other plants. This is the most advantageous option for decorating shady corners of the garden.

To realize such a stylish idea, you need to pick up hosts of different varieties, colors and shapes and plant them in a single composition. The main requirement - the more variety, the better!

Plants should differ in shade, shape and size of leaves, and how to combine them with each other is your choice. There are a lot of options and fantasies: you can assemble a “mosaic” from a host, make an asymmetric composition or even a kind of “bouquet in a package” - collect hosts of different varieties in a single planting and “wrap” them with a border of variegated hosts.

Plant the heroines of the composition as tightly as possible, with virtually no gaps between them, and emphasize the perimeter of such an object with gravel or glass backfill, pebbles, wood chips, saw cuts, but not high sides.

Important: the border surrounding the composition must be “built” at a certain distance from the plants, taking into account the size of their leaves in a fully expanded state. If the dumping is too close, the host leaves will completely hide it by mid-summer.

Advice: if you want to slightly dilute the host company, plant sedges or cereal grasses to them. Such a sharp contrast will benefit all neighbors.

A capacious pot is one of the possible "houses" for the host, but it is better to "settle" plants of undersized and compact varieties in it.

- This is a frost-resistant plant, unpretentious in care, with high decorative properties. It propagates easily and can bring real beauty to the garden, even when used alone. Looks great on rocky slopes, near ponds, in flower beds and not far from them. An excellent solution for the front door.

Characteristic features of the plant: it is stemless, the rhizomes are thickened and compact, due to cord-like roots it is well fixed in the soil. It was especially loved by professionals and amateurs for the possibility of landing on any soil. She is not capricious in relation to neighbors.

Attention: e There is one thing that the host does not like - this is the constant influence of the scorching sun. She will not survive in a site that stands in the sun all day, although in such, most likely, any will be in a deplorable state.

The plant is striking in diversity, and this also applies to the size of the plant and the shape of the leaves, as well as the colors of the color. Leaves are valued in this ornamental plant in the first place.

Although outwardly you can find some resemblance to the plantain in them, in fact, the homeland of the host is Japan. They were brought to Europe in the 18th century. The results of breeding work allow modern landscape designers to decorate different things with this beauty.

Interesting fact: among professionals, the hosta received the nickname - the queen of landscape design.

Varieties and types

At the moment, there are 4000 hybrid varieties of hosta. But there are a few main ones. They are divided into groups according to certain characteristics and characteristics. The basis of host selection is the following species:

curly - it has a height of 60 cm, the leaves are wide, the color is dark green, has a white border;
high - up to 90 cm in height, the leaves, respectively, are also large, glossy;
fortune - height does not exceed 50 cm, green leaves have a creamy border;
siebold - up to 60 cm, a noticeable vein on the leaves;
wavy - its height is not more than 75 cm, the leaves have a wavy edge, they are white in the middle, and the border is green, and not evenly, but in strokes;
swollen - height up to 50 cm, pointed tips are characteristic of the leaves;
plantain - reaches 50 cm, the leaves have a characteristic bright green color, glossy.

There is also a color classification: blue, , . There are 2 groups with bordered leaves:

Variegata - green with a white border.
Mediovariegata - light leaves with a green border.

Size groups:

dwarf - not higher than 10 cm;
miniature - 10 ... 15 cm;
small - 16 ... 25 cm;
medium - 30 ... 50 cm;
large - 55 ... 70 cm;
giants - above 70 cm.

Hostas and landscaping

The leaves of this ornamental plant are of particular value. Hosts are used in different styles of garden landscape design (pictured) - from regular to. They manage to create unique landscapes. They fit seamlessly into background compositions. And the right choice of species may well make this green beauty a central element.

Interesting fact: professionals and amateurs treat flowering hosts differently. Some are of the opinion that the buds add variety to the composition, while others are sure that they only spoil it. The latter promptly remove the appearing arrows of peduncles.

Shiny and matte, different colors of leaves attract and highlight them in the flower bed. When growing (3-5 years), the hosta can occupy an area up to 1 meter wide. Although the plant is unpretentious, it will show its species features best in a shady area, protected from the winds. Therefore, the host makes good friends with.

Important: a plant with yellow leaves feels great in the sun.

Hosta is a unique plant because in landscape design it can be used in different roles, namely:

groundblood for garden plots with partial shade;
excellent framing element for , ;

used as an important element in and french style landscape design;
successfully used in container gardening. Such a plant can decorate certain parts of the garden.

Contrast: forms and compositions

Create a bright flower garden with the help of hosts and others ornamental plants. Since the plant has lush bushes and is mostly monophonic, it is most often used as a background. and hosts in landscaping (see photo) a win-win solution. The beautiful and bright flowers of the first plant are emphasized by the massive greenery of the second, they balance each other and create a harmonious picture in the garden.

Geichera and hosta in landscape design is a link with plants of other colors. Their combination will be an excellent solution in a rich palette of a flower garden. Dwarf hosts with geyhers on and off look great and unusual. If you use massive green hostas with varieties of blood red geyhera, you can make a striking contrast. Impressive bergenia can be softened with neat hosta leaves, which will create a border for attractive small flowers.

Other uses for hosts:

as a "pillow" at. Moreover, the color of the latter can be contrasting, any material of manufacture;
as an element in a multi-layer border;
collective plantings are used as a living frame that borders a resting place in the garden;
dwarf hostas are the best solution for alpine slides, rosaries, .

Hostas in landscape design: photos of unexpected design decisions

Unusually, but very original, a flower bed created exclusively from hostas of different varieties will look, and it is important to use not only excellent colors, but also plants of different heights and shapes of leaves. Better option for decorating a garden can not found.

The main aspect of the success of this solution is that the more diverse, the better. Make them real mosaic, it will surely captivate and amaze the guests. And don't let the asymmetry scare you away - this is the charm of the host garden. Landing should be carried out as tightly as possible, but so that the hosts do not interfere with the growth and development of each other. The perimeter of this section of the garden should be emphasized either by dumping pebbles or wood chips. Take into account the size of the leaves in expanded form, making a border or backfilling, you risk losing it too quickly already in the middle of summer, when the hosta opens its leaves in full scale.

Another original solution is to place the hosts in pots, but they must be large and roomy. For planting, use only compact, undersized varieties. Having made such a mobile landing, you can move it to the required place to fill the space. Holly bordered hostas can add volume.

Breeding methods

There are several ways to breed a host for use in landscape design (pictured). The most convenient is cuttings. There is also an option for planting seeds.

Important: the seeds are collected after the fruit ripens - a dense box that forms after flowering.

seed breeding

The success of growing hosta in this way depends on the correct preparation of the seed. Seeds just need soaking in growth stimulants. For these purposes, "Epin", "Kornevin" is suitable, you can use aloe juice.

Important: treatment with stimulants must be carried out without fail, since the percentage of similarity barely reaches 80%.

Another important aspect is the sterility of the soil, in which there should be no fungi and other microorganisms. If not disinfected, plants can grow sick. The best solution is to buy the substrate in the store. It must contain peat, vermiculite and perlite. Pots for sowing must be pre-treated with medical alcohol, then pour the substrate. It must be well moistened, spread the seeds on the surface and sprinkle with a layer of substrate about 5-7 mm. Lightly compact. Until the moment of germination, cover or. This will create a temperature of + 18 + 25 degrees. After hatching, seedlings should be watered regularly and not exposed to direct sunlight. But at the same time, the lighting should be sufficient. Before planting in the soil, the plant must be hardened off.

Important: when grown from seeds, the hosta often loses varietal characteristics.

cuttings

This is an accelerated reproduction option. It can be produced in spring or autumn (May or September). The hosta bush should be divided into small sprouts, the size of the plant after 2 years depends on what they will be.

Cuttings need to be cleared of 1/3 of the leaves and planted in a shaded area. Almost immediately and within a few days, the sprouts will become sluggish, it will seem that they are lifeless. But this is a normal process, after a while they will come to life. Watering should be carried out by sprinkling. It is impossible to moisten the sprouts under the root, as this will negatively affect the root system. The host will reach its peak size in 2 years, that's when it can be planted in a permanent place.

Care and illness

If there is fertile soil under the host, then you need to feed it several times a year. For this, compost, humus is suitable. Apply in autumn as mulch. You should not get carried away with mineral fertilizers, but if you still think that the plant is bad without them, then they should be applied in the form of granules under a bush after rain. The use of liquid fertilizers must be stopped in mid-July, otherwise there will be an increase in green mass, and this will adversely affect the preparation of the plant for winter.

Watering should be carried out regularly - the soil should be constantly moist. Important features of watering:

water should be poured under the root;
the jet is weak or medium, but not strong, because this compacts the soil.

Important: if the hosta does not have enough water, it will signal this by darkening the tips of the leaves.

Care consists in loosening and weeding at first, while the host grows. It is necessary to cut the plant in 3-5 years, since during this time it grows strongly.

Diseases that overtake the host:

Fungal diseases. They appear on frozen specimens. Manifestation - yellow-brown spots on the leaves. Infected plants must be removed and burned, the place of growth must be disinfected.
Gray rot. It shows up on the leaves. Control methods - fungicides with a base - folpet.
Sclerotinia or white cotton. Influences the root collar. You can fight it with dichloran.

The host also has pests - slugs. A clear sign of defeat by them is holes in the leaves. Fight - bowls of beer around the plant. A day later, slugs that have climbed into containers must be pulled out and destroyed.

(17 ratings, average: 4,15 out of 5)

Hosta is an amazing plant from the plantain family, able to maintain its attractiveness throughout the season. She is rightly called the "princess" of the garden bed. A very beautiful and non-capricious plant is popular among landscape designers. Hosts look good at the pond, and on the stone embankment, and in the flower garden near the house. Amazing plants have large leaves, painted in various shades of green, purple or yellow.

The flower beds, decorated with hostas, are distinguished by sophistication and elegance. They often become the central element of landscape composition. The main advantage of this green favorite of gardeners is ability to grow in any conditions. Hostas tolerate the neighborhood with other plants well, which is one of the key factors in the landscape design of the site.

Plants of this variety unpretentious to lighting. They easily tolerate shade and partial shade. True, the most comfortable conditions for the host are a small shade, where the plants are hidden from strong gusts of wind and direct sunlight.

Professional gardeners do one trick. They buy a couple of seedlings of the plant and plant it in the intended location. Then observe how the host feels. If the conditions are suitable for the flower, then additional sprouts are planted. When analyzing the appearance, pay attention to the shade of the leaves and their integrity, the amount of freshly grown green mass.

Hosta is so popular among gardeners also because it is durable. Some types of plant able to grow in one place for more than 20 years. Hosta leaves are also respected by florists and arrangers. They are often used to create amazing compositions and stylish bouquets.

What are hostas: types and varieties?

Hostas are great for landscaping parks, ornamental ponds, flower beds and gardens. For each individual option, you can choose your own type of plant that will fit into the general view of the area.

Hosta plant happens:

The leaf can have a different shape - heart-shaped, round, narrowed. It all depends on the type of flower. The texture of the sheet can also be different - embossed, wrinkled, smooth, compressed, matte, shiny or with a slight metallic sheen.

Gallery: hostas in the garden (25 photos)

How to plant a hosta correctly?

Almost all types of this plant are unpretentious and can be planted anywhere in the country. But there are some nuances. If a gardener or designer wants the hosta to reveal itself in all its glory, it is necessary to choose the right place for planting it.

For green leaves, flower beds hidden under the partial shade of garden trees are perfect. And light types of hostas, with yellowish leaves, are more like sunny open flower beds.

For any kind direct sunlight is undesirable, which can burn the foliage.

You should also pay attention to the soil. hosta does not like too wet or very dry soil. It is not necessary to add fertilizer or complementary foods when planting. At the same time, if the soil is too bad, you can feed it a little.

planting do not need special shelter for the winter like roses. They shed their leaves, and the roots easily endure even severe frosts.

What varieties of hostas are decorative?

Hosta fell in love with breeders and gardeners, so today new, amazing varieties of this plant continue to appear.

The most sought after and unique are hosta flowers with three or two color leaves. For example, flowers called Whirlwind, which have a bright three-color outline of the leaf core.

Or hosta Striptease, which is decorated with a white contrasting spot in the center of the sheet. One of the popular directions in host breeding is the creation of plants with wavy edges.

Varietal flowers differ from "wild" ones in that they grow more slowly and require more careful care. Such plants can fully show their beauty only at the age of 8 or 10 years.

How to take care of hostas?

When caring for a garden or flower beds, it is important to consider the life cycle of a plant. It is necessary to take into account not only the sunlight on the site and the quality of the soil, but also the acidity and composition of the soil.

The ideal option is where the shade is in the afternoon. It is good if the soil in the flower bed is slightly acidic. Hostas do not tolerate stagnant water, it destroys their root system.

It is important to consider that not all types of plants like shade or partial shade. Some varieties prefer well-lit areas. Shade is more suitable for plants with bluish and blue leaves, and light areas for hosts with yellow, tricolor or light green foliage.

Hosta in the landscape design of a garden or park

Hosta leaves are of great value to designers. Thanks to these plants, they manage to create amazing landscapes. Hostas are often used as background bases for flower beds, garden decoration in Japanese or English style.

And with the right approach, you can make this plant the central element of the composition.

Why is hosta called the "queen" of gardeners?

How are hostas used in garden design?

A bright flower bed in the country can be created using hosta and other bright flowers. It has fluffy bushes, often a solid base. Astilba looks win-win in landscape design. Astilba has large flowers that blend harmoniously with the volume of hosta leaves. Plants of this variety emphasize the fluffiness and volume of another plant. Astilba goes well with both low-growing hostas and plants of medium height and tall.

Geyhers and hostas in landscape design are often combined in one composition. Geyhery act as a link between the hosta and other plants in the garden. Heuchera and undersized hosts look especially good when creating artificial reservoirs or on.

Varieties of hosta create additional options for growing these plants in the garden:

element of a multilayer border;
living edging of a place to relax in the garden or near the gazebo;
as a “cushion” near a vertical support;
small, low hosts are perfect for decorating rose gardens, alpine slides, stone compositions;
to create a design in the form of a mosaic in the garden;
creating decor by planting flowers in special pots or metal buckets.

How to grow a hosta at home from seeds?

Hosta can be propagated in several ways. The most popular option is cuttings. The second easiest way to grow hosta in the garden is sowing a plant with seeds.

Seeds for sowing are harvested when the fruits are fully ripe. They are in a dense box, which is formed after flowering.

Whether a hosta will grow from a seed depends on the preparation of the seed. Experienced gardeners recommend soaking the seeds in a growth stimulator. For example, in "Kornevin", "Epin" or aloe juice as a natural alternative.

The second nuance that should be taken into account when growing and caring for hostas is that the soil is disinfected from fungi and other aggressive microorganisms. You can solve this problem with the help of a substrate that is sold in any gardening store.

If you sow the host in pots, then they can be pre-treated with medical alcohol. After that, you can add a special substrate. The seeds are laid out on the surface, after which they moisten the soil well and sprinkle them with a layer of earth 5-7 mm.

Then the powdered place needs to be compacted a little. After these manipulations, it is considered that the landing is completed. Before the emergence of shoots, the pot must be covered with glass or plastic wrap.

After the first plants have sprouted, they must be carefully protected from direct sunlight and regularly watered generously. At the same time, there should be a lot of light in order for the seedling to grow.