Posts Tagged ‘Gardens’

We got some very nice hostas from Rod & Heidi this year for our gardens…we have a very large hosta garden with over 750 different varieties of hosta..I also have some of my own hybrids I’ve been working on…Here are some photos to let you ‘walk’ through our gardens.

Hosta Hills

Some of Bevie's Hybrids

Hosta Hills

Hosta Hills

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Caring for Your Hostas

Description: With its ease of growth, variety of plant shapes and sizes available, and diversity of leaf colorations, Hosta is one of the most desirable perennials for gardens with partial to full shade. In the landscape, the foliage can provide a bold presence while softening the appearance of well defined areas.

Hosta forms attractive mounds of basal foliage. The shape of the leaves ranges from narrow elliptic to very broad ovate or heart shaped. The leaf texture may be shiny, smooth, or puckered and consists of numerous colorations of yellow, white, and greens to blue-green with and without distinct veining or variegation.

They produce lily-like, bell-shaped, white, lilac, or blue colored flowers on stalks that rise above the foliage in the mid summer. Many cultivars produce fragrant flowers which are great for attracting hummingbirds into the garden.

There are literally hundreds of cultivars, hybrids, and species to choose from. Hostas are most commonly referred by only their cultivar names as the parentage is often unclear. With the diversity of leaf colorations, plant habits, flowering characteristics and ease of growth, Hostas will likely remain one of the most popular perennials of the 21st century.

Preferred Conditions: Hosta prefers to be planted in locations with a fertile, moist, well-drained soil. However, they are tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions.

Most Hosta cultivars will grow more vigorously and have the best leaf coloration when they are planted in locations with partial shade, particularly in the afternoon. Many cultivars, especially variegated ones, will show signs of marginal leaf burn when grown in full afternoon sun. In general, gold- or yellow leafed cultivars can tolerate more sun, while blue-leafed or cultivars with lots of white variegation require more shady conditions.

Planting & Maintenance: Containerized Hosta can be planted throughout the growing season, but are most commonly planted in the spring or the fall. They should be planted even with or just slightly higher then the soil line.

Generally considered easy to grow and require little routine maintenance. To maintain a clean and attractive appearance, many gardeners remove the flower stalks once the blossoms have faded. Mulching during the summer months will help keep the soil moist and reduce leaf scald on plants in sunnier locations. The foliage should be cut back at the end of the growing season. They can be divided every 3 to 4 years if the clumps become too large.

Pests and Diseases: Generally, they can be grown without many insect or disease problems. Aphids, crown rots, leaf spots, slugs, and spider mites may occasionally become problematic.
Of these pests, slugs will likely be the most prevalent and may require removing them by hand, trapping, or using baits to keep them from severely damaging the foliage. Some cultivars may get leaf scorch when they are planted in hot, full sun.

Uses in the Garden: Hosta are commonly used as accent or specimen plants, in woodland gardens or rock gardens, in borders, and as edging plants, groundcovers or mass plantings.

Other Uses and Attributes: They are commonly used in patio pots or smaller cultivars can be utilized as components in mixed containers. The flower spikes make fine additions to cut flower arrangements. When blooming they attract hummingbirds into the garden. These tough plants are also resistant to rabbit feeding.

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Caring for Your Heuchera

Description: With its colorful foliage, Heuchera is the perfect perennial to brighten up any garden throughout the entire growing season. Heuchera forms attractive basal mounds with heart-shaped, rounded, or triangular leaves which can be smooth wavy, or ruffled. The leaf coloration varies by cultivar, but mainly includes various hues of amber, bronze-green, green, gold, pink, purple, deep purple and silver veined. In many instances, the coloration of the leaves varies with their environment and often changes with the seasons. In most locations, they are considered evergreen as the foliage lasts throughout the year.

They produce clusters of cream to red colored coral bell shaped flowers on tall wiry stems that rise above the basal foliage in the late spring. Depending on the cultivar, they bloom from a few weeks or throughout the entire season.

There are 50 to 70 species of Heuchera which are native to North America. Many of the improved varieties available today are hybrids showcasing various foliage colorations and flowering characteristics.

Growth Habit: The foliage of most cultivars reaches 8 to 12 inches in height with a spread of 1 to 2 feet wide. When blooming, the flower stalks reach 1 to 3 feet tall.

Preferred Conditions: Coral bells prefer to be planted in locations with a fertile, moist, well-drained soil. They particularly do not perform well in locations with poor drainage during the winter months. Most Heuchera cultivars will grow more vigorously and have the best leaf coloration when they are planted in locations with partial shade, particularly in the afternoon. Purple leafed cultivars can tolerate more direct sun; in general the darker the purple coloration the more exposure to sun they can tolerate. Conversely, the amber and gold leafed cultivars are less sun tolerant; the more yellow the leaf coloration, the less tolerant to sun they are. In locations with full sun or full shade, most cultivars will usually survive, but they will be smaller and not look as lively.

Maintenance: Generally considered easy to grow and require little routine maintenance. To encourage continuous flowering or repeat bloom, deadhead the spent flower spikes as needed. Mulching during the summer months will help keep the soil moist and prevent injury to the shallow root system from heat. They can be divided every 3 to 4 years if they lose vigor or when the crown gets too large.

Uses in the Garden: Heuchera are commonly used as accent or specimen plants, in woodland gardens or rock gardens, and as groundcovers or mass plantings.

Other Uses and Attributes: They are commonly used in patio pots or as components in mixed containers. The flower panicles make fine additions to cut flower arrangements. Heuchera attracts butterflies and hummingbirds into the garden. They are also deer resistant.

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Caring for Your Hemerocallis (Daylilies)

Daylilies produce an abundance of showy, funnel-shaped, lily-like flowers atop slender flower stalks called scapes in early to mid-summer. Through extensive breeding efforts, there is a vast array of flower colors and combination of colors available today. Nearly every color is available including various hues of carmine, lavender, maroon, orange, pink, red, rose, scarlet, and yellow.

Hemerocallis cultivars are most commonly marketed by their blooming characteristics. They are commonly categorized into groups by the time of the year they bloom. Early bloomers typically bloom in June, mid-season bloomers flower in July, and late bloomers do not flower until August. Daylilies are also categorized by the length of time they bloom. Repeat bloomers (rebloomers) produce an initial flush of flowers in the late spring or early summer and will have at least one additional flush of bloom later in the growing season. Hemerocallis categorized as extended bloomers produce flowers that remain open at least sixteen or more hours per day.

With their reliability and beauty, daylilies have the reputation of being one of the toughest, most adaptable perennials used in the landscape.

Growth Habit: Daylilies form attractive clumps of arching, sword-like foliage of various sizes ranging from 12 to 30 inches tall by 12 to 24 inches wide. When blooming, the flower scapes commonly reach 12 to 36 inches tall.

Preferred Conditions: Hemerocallis prefers to be planted in landscapes with fertile, moist, well-drained soils. They grow best in locations with full sun to partial shade. Once established, daylilies can withstand heat and drought better then most commonly grown perennials. Conversely they can tolerate sites that occasionally are wet, but do not perform well in consistently water logged soils.

Planting & Maintenance: Containerized daylilies can be planted throughout the growing season, but are most commonly planted in the spring or the fall. They should be planted even with or just slightly higher then the soil line.

Generally considered easy to grow and require little routine maintenance. In fact, once established they need virtually no care. To maintain a clean and attractive appearance, many gardeners remove the flower stalks once the blossoms have faded. Mulching during the summer months will help keep the soil moist. Many gardeners remove withered, dried foliage form the beds in the fall to keep the beds looking nice and to keep the plants disease free. If the clumps become too large, they can be divided every 3 to 4 years.

Uses in the Garden: Hemerocallis are commonly used as accent or specimen plants, in borders, and as edging plants, ground covers or mass plantings.

Other Uses and Attributes: One of the biggest attributes is they require virtually little care; in fact, they thrive with little to no attention. Once established, daylilies are drought tolerant and perform well across a wide range of growing conditions. When blooming they attract butterflies and hummingbirds into the garden. These tough plants are also resistant to deer and rabbit feeding.

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There is one place you need to start to begin a trouble free garden, that is the ground below. A reliable garden begins with reliable soil. So you may ask, what do I need to do to my soil to make  it grow good gardens? Well to start, you need to work the soil and loosen it up. Digging, turning, adding organic matter, and natural fertilizer will give you a good start.

There are many different types of soil out there so here is some help in determining what type of soil you have.

• Sand has large particles that are course and tend not to hold water so well causing your plants to dry out faster.
• Clay consists of very small particles that stick together and provide poor drainage. But when you mix in an organic matter and cultivate your soil you  are creating areas for air and water to flow along with nutrients which will better help your plants grow.
• Some of you have a thin layer of top soil and have to deal with a layer of hard subsoil underneath. So how can you dig through that hard layer of compacted hard soil and rocks when chipping away gets old? Here is a tip to help loosen the soil: water. Once you have a hole started, run water in the hole and and let it soak in for awhile, this should help loosen the soil.

Remember to continue to add organic matter  to your soil in the future to keep it rich. A typical plant should have 14″ of good soil to grow best.

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