Hostas for that Shady Spot Where Nothing will Grow

Do you have a shady spot in the garden where nothing seems to grow? Most of us have an area under trees, along side of the house or next to a tall fence that gets so little sunlight that we can't get much to grow there. This is a perfect spot to plant the hosta.

Even though the hostas bloom for a short time in the summer, we usually think of them because of their beautiful foliage. There are many varieties of hostas available. Some have heart shaped leaves, some are round and still others have a lance like shape. You can find hostas with quilted leaves, smooth leaves, variegated, blue or green leaves.

Plant several types of hostas in these hard to grow areas for almost maintenance free beauty. They grow in any type of soil and make a wonderful ground cover for those areas that are hard to get at.

Hostas are easy to divide. This makes them a good, inexpensive basis for ground cover. Just dig them up and pull the roots apart and replant them to cover larger areas.

Read more about the beautiful hosta.

The Graceful Astilbes

Foliage and blossoms work to help the shade loving Astilbes give a naturalized feeling to the garden. The individual blooms of this perennial are clustered high on the tall stem and look like plumes. The hybrid of the Far East native flower that grows in US gardens blooms in early summer.

Astilbes appear as fluffy spikes of white, purple, red and pink above delicate leaves of bronze or green. As the fernlike leaves appear in the garden, they are glossy. As the growing season progresses the foliage loses the shine.

Plant astilbes in partial shade because they are not tolerant to high temperatures. The soil should be moist, slightly acidic and have a high content of organic matter. They will tolerate a wet environment, but are not drought resistant.

Although astilbes are beautiful among other plants in a container, their moisture requirements means that special attention must be given to the container garden so that the soil doesn’t dry out. Care must be taken in choosing other plants for the container, making sure that they are able to survive the moist soil that the astilbes need to thrive.

Another consideration when using the showy astilbes in a container garden is the size of the mature plant. It can grow to 4 feet, with a spread of 1 to 3 feet. The pot chosen for the astilbes should be at least a foot deep with a diameter of one to two feet. Place the container in a spot that will allow the roots to stay cool and the soil to retain moisture.

Astilbes are propagated by division. New growth appears at the outside. Every three to five years the astilbes should be dug up, and the newer, outer plants should be cut away and replanted. Division and replanting can be done in the spring or fall.

Plant the astilbes at least a foot apart so that they have plenty of space to grow. The roots are shallow, so don’t plant them too deeply.

Once established, astilbes don’t need a lot of care from the gardener. The stems are strong enough to grow without staking and the flowers dry beautifully right on the plant, giving the perennial garden an ornamental look, even though the drying blooms turn brown.

With proper attention to the moisture content of the soil, the graceful astilbes will be a favorite in the perennial garden. The gardener can help the soil maintain moisture for the plant with mulch.

Perennial Container Gardening

When you look at your winter container garden, do you dream of the plants you will be putting in once the spring temperatures bring warmth to the soil? If you do, you may be working too hard to maintain a beautiful container garden.

Many perennials can live for years in a container garden. Once you've found the perfect arrangement of these plants for each container, you can devote your gardening budget to other garden areas, knowing the containers will thrive with a minimum of care.

Gardeners worry about the root system of the container surviving the harsh temperatures of winter because they don't have the insulation perennials planted in the soil do. If the plant can grow in a USDA Hardiness Zone that is two zones colder than your area, they can not only survive but can thrive.  Read More…..