Hosta La Vista

Hostas are first choice for all damp or shady parts of the garden, says Charlie Wilkins

Gardening must not become too prescribed. There must not be too many edicts or specified rules which we may somehow feel obliged to follow. We want to be successful gardeners of course and to know our materials better, but don’t let us all have the same plants or imposed groupings.

In reality I suppose we don’t, and that is why there are clubs and societies which cater for specific plant interests; alpines, fuchsias, rhododendrons, delphiniums, and many more. But some say that collecting specific plants can lead to specialisation and one-upmanship, so perhaps a better idea would be to gather a small number of plants that you like and tend to these with a new enthusiasm.

If I were asked for suggestions on a single plant collection, I would choose hostas. These are hardy perennial plants grown mainly for their extraordinarily beautiful foliage which provides colourful interest from early spring through to late autumn without the need for any kind of maintenance, except perhaps watering in very dry spells and the laying of slug bait early in the season. Their magnificent leaves may be plain or variegated, and range from dark blue to darkest green, and from gold and cream to butter yellow and chartreuse, many boasting contrasting markings and attractive margin combinations. The size of mature leaves can vary from pencil to dinner plate and the texture can be smooth or corrugated, shiny or matt.

The hosta is an old friend for which I make no apologies. I love the variety fortunei albopicta, for its pale-green leaves are heavily margined with butter yellow markings which mix readily with the acid yellow of spurge, and mounds of lime-coloured berberis (berberis aureum). The colour of this variety tones down to plain green as midsummer peaks but there’s still no way that I would garden without it. It pleases me no end and I cannot have too much of it, a first-class choice for shady areas which do not dry out in summer.

To get the best from albopicta (and all hostas) you need to dig some rotted manure in around their fleshy roots and top dress each spring with yet more goodness. The richer the soil, the more luxuriantly those leaves become, until in the end, they mature and become cool, luscious, and very smug. Get manure on your plants immediately and delight in how their leaves will glisten with a new depth of colour and texture. No proportion of animal manure is too high for these princely plants.

Another I can strongly recommend is ‘Patriot’, an upper-class beauty wherever seen, for its heart-shaped, mid-green leaves (which brighten to golden yellow as the seasons advance) are wonderfully proportioned, and held erect without flopping. Hosta ‘June’ is another worth sourcing for a deep-shaded area in the garden but ‘Fire and Ice’, (see illustration), ‘Wide Brim’ or ‘Gold Standard’ will also be found excellent especially when mixed with the acid yellow of euphorbia polychroma or the clear blue of forget-me-nots or Omphalodes (blue-eyed mary). The cool lime-yellow in all of these runs through the leaves before gradually toning down to fresh green edges much like euonymus or eleagnus. The effect is wondrous in wet weather or dry, in pots or out in the open garden. All can be planted now. Garden centres have a wide choice on their outdoor display shelves. I cannot have too many of these obliging plants, first choice subjects for all damp or shady parts of the garden. But keep an eye out for slugs and snails.

WORK THIS WEEK

TOPIARY: If you want to undertake some topiary pruning or shaping of box or yew before they begin to froth with new lime-green foliage, then do so immediately. You can really mess around now in the knowledge that any visible scars you may create will be hidden almost immediately with new growth.

Feed the plants once completed with the likes of Seamungus and allow the weather to wash it in. I may have mentioned this Irish product in recent times but it is worth mentioning again for it gives excellent results. When you first open the container the smell will hit you, but once scattered on the soil it disappears readily.

COLOURS: Soon it will be time for the whole world to turn my favourite colour; fresh, vibrant, youthful green. The colour green arrives in a variety of hard to describe shades; lime, celadon, chartreuse, acid, apple, and the particular shade one sees on new beech leaves. What a thrill to see the same fresh colours every spring and to know that nature is immune to the whims of fashion.

SHELTER BELTS: Many shrubs and trees are planted for shelter but avoid planting anything good in, under; or near to; Sitka spruce. Whenever considering trees for shelter, beware of planting these for nothing will grow properly beneath their branch spread.

Normally chosen for windy, seaside gardens, spruce can be notoriously difficult to under-plant (even with bulbs) so instead try wind-filtering phormiums, griselinia and olearia, varieties of which come from New Zealand. These will provide excellent shelter and do best of all in areas not subjected to really hard frosts, (griselinia suffered ferocious damage in the bad winter of 2010/11) If you must use Sitka spruce, use them as a front line barrier, putting all else inside these, yet away from their immediate spread.

HOSTAS: Following on from the main article (see above) late March would be a most opportune time in which to lift and divide large clumps of hosta.

Try to get this done before the leaves expand any further. Use a spade to slice through any large established clumps you wish to propagate cutting them like a cake into sections. Each should have some shoots and a decent piece of root attached. Replant at the original level.

NERINES: Despite being constantly told that nerines like to be crowded in their flowering position, let me assure you that they eventually have to be lifted and divided. Do this while the emerging leaves are green and still on the small side.

Lift the clump and gently tease out the individual bulbs, removing the dry outer ‘skin’ in the process. Replant so that the neck of the bulb remains above soil level.

TARMACADAM DRIVES: Cleaning moss from tarmacadam drives can be a daunting task, especially if the moss is thick and heavy. The usual cure for moss on concrete surfaces, (Chloras), may be too strong for putting on tarmac and coloured brick products, so water or spray these areas with Armillatox. This can be superior to Jeye’s Fluid and is available at all garden centres. Once the moss has gone brown, clear it with a stiff brush for either product will not physically remove the offending growths.

GARDEN NOTES

- West Cork Garden Trail: The 2013 West Cork Garden Trail brochure is now available from a number of sources, including Failte Ireland (www.discoverireland.ie), Shirley Musgrave ([e-mail]) and Christine Fehily ([e-mail]). The trail runs from June 15 to 30, but many of the properties are open through to late September.

- Congratulations to Griffin’s Garden Centre, Dripsey, Co Cork, who have been awarded the Bord Bia five-star award of excellence — one of only nine in the country. Their free talk, on Wednesday next at noon, will explain: ‘How to create a rock-garden in a container’, and all are welcome.

- Cobh Community Allotments Association are taking bookings for the season ahead. A full plot is available for less than €4 per week (half-plot less than €2). Beginners and novices especially welcome. For enquiries, please contact Aislinn Hegarty, at Cobh Family Resource Centre, on 086-415168.

- Glenville Flower and Garden Club will host their Easter demonstration, with talented Eileen O’Brien, in the Kade’s Kounty, at 8.30pm on Tuesday next. All are welcome, especially new members.

- The Lough Flower and Garden Club will host a flower-arranging demonstration entitled ‘my world of flowers’, by Breda Crowley, on Tuesday next at 8pm in the SMA Hall, Wilton. Visitors and new members welcome.

-0 The Owenabue Flower and Garden Club, Carrigaline, will hold their annual spring show on Monday next, at 8pm, in St Mary’s C. of I. school hall. Speaker on the night will be Michael Kelly, author and founder of G.I.Y. He will talk on: ‘Five vegetables to change your life and save the world’. Visitors welcome. Enquiries to 086-8091627.

- A free workshop on using perennials takes place at The Secret Garden, Newmarket, tomorrow at 3pm. www.thesecretgardener.com.

- A novel way of viewing plant catalogues is a free CD featuring the full list of perennials for 2013, from the Camolin Potting Shed.