Hosta Glory

I have a passion for hostas. The first one was given to me by my sister, JA, following a visit to Southport Show in 1995 where I saw a wonderful display of these foliage plants and was smitten. This plant (Aureomarginata, if my memory serves me well) established so well in a previous garden that I had to leave it behind. Since then I have been virtually unable to resist a 'new' hosta for the garden, though I am not especially taken with the yellow forms.The largest and oldest hosta we have resides in a half barrel against the east-facing wall of the house, Frances Williams is blue-green with soft lime green edges and very resistant to slugs and snails as the foliage is quite tough.
Other favourites in pots on the east of the house include Francee (above left) and Aureomarginata (above right). The morning sun and shade from about 11.30 seem to suit these hostas and sitting in the middle of a gravel path, these pots suffer little pest damage.

On the terrace and party patio are more potted examples including Twightlight (above), Great Expectations (not pictured), Patriot and Guacamole.

And this year I'm even trying young Fire and Ice in hanging baskets, again on the east of the house. At the moment they are looking well with the trailing yellow flowering basket plants, I'll post photos of their progress later in the season.In the woodland borders under the apple trees lives a selection of hostas - another Aureomarginata, Halcyon, with its blue leaves and hosta undulata (all pictured above) with its swirling leaf form. The colours of these hostas are richer than those by the east of the house, this may be due to them receiving no direct sunlight, but living in softly dappled shade or full shade for the whole day. Also in the woodland borders are Sum and Substance, Sharmon and Pacific Blue - quite a miniature with closely packed leaves, very appealing at the edge of the border.Other hostas are planted in a border in full sun with young grasses - this is a fairly new border and I've yet to see how the hostas fair in this position, at the moment they are suffering more slug and snail damage than those in other positions.