![]() ![]() And if you find yourself here around 5 o’clock, perhaps you’ll join us. The gardener, who had been busy planting hostas, Lenten roses, astilbes, and even more azaleas (if you can imagine) said, “I’d like one, too. But finishing the “Martini Garden” may have been the best.Īfter many weeks of lugging and setting paver stones, then shoppingįor the perfect bench, the engineer sat down to rest. Our yard has hosted many family celebrations over the years: birthdays, weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter. We cleared a path, and paired a bench with a sculpture given to us by our grandson, Brian, when he graduated from art school. The engineer figured it out: we needed hardscaping. To that we added several cultivars of azaleas popular in the South: Lady Banks, George Tabor, and White Ruffles. The Oriental Snowball Viburnum shading the little plot is one of many heirloom plants my parents gave me, keeping the tradition of pass-along plants alive in our family.Īfter removing 30 or 40 trees to put in a circular driveway in front of the house, we were left with a natural area of indigenous trees, including dogwood, holly, redbud, and wild azalea. As we wander back towards the house, there’s a bed of hosta sieboldiana, planted from seed many years ago. Just beyond, a walkway takes us through a small parterre-style shade garden of miniature boxwoods, hostas, and ferns. Eventually, we built the brick walks ourselves, connecting the various areas, just as we’d seen in England.Īn eight-sided brick gazebo caps the end of the retaining wall and overlooks the seventh green it’s one of our favorite spots for a meal al fresco. We needed professional help to dig out the rocks and roots and to bring in tons of sifted topsoil. It would take years to become established. The concept of English country garden “rooms,” with paths leading to beds all around the house, slowly became a reality. We leveled the entire lot and filled it with stepped-down walls, terraces, winding pathways, and even an addition to our home, until we had encompassed every inch of the property. My husband, Dick, an engineer, ran a complete topography of our property. We'll cover each of these below, along with suggestions of hosta varieties.Between our yearly trips abroad, we plotted our master plan. When designing a shade garden that includes hostas, you'll want to consider a few of their characteristics when choosing them, including size, shape, texture, color, flowers, and form, as well as companion plants. Be inspired by these designer landscapes that use plants, hardscapes, structures and water features to create. Be sure to divide your hostas every 3-4 years to keep them at a manageable size and to keep the root systems healthy divide in fall just as they're going dormant. An integral part of your home's overall look and livability, proper landscaping not only makes your property more beautiful, it can also turn your front yard or backyard into your own little oasis. In unusually hot summers, hostas might suffer from sun or heat damage. Hostas are susceptible to damage from slugs and caterpillars. Alas, if deer like to roam in your garden, they are very likely to eat your hostas before you can enjoy them. There's a few caveats when choosing and growing hostas, however. It's not surprising that many gardeners have multiple hostas in their landscapes, and the creation of an entire hosta garden is a popular design choice. It's one of the most popular choices for shade gardens, although many hosta varieties can tolerate full sun. Available in thousands of varieties, it has an enormous range of sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. Perhaps no garden plant is as easy to grow, prolific, and versatile as the hosta. ![]() ![]() The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.
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