The Queen Of The Shadow Goes Out Into The Sunlight - The Host And Her Secrets

2023 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 07:13

Hosts are very popular with amateur gardeners, and for good reason. A huge assortment allows you to choose varieties for solving a variety of landscape tasks, and the undemanding host makes them attractive for those who cannot devote too much time to caring for plantings. At the same time, the plants retain their decorative effect throughout the season - until late autumn - and prettier from year to year. Hosts also have secrets that many do not know about. We are sure that learning about them will make you love her even more.

Can the host grow in the sun?

Often, even experienced gardeners confidently answer this question in the negative: the host is traditionally called the queen of the shade, and many are sure that planting in a sunny area is definitely not for her. However, this is not entirely true.

There are modern hybrids that are not afraid of the sun. Of course, they cannot be called sun-loving, but they are quite sun-tolerant. And this is great news for those who did not plant hosts just because there are no shady corners in the garden - thanks to the success of breeders, the problem has been solved!

The main decoration of the host is their foliage, which (depending on the variety) can have a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. And if the shape usually does not depend on lighting, and the size does not depend significantly, then the color and characteristic pattern for the variety on the leaves can change significantly depending on the illumination.

Hosts with a cream (yellow) border or the middle of the leaf are more loyal to sunlight - their expressive pattern is fully manifested only with sufficient lighting. Pay attention to the varieties:

• So Sweet;
• Velvet Moon
• Colored Hulk.

However, even sun-tolerant hosts are recommended to be protected from the scorching rays of the midday sun, so you should not plant them in an open area. The optimal solution is to compose the composition in such a way that the host's companions are shrubs or tall perennials, which will cover them from the hot sun in the middle of the day. Spireas, park roses, black cohosh, birch trees, peonies, and other garden plants can become successful partners.

What hosts is the sun contraindicated?

And yet, of course, most hosta varieties are uncomfortable in the sun, they are best placed in the shade or partial shade. Recall that under the influence of sunlight, the color of the leaves can change - sometimes up to the complete loss of characteristic varietal traits.

This is especially noticeable in varieties with bluish-gray foliage, such as Blue Angel, Halcyon, Elegans and others. They owe their unusual color to the waxy coating covering the leaves. It melts in the sun, and the blue hosta turns green, losing the main distinctive feature of the variety, loses its attractiveness. These hosts are recommended to be planted in diffused shade - for example, under trees in the garden.

Plants with green foliage in sunlight also often turn pale, acquiring a yellowish tint.

Why did not the host grow up like in the picture?

If your hosta looks different from the picture, try changing the growing conditions - replanting the plant or changing its environment. And in order not to be mistaken when choosing a place for a new variety, be sure to carefully read the description of the purchased plant and take into account the recommendations of the manufacturer of the planting material.

But there is one more nuance that many gardeners do not even know about. The fact is that young hosts in the first year after planting often differ from adult plants not only in color, but also in leaf shape. It may take several years for the varietal characteristics to fully develop.

This is typical, in particular, for plants with the effect of "crocodile skin" - their leaves acquire a kind of "pimpled" relief only with age, in young hosts the surface of the leaf plates is smooth. Faced with a similar phenomenon, do not rush to be upset - most likely, you just need to wait. Such a host will also benefit from feeding with a complex fertilizer with microelements: a deficiency of nutrients can also delay the manifestation of certain varietal traits. In varieties with a bizarre shape of leaf plates (curled, with a wavy edge, etc.), young plants can also differ from adults.

Hosts Paradigm (Paradigm) and Paul's Glory (Paul's Glory) are chameleons, their color may vary and differ from the image on the package.

And of course, you should not expect giant leaves from young plants (in the first or second year after planting) - large (over 64 cm in height) and very large (from 90 cm and above) hosts will show themselves in all their glory not earlier than after 4 -5 years (this is not a lot, considering that a plant can be in one place up to 25 years).

Can hosta leaf color change during the season?

Can! There are many chameleon varieties - their appearance depends not only on planting conditions, but also on seasonality. For example, the popular Golden Meadows hosta changes color three times: in the spring, the middle of the leaf is bright, golden-yellow, the wide border around the edge is green; by mid-summer, the middle of the leaf becomes creamy, the border acquires a bluish tint; by autumn, the leaves in the center turn green, and their edging darkens, becomes dark green or blue-green.

Another prime example of a chameleon host is the Captain's Adventure variety. The bizarre tricolor color of its foliage not only changes during the season, but also varies markedly depending on the growing conditions.

The unusual White Feather variety has white leaves with a creamy shade in early spring, which will look most impressive in the shady corners of the garden. Gradually, a thin green pattern will appear on the white leaf plates along the contours of the veins, and then the leaf will turn completely green.

And the metamorphoses of the Gold Standard hosts largely depend on weather conditions: its foliage, which has a golden-green color with a thin border in spring, usually turns bright yellow with a narrow green edging by mid-summer, but in a cold cloudy summer this the effect may not appear or appear slightly.

When purchasing chameleon varieties, consider changes in their color when choosing companion plants, and also do not forget about the importance of creating suitable conditions for the plant so that it can maximize its decorative properties.

Which host should you choose?

The host world is surprisingly diverse, and whatever your garden is, you can always find "your" variety. Hostas range in size from dwarf (up to 10 cm in height) and miniature (10-23 cm) to very large, whose height can reach 90 cm or more. For example, the popular Blue Mouse Ears hosta has a size of only 15x30 cm, and the Blue Angel variety reaches a solid size: 80x100 cm.

Hosta leaves are incredibly varied. They can be round, heart-shaped, oval, as well as linear-lanceolate, wavy or spiral.

In the assortment of POISK Agroholding, hosts are represented both by varieties tested by gardeners and modern novelties, among which you will certainly

find varieties and hybrids for every taste and for any garden!