Hot for Hostas!

My container hostas in the sun (Oh no! Don't worry, it was 9 in the morning, they are in the shade by 10am). I planted several more at my mother-in-law's house under her pine tree. *Note to self: take pictures of MIL's hostas.

These are hosta seed pods which developed after the very light lilac flowers died. I was actually going to save these and see if I could replant them to get more hostas but then I started reading this and decided....ummmm...NO!

What? Glass block background isn't "arty" enough for you? Boo.

Brown spots= bad. Time to move those bad boys into the shade!

I LOVES me some hostas and all you beginning gardeners out there should take a serious look at them too because you get beautiful plants with little effort.

Hostas are a great plant to grow in the shade. They always seem to thrive under big shady trees that take over a yard...kind of like ferns. However after reading up a little bit apparently there are hostas that do really well with some sun exposure.

Most major home stores carry hostas in their gardening department usually in the spring early summer, which is the best time to plant them. They are relatively cheap ($3-$5 bucks) and come in such a variety of foliage colors (greens, yellow, creams, blues) and textures it will make you head spin . Hostas grow larger with each passing year so make sure that if you put them into a container, it is large enough the following growing season. The good news is that hostas can be easily divided and planted elsewhere or given to fellow gardeners. Next spring I will have a hosta (I'm looking at you Big Daddy in the blue pot) that needs to be divided so look forward to that post!

Now hostas do get kind of yucky looking in the fall winter when they are dying back so be warned. I usually leave the foliage there for the winter even though the neat freak in me wants to cut them back because of how ghastly they look. However in the spring you will see little shoots coming up and THEN you can cut back those dead leaves til your heart's content!

I keep mine in my containers/flowerpots on the patio because that is where I get the most shade. I actually had them planted in the ground for awhile but they started to look a little sickly from too much sun and I took them out. You can see on the one picture the brown and yellow spots on the leaves....that indicated to me that it was time for Mr. Hosta to move to some darker territory.

Here is a great picture from the American Hosta Society where you can see how grouping these plants together makes an interesting garden without flowers, but with great visual impact!
There are so many different types of hostas out there and each one varies in their sun needs, although most prefer part shade. Don't know which type of hosta you have brought home? Here is another link I have provided that has pictures of hostas and their names for your identifying pleasure!

Houpt Hosta Habit

Hosta Basic Information

Light Exposure: Varies depending on the type but typically Partial/Full Shade
Type: Perennial
Zones: 3-9
Colors: Green, blue-green, cream, yellow, variegated leaves
Flowers: white or purple
Bloom time: Spring to fall
Best uses: Under shady spots, interesting foliage, cut flower arrangements
Special Notes: Hostas are a favorite deer food! I don't have many critter problems in the city aside from the occasional dreadful pigeon but we may need to discuss deer repellent methods for our country dwelling friends.

Coneflowers...damn!...now I want ice cream....

More gorgeous gifts from Aunt Todd's Virginia garden....I am so jealous of her acres of land and tons of flower beds!

Another more common name for coneflowers is Echinacea. You hear about it all the time during cold and flu season because it commonly used to decrease the symptoms and duration of the cold or flu. This bit of information sharing does not give you license to go around the neighborhood and eat their flowers to prevent illness...so back off, petal chomper!

The particular yellow variety shown above is called "Harvest Moon". I have seen coneflowers more commonly in purple varieties with orange centers like these:

photo courtesy of BlueRidgeSeeds.com

You can save the seeds from the coneflower to plant for next year. Here is a link with actual pictures of the seeds and corresponding discussion. Make sure you scroll all the way over to the right to get all 4 pictures!
Coneflower Seeds

I might attempt to save the seeds and plant them next year (I can HEAR you laughing! Just because I have minimal luck with seeds....bite me...). I'm sure Aunt Todd has tons of coneflower seeds laying around but if not the neighbors down the street have them in abundance...time for a little midnight dead-heading, flower-napping. (Disclaimer: Nature is My Bitch does in no way endorse the kidnapping or eating of flowers. Savages!)

**Note: Actually after reading a little more I found out you don't have to do this at all. You can just let the flowers die back naturally and they will bloom again next year! Apparently it's called "volunteer seeding"...I personally don't give a toss what it's called...I call it "a couple more free hours on Facebook". Lazy gardening at it's best! Thanks Nature! You're a pal...sometimes.....

Coneflower/Echinacea 411

Light Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Type: Perennial
Zones 4-9
Bloom Color: Golden Orange, purple, range of pinks, violet, white or cream
Bloom Time: July-August
Best Uses: Attracting birds, bees and butterflies
Special Notes: Deer resistent, drought tolerant

Like, OMG, Lamb's Ear is like, sooooo cute!

Sorry. My inner teenager popped out there for a minute. Go back to watching MTV Cribs or texting or to the mall!

SO ANYWAY...

Say the words "Lamb's Ear" and what immediately comes to mind?

Furry, perfectly white little baby lamb's frolicking in a daisy filled meadow?

ME TOO!

Lamb's Ear in the plant world are not as cute but I still love them. They have interesting foliage, are perennial and are easy to grow. An almost perfect plant. Unfortunately, they don't flower, but I guess you can't have it all. (Correction: They DO flower...although mine never have...effing nature...stupid plant..)

Believe it or not Lamb's Ear are actually considered a weed and are extremely invasive in warmer climates. And usually anything considered a weed, well, grows like a weed.

They are called Lamb's Ear because they are extremely soft plants and the leaves look a little like sweet lambie ears. In fact, if you ever catch yourself in the woods these are the leaves you would love to have on hand. They are the Cottonelle of leaves. They are also a beautiful silver color which look great in any type of landscape.

Of course there is a downside to these cuties...

1. They can be invasive. When they do flower (which again, mine never have or I have been too lazy to notice) cut the flowers off to prevent seeding OR dig the suckers up and share them with neighbors and friends!

2. When they start to die back in the fall and winter they are the ugliest and scraggliest looking sad things. They get brown and yellow and flat. I would include a picture of what they look like but it might make you cry.

Here's the info!!

Lamb's Ear Basic Info
Zone: 4-10
Light Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Type: Perennial,
Bloom Time: Spring to Early Fall
Colors: Silver Green

Best Uses : Interesting foliage, Low maintenance, container gardens, ground cover or edging plant
Water and care notes: Frequently however make sure soil is well drained and plants aren't sitting in puddles of water. Put some mulch under them to keep the leaves off the ground and sitting in water.If you start to notice brown or yellow leaves at the bottom, cut them off or remove them.
At the end of the growing season, I usually leave the dead leaves be figuring that it protects the new growth and cover the whole plant in mulch for the winter. You will see new leaves start to pop up in the spring.

Bok-Bok-BAGOK!

That's what chickens sound like right? Yeah, I have no idea...I'm a city girl, remember?
Anyway, Hens and Chicks may be the EASIEST plant I have ever taken care of. I don't know why I don't just do an entire blog devoted to them.

Reasons why I love Hens and Chicks
1. They grow just about anywhere, even if there is a little bit of soil.
2. They are drought resistant.
3. They are evergreen in the winter and maintain their visual interest.
4. They look cool.

Reasons why I don't love Hens and Chicks
1. They make other plants look bad and very prissy because of how easy they are!

Hens and chicks are easy to divide and grow in other areas. All you do is take the little chicks or slightly larger ones growing off the big hens by grabbing them gently and pulling. Then plant the little root in the dirt. It's literally that easy that other plants should be embarrassed!

Step One: Grasp.

Step Two: Pull gently.

Step Three: Find dirt and cover root.

Hens and Chicks Basic Info
Zone: 3-11
Light Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Type: Evergreen, Perennial, Succulents
Bloom Time: Pretty much all the time! Little chicks usually grow during spring/summer/fall and go dormant in winter.
Colors: Green with tinges of red/burgandy

Best Uses : Interesting foliage, Low maintenance, container gardens, rock gardens
Water: drought tolerant, make sure soil is well drained and plants aren't sitting in puddles of water.