Today I am at the home of Sandra and Ken Fowler in Kosciusko MS where they have used hostas in a variety of garden settings to create a backyard paradise.
Here, you’ll find them in the landscape and in containers as well as in partnerships with bananas, cannas, ferns and elephant ears.
The largest hosta in the garden is actually blue green and is a variety called Elegans. It can reach 30 inches tall and 4 feet wide. Sandra is growing several varieties that have been recognized as winners of the American Hosta Society’s Hosta of the Year. Winners include, the Patriot which is green with pure white margins, Paul’s Glory which is chartreuse with dark green margins, Guacamole which is gold and shiny, and has irregular green margins, and the 2006 winner, Stained Glass which is gold with wide irregular margins.
One of the newest hostas in the market is Cathedral Windows. This large plant forms a 3-foot wide clump and produces large 10 x 9 inch leaves with extra wide borders or margins. Many of these hostas have gold or charteuse lime coloring, but none is more colorful than the lime green selection called Fried Bananas. An added benefit is that hosta flowers are fragrant and they’re relished by visiting hummingbirds.
Sandra Fowler has certainly shown you can use hostas in combinations that add unbelievable interest and beauty to the woodland or tropical garden. I hope you’ll give hostas a try. I’m Norman Winter for Southern Gardening.