Topic: Hosta's

[Sinbad7]

A friend split some Hosta's for me this year and they are doing really well.  Can I now pot them on in a bigger pot?  I would like to put three varieties together in a big pot.

Sinbad

[Hyacinth]

Hope so! ::)  I'd got lots of hostas in individual pots & regrouped them into 3 large tubs about an hour ago ;D

[Sinbad7]

Brilliant, thank you Alishka_Maxwell :)

Sinbad

[Hyacinth]

...don't be too hasty tho..know nothing about plants, me, just figured that they're as tough as old boots, they came out of their pots with intact roots & surrounding soil, so....why not? :D

[Yorkshire Lass]

If they're a giant variety they may be a bit cramped put in with others.
 
The only ones I put in one pot are the dwarf or the minatures.

If I knew how I'd put some nice piccies up for you!  ::)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Give them root room, and you can repot them any time; they're really tough as long as they have cool and damp. I lost some in the drought two years ago, but that's the only thing I've come across that did them any harm.

[Sinbad7]

I'm not sure now what to do.  If I explain....................I planted a patio weeping willow in a huge pot at my Mum's grave last year and it has done fine but today all the leaves are turning yellow and it was bone dry, so I thought I would plant the weeping willow on a spare piece of land and plant some Hosta's for my Mum.

I think the leaves must have turned yellow as it doesn't get enough water, although I do water it a couple of times a week in this weather, so I thought Hosta's didn't need so much watering so had the bright idea of plating say 3 together  for a nice display.  If not I am not sure what to plant.  The site has no shade at all and is in fierce sun everytime it is out.  The ground is clay and although I have put top soil on it nothing seems to want to grow plus it is horrendous for snails and slugs.  Hence the pot idea.

It really does drive me mad as I want it to lookpretty but nothing I try seems to work, and ideas would be very gratefully received.

Sinbad

[star]

Those conditions are not good for Hostas Sinbad. Willows also like it cool and damp. I dont really want to make suggestions of plants to you unless you say if you would like just foliage (as in the willow and Hosta) or if you want to go for something with flower with it being for a grave.

Waiting to hear back from you ;)

[Rosa_Mundi]

I agree - fierce sun and dry conditions are completely unsuitable for hostas. You really need plants from the Med. areas to cope with that, e.g., lavenders.

[Sinbad7]

Hi,  Thank you both for replying.

Thank goodness I looked here first I was going to do the Hosta's today.  So that is now off.

I don't mind if it is flowers or just foliage.  I just want it to look nice.  I have tried Alpines and rockery plants, the usual busy lizzies and a couple of plants that were meant to like drought conditions and none of it worked that's why I bought the patio weeping willow.

Two reasons I am stuck is one I don't have a garden so am not really up on plants/flowers and two I am a bit different to most people.  I hate headstones so my poor Mum doesn't have one so I wanted to create her a garden which I know she would have loved, I haven't got that much space to do this.  The area is only about 24" wide and 30" long and I have a small concrete area where I can stand things.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated.

Sinbad

[Hyacinth]

For me, and obviously a completely personal preference, I'd be planting a rosemary - "rosemary for remembrance"? the Hospice Movement use a sprig of rosemary as their emblem.And those beautiful spring blue flowers are lovely. I'd hate to plant anything that would die down in the winter. And round it I'd plant violas..lots & lots of violas which, in my garden anyway, also seem to thrive not being watered, in full sun, on basically clay soil, and which the slugs and snails don't seem to bother with. And they self-seed too.

But if you're thinking of planting the whole area (and again from my garden experience of S.facing, never watered, I just love my golden oregano..

These would be my choices as a memorial bed and I hope it'll kick-start you thinking about yours...

All the best, Lishka

[Tulipa]

Lishka, you have made me think...  Lavender is such a peaceful plant I might plant that, and Forget-me-Nots....I am lucky and have not had to think of this yet, Sinbad it is a lovely idea.

If you like trees I know the Woodland Trust have just started a new scheme for dedicating trees in woodland and OH and I are going to do that for both our Dads.  One painted pictures of trees all his life and the other loved working with wood.

Enjoy creating your Mum's garden. :)

T.

[Hyacinth]

I've a few 'memorial' plants in my garden.....the original rosemary bush is now knocking on 30yrs old & reminds me of my OH & the friends in Italy who gave it to me & the many happy hours learning to cook there....my mad,bad little cat has a fuchsia which, in its colours, exactly seems to mirror her personality, while the little dog's plant is a rose called The Queen Mother....sort-ov an understated gentle presence - but she's always there & despite appearances ruled us with a rod of iron...those who know me from the Beeb boards may remember Maureen, the goldfish-with-attitude whom I thought might make the GBR for longevity? Somewhere in the shrubbery there's a washing-up bowl sunk, filled with green stuff above her little coffin ::)

For me, the point about creating a memorial tub or patch is to think hard about the person you're creating it for, so that it truly becomes a reminder of them to you. So, if that tub was being planted for my mum, as well as the rosemary & violas I'd be putting in a dianthus...fabulous fragrance from such teeny little flowers - she loved them.

[Sinbad7]

Thank you Tulipa and Lisha it certainly has given me ideas to think about.  I have always loved Viola's so that could definetly be a yes.

I think I might want the impossible really as when I think of my Mum I think of laugther and love, so in a way I don't want anything peaceful, I would like something more that would remind me of laughter, that's why I like Viola's and their different little faces.

The Hosta idea was just to replace the weeping Willow but now you have all made me think I ought to change it all.

Tulipa the Woodland Trust is a beautiful idea and I already have tree's planted for my two dog's and my husband ;D

I have promised my OH a headstone ;D

Sinbad

[Tulipa]

Sinbad I think the Violas are a lovely idea, I too think of them as smiling faces, they always cheer me up. :) 

T.

[Rosa_Mundi]

You may want to think about thyme for any spaces that you have, too - there are a great variety of scents available, which might add an extra dimension. Other things that you might like to consider are spring bulbs such as crocus and snowdrops, which thrive on neglect and come back every year, and cyclamen for the autumn. Heathers will also cope with dry conditions - there are many sizes and shapes to choose from. Among the rockery plants, look for the saxifrages - again, very drought-tolerant. If you would like to scatter in a few annual flowers, you might consider poppies, including field poppy and Californian poppy which are both annuals, and Welsh poppies which are perennials with a good tap-root that makes them survive on little water.
Hope that helps.

[Sinbad7]

Many thanks for the suggestions Rosa.  I did try Crocus and snowdrops and loads of daff bulbs but I think it was the squirrels that pinched the crocus bulbs and had hardly any snowdrops but a load of daff's it did  look nice.  I like the idea of cyclamen though.

Moved the willow today, so I will have to make my mind up soon.

You have all been a great help and I do thank you for all your suggestions

Sinbad

[Sinbad7]

Have just google'd the Welsh Poppy and I had one in a pot at home, that someone had given me, put it in the allotment 2 weeks ago and is in flower now, it is really pretty. I wish I had known then, but I think it seeds well, so maybe at the end of the year I can split it.

Sinbad

[Rosa_Mundi]

It seeds easily - you sould get lots of babies. If not, come back to me - I have spares.

[Sinbad7]

Thank you Rosa for your kind offer, very much appreciated.

Am I right in thinking it has a long flowering season?

Sinbad