Hostas take centre stage in a mixed shady front-yard planting of mostly foliage. ‘June’ at right.
This spring, all the rain we received has made for some spectacularly lush garden foliage, especially on hostas. 2017 has, so far, been the exact opposite of last year, when hostas were in danger of being sunburned and drought-stressed. When mother nature does the irrigation work for us we are lucky indeed. The cooler weather and abundant moisture have provided some gigantic, and lush specimens of hostas this season. And all are looking healthy and happy.
Hostas are all about the foliage—although hostas do make flowers later in the season—some perfectionist gardeners shun hosta flowers entirely and actually go to the trouble of cutting them off. This gardener would never do that, as so many hosta flowers have an exquisite fragrance, and pollinators enjoy dipping into them too. They, like many perennial flowers, can look a tiny bit ratty after they fade, and I’m not opposed to snipping them off at that point.
A mixed planting in mostly shade, of hostas, ground cover perennials like lamium, ferns, violas like the garden above makes for an easy-care, fresh and cool front yard you never have to mow. You might have to water it if we have another summer like 2016, however.