We're getting into that strange transitional time of year, where school has started, pumpkin spice everything has hit the market... and yet, the weather is still clear and warm. The fact is, there's still plenty of time to add to the garden some things that will make an impact for years to come.
This year, since I'm in a new garden, I've been hard at work building up the foundations of what I want the garden to become. For me, that means beginning to fill some of the bare and shady spots around the garden with perennial shade plants. I was lucky enough to get some gifts of plants from friends and family earlier in the season, but there's still lots of spots to address and so, this month I'm taking advantage of using bare-root Hosta.
Hosta are leafy, shade loving plants that come in so many shapes and sizes and in almost endless shades of green. They are excellent foundation plants for shade and through the summer, send up stalks with lovely white or purple flowers. They are super easy to grow and require almost no care once established.
Bare root Hosta are just what they sound like - a bundle of roots with maybe a small pip of a potential leaf or two. You can get these from a variety of resources both online or from garden centers, and you'll be amazed at how much more inexpensive it is to get a good variety of plants that way!
This year, I sourced bare root Hosta online, and ordered 2 packs of 10 mixed varieties and spent only about $25 total. That's only $1.25 per plant!! So far, all but one of the plants seems to have survived and most of them are thriving.
Here are the steps I took to get this project started:
Order packs of mixed variety bare root Hosta online
When they arrive if you aren't ready to plant, keep them cool and dry (I stored mine for about 24 hours).
Select the location for planting and clear the soil if needed.
While you prep your site, open the package and soak the roots in a bucket of water for approximately 20 minutes.
Dig holes for each root giving it a bit of compost in the bottom of the hole. Be sure not to put them too deep. Most of them will come with small leaves just waiting to open and that needs to go above the soil line.
Put the roots in letting them extend (don't fold them under) and fill holes.
Give them a good watering and keep them watered every couple of days if it's dry until they are well established.
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