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Hosta plantaginea cvs &hybrids
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About Plant Heritage (nccpg)
About us
We want to conserve the rich diversity of cultivated plants grown in the UK and Ireland.
Our mission is to promote the conservation of cultivated plants through:
- Our National Plant Collections® Scheme ‘living libraries’ of individual species, cared for by dedicated specialist growers
- Identifying and conserving those that are at risk through our Threatened Plants Project
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- Sharing our expertise by working with gardeners, nurseries, plant breeders, owners of botanical, private and heritage gardens’
- Nationwide education and publicity programmes
- ‘Grass roots’ activity through a network of 35 regional groups.
However, all this costs money. We are a self funding charitable organisation doing all we can with our limited resources; we raise funds from sponsors and from the activities we organize nationally and through our enthusiastic local Groups and their members.
But we need your help to ensure that this important conservation work can continue.
The Hosta Plantaginea species caught my attention because of its ability to produce fragrance, something that I am seduced by in any flower. Mostly I like leaves, ferns and structural plants which are integrated around the garden at Newtonairds.
Hosta plantaginea and H. ventricosa were the first plants of the Hosta genus to be imported to UK in 1790, by wealthy Englishman and amateur naturalist George Hibbert. Hosta plantaginea is one of the only species that throws up fresh new foliage all summer and also one of the few species to
originate from China as opposed to Korea or Japan.
Fragrance is absent in all other naturally occurring species of hosta. Due to being the southern most naturally occurring hosta, it is actually more heat loving than other members of the genus. Some of them require warmth to help encourage flowering, so we have purposefully planted some of the collection throughout the garden and not just banished them to ’Hosta Hill’ (shady).
Hosta plantaginea and H. ventricosa were the first plants of the Hosta genus to be imported to UK in 1790, by wealthy Englishman and amateur naturalist George Hibbert. Hosta plantaginea is one of the only species that throws up fresh new foliage all summer and also one of the few species to
originate from China as opposed to Korea or Japan.
Fragrance is absent in all other naturally occurring species of hosta. Due to being the southern most naturally occurring hosta, it is actually more heat loving than other members of the genus. Some of them require warmth to help encourage flowering, so we have purposefully planted some of the collection throughout the garden and not just banished them to ’Hosta Hill’ (shady).
Hostas are also edible. Some species are used in cooking where their young leaves are often forced and harvested as a delicacy in the Far East. We have eaten Hosta ‘Fortunei Hyacinthina’, cut as emerging shoots much like asparagus would be harvested, then sauted in a knob of butter. Very tasty!
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The side of the hosta bank has been terraced, inspired by the terracing at Inverewe gardens (on a smaller scale obviously) but also to make full use of another planting surface. At the base of the terrace I created a raised bed which I covered in newspaper to suppress weeds and then filled in with many tons of topsoil an adaptation of the method used in ‘Lasagne Gardening’ by Patricia Lanza.
Another point of interest is that our Indian Runner ducks do not seem to cause damage to the plants, even though they rush through them at high speed at times, however they nip off a few young vegetable shoots here and there! On a positive note, they help keep the slug population down. Plants available for sale We have a limited number of hostas , some of which are from the collection, and that are not generally available at garden centres. Fragrant Hostas such as H. ‘Fragrant Bouquet’, H. ‘Guacamole’, H. ‘Fragrant Dream’ and H. ‘Fried Bananas’ Other Hosta varieties for sale are Praying Hands’ a very upright hosta that looks like upward pointed fingers in a lovely dark green. There is H. ‘Dream Weaver’ that is green blue with a striking cream central flash. For flower arrangers I have H. ‘Red Cadet’ that produces lovely red mottled stems. We also have a number of other plants , mostly herbaceous perennials, propogated from the garden and available for sale . JAMES COUTTS |