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Just bought my first hosta

Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
in Plants
And I'm in love! I've not really didn't much time looking at foliage plants yet, but I think this is the beginning! A have two part shade borders to fill, so there's plenty of opportunity. Here's my first: guacamole. Which other part shade foliage plants, and hostas, do you love?
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  • SillyTillySillyTilly Posts: 32
    edited June 2018
    Ive just bought my 1st one yesterday, not sure on it's name as it was at a car boot.  Unfortunately the slugs made a meal out of a few leaves last night so need to sort that out.  I've left it in the pot for now with copper tape around the pot but they still found a way on.  Thinking of making a garlic spray to see if that deters the buggers.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,130
    It's a slippery slope that first hosta!  If the slugs or snails were already in the pot no amount of copper tape will stop them getting toy your plant.  Try nematodes or the more wildlife friendly slug pellets - not metaldehyde - or else go out and pick them off by torchlight and kill them.

    In my last garden I had a big, moist shade bed with several large leaved hostas, candelabra primulas, astilbes and astilboides, chelone, lily of the valley, ligularias, hakonechloa, ferns.........   Plenty of variety in both season of interest and leaf form and colour.   I used a mix of vigilance and scant sprinklings of the wildlife friendly slug pellets from mid Feb to mid July to deal with slugs.

    In this new garden I am busy rescuing hostas back into pots because we had a drought last year and they struggled and now we've had loads of rain the flipping snails have had a feast.   Never seen anything like it.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    I have some nematodes arriving tomorrow. Hoping there's not too much damage in the meantime... 
  • SillyTillySillyTilly Posts: 32
    edited June 2018
    I know this sounds strange, but I really don't like killing them (or anything) iveIjust been out and put crushed egg shells around it.  I think I may have to consider gravelling the borders if I can't bring myself to kill them.
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    Not strange at all. If I could find an alternative that worked in my garden, I would. Unfortunately I'm inundated. :) Hope your egg shells do the trick!
  • SillyTillySillyTilly Posts: 32
    Actually I've just read up on nematodes and I might be swaying towards getting them.  I accidentally killed some ants a while back and had a nightmare about the ants attacking me lol.  I'm such a softie.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,051
    Hosta Addict Corner welcome new members.  :D
    Devon.
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    I thought this thread title might summon you... :)
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,051
    Rose121 said:
    I thought this thread title might summon you... :)
     :D 
    Devon.
  • RoddersUKRoddersUK Posts: 489
    I had one, now have about 7. On gardeners world this week, there was a white leaved one, I might try and hunt one of them down
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