It’s All in the Company They Keep

Article and photos by Joan Butler

As any plant collector will tell you, once you’ve been bitten by the “collecting bug”, you acquire a kind of acquisitive madness. You begin to notice subtle details of the plants you desire – details that somehow seem to go unnoticed by friends and family. You begin to seek out nurseries that specialize in the plants you crave, and you are willing to drive great distances to get there. And if you happen to have a friend who is bitten by the same bug – watch out! You will become what I call “enablers” to each other and suddenly you will find yourself with dozens (or hundreds) of beautiful specimens planted cheek-by-jowl in your garden beds. But your collection may not actually function as a garden.

Hosta Orange Marmalade

When I was bitten by the “Hosta Bug” many years ago, I followed the trajectory I just described. I still collect, but at a much slower pace, and I have worked at making my collection function in my garden by incorporating companion plants. When I think about pairing plants, I consider color (complementary or contrasting), texture (usually contrasting), as well as form, pattern and size.

Hosta Maui Buttercup, Lady's Mantle, Sundrops

Pairing yellow hosta with yellow foliage or yellow flowers creates a “Wow” moment in the garden. Hosta ‘Maui Buttercups’ is a medium/large yellow hosta, with stunning corrugated, cupped leaves – a truly beautiful form. The fuzzy chartreuse flowers of Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and the pops of bright yellow offered by the Sundrops (Oenothera) really call attention to the hosta and to the entire garden area.

Hosta Allegan Fog, iris Cristata

I absolutely love our little native Crested Iris (Iris cristata), and use it extensively in my gardens. Here it is paired with the unfurling foliage of Hosta ‘Allegan Fog’. Crested Iris adds spiky texture to the front of the border and contrasts effectively with the more solid form of hostas. And its colorful spring flowers of purple, white or lavender add another point of interest.

Hosta Aventurine, epimedium, bloodroot

One thing I particularly love about pairing epimedium with hosta, is that the shape of most epimedium leaves echoes the shape of the hosta leaves, but on a more delicate scale. I also appreciate the changeable colors of epimedium foliage, which allows them to influence neighboring plants differently depending on the season. Here, the early spring foliage of Epimedium x versicolor “Cupreum” contrasts and complements the sturdy blue Hosta ‘Aventurine’. The groundcover behind the two is our native bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). As the season progresses, the Epimedium leaves will become solid green, the bloodroot foliage will expand, and the hosta will produce flowers and its foliage will take on greener tones. All working together to produce different garden scenes.

Hosta Sagae, ferns, epimedium

The fine-textured foliage of ferns makes them perfect partners for hostas – that textural contrast elevates both! Hosta ‘Sagae’ is a large, upright, vase-shaped hosta that can be grown in sun or shade.  When grown in shade, pair it with Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) for textural contrast and Japanese Painted fern (Atherium niponicum) for textural and color contrast. Add an Epimedium grandiflorum cultivar into the mix and you have an eye-catching quartet from spring until fall.

Hosta Salute, Viburnum.

Woody plants with variegated or non-green foliage can bring a different level of interest to the hosta garden. The leaves of some trees and shrubs have variegation similar to many hostas (such as green leaves edged in white) and some have mottled variegation that pick up on the colors of the hosta planted in their midst. The leaves of Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’ have splashes of blue that echo the blue of Hosta ‘Salute’ and other blue hosta planted nearby. And its woody, open form adds year-round interest to the garden.

Hosta, hellebore

Hellebores also add year-round interest to the hosta garden. Their palmate evergreen foliage adds textural contrast during the hosta growing season and winter interest when the herbaceous plants have died back. Last year I planted a lovely hellebore with variegated foliage, including pink venation, called ‘Penny’s Pink’. Its dusky purple flowers were a welcome sight this spring and its gorgeous foliage contributes to its companion hosta throughout the growing season.

Hosta Ann Kulpa, Hosta Mabel-Maria Herweg, Heuchera

There are nearly 300 different hosta cultivars growing in my gardens and I try to get them to work together. For example, I pair blue hosta and yellow hosta for contrast and interest. And I might add a blue hosta with a yellow edge into the mix to tie it all together. I also pair variegated hostas that have different patterns. Here Hosta ‘Ann Kulpa’, green with a central yellow stripe, complements Hosta ‘Mabel-Maria Herweg’, green with a yellow edge. I complete the picture by including purple coral bells (Heuchera), a companion plant with a contrasting color.

Hosta Sugar & Spice, Corydalis

Other suggestions for great hosta companion plants include Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum), Fringed Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), Foamflower (Tiarella), Columbine (Aquilegia), Astilbe and Japanese Fountain Grass Hakonechloa).

Gardening with a collection is an adventure: a collector’s garden can contain an extraordinary number of plants. Incorporating companion plants and using design elements (color, texture, pattern and form) can transform an obsession into a garden.

A Collectors' Haven

IMG_1704.JPG

As you enter the Kominz garden in Weston, Mass., your jaw drops as your gaze lifts up the steep slope. A serpentine grass path leads through a series of gardens built around collections of unusual conifers, Japanese maples, rare trees, hostas and perennials.

IMG_1686.jpg

When Phyllis first moved into the house 55 years ago, the former hotel cottage was in major need of TLC. But it sat on an acre of land, and Phyllis had always dreamed of having a large garden. The first 20 years were focused on the house, work and children. When Phyllis and David married 35 years ago, the garden became a joint hobby. A tour of English gardens inspired a passion for unusual conifers. Other collecting interests followed: epimediums, hostas, daylilies, and Japanese maples. The Kominzes traveled extensively and collected horticultural “souvenirs.” Unusual Japanese maples were tucked into suitcases and brought home from Oregon. Other collectible plants were purchased on trips to New England specialty nurseries Broken Arrow, Cochato, Cady’s Falls, Avant Gardens, Haskell Horticulturists, Blanchette’s, and O’Brien Nursery.

IMG_1694.jpg

The Kominzes’ site provided many challenges—a long, narrow shape, steep incline, and a base of ledge. In many areas, there were only a few inches of soil. They solved some of these issues by creating a series of curvilinear terraced gardens in the sharply sloped front yard. Retaining walls, fountains and a pond were added.

IMG_1688.jpg

The curving shape of the gardens provides the illusion of a much wider lot, and terracing creates usable planting areas and keeps water from washing the garden away. While the design of the garden is beautiful, the plants are the stars here – from 200 dwarf conifers in every shape and hue to red columnar beeches, uncommon elms, and hundreds of hostas and other perennials. Phyllis has a great eye for combining plants that complement each other with their colors and textures.

IMG_1696.jpg
IMG_1706.jpg
IMG_1388.JPG

After touring the incredible front garden, the richly planted backyard is a real surprise. Here invasives, particularly poison ivy and bittersweet, had to be cleared before planting could begin. The beds were then outlined with brick and gravel, and adorned with more plant collections. Inspired by years of living in Japan, David installed his own Asian garden. Phyllis added a whimsical fairy garden with miniature bungalows that resemble English thatched-roof cottages. Japanese lanterns, figurative statues, miniature chairs and metal roosters add whimsy to the garden beds.

IMG_1418.JPG
IMG_1404.JPG
IMG_1410.JPG

Phyllis and David are life-long learners, attending lectures at horticultural societies (they are members of Mass. Hort., New England Hosta Society, Mass. Chapter of the Rhododendron Society, American Conifer Society, Rock Garden Society, and Lexington Garden Club), participating in garden tours, and asking lots of questions at the specialty nurseries that they visit.

IMG_1724.jpg

They both find that gardening reduces stress, adds true joy to their lives, and has kept them physically fit and young at heart (David is a sprightly 97.) The Kominzes enjoy sharing their garden with visitors, and are a true inspiration to fellow gardeners.

IMG_1717.jpg

To schedule a visit, please contact Phyllis at flowerlady233@gmail.com.

The Surprising Beauty of Hosta Flowers

I had the pleasure of touring several Hudson River estates after settling my daughter for her senior year at college. One of the places I visited was the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield in Hyde Park, NY. Beatrix Farrand was one of the first women landscape designers, whose work defined the American taste in gardens through the first half of the 20th century. She championed the use of perennial plants instead of annual bedding, using color harmony, bloom sequence and texture to create beautiful herbaceous borders. Bellefield is one of the earliest examples of her private work - a small walled garden with long flower borders that show single color combinations from pink to blue, purple and white.

Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield

Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield

Seeing the garden in late August, I was struck by the white border, because it showcased a beautiful combination of white phlox and the flowers of Hosta plantaginea. I have many hostas in my own garden, and appreciate them for their strong, lush foliage in a myriad of colors and patterns. But I had never thought of planting hostas en masse,  purely for their flowers.

There are more than 58 varieties of hostas that have evolved from Hosta plantaginea. They all bloom in August and are prized for their lovely pure white flowers and strong, sweet fragrance. They need ample sun to bloom, and the flowers open in the late afternoon instead of early morning like most hostas. Some of the most well-know culitvars of H. plantaginea are 'Honeybells', 'Aphrodite', 'Cathedral Windows', 'Fragrant Bouquet' and 'Guacamole'.

Hosta 'Fragrant Bouquet'

Hosta 'Fragrant Bouquet'

'Venus', another cultivar of H. plantaginea, has striking flowers that are fully double.

Since hostas are members of the Liliacea family, they produce funnel-shaped blooms on scapes that arise from the center of the plant. Like day lilies, individual flowers last for only one day. The plant may produce ten or more scapes with up to 50 flowers per stem, so the bloom time can last of 3-4 weeks. By planting different cultivars, you can have hosta flowers in your shade garden from May until frost.

Photo by Joan Butler

Photo by Joan Butler

Most of us are unimpressed with the lanky scapes and violet blooms of common green hostas. But hosta flowers can range in color from deep purple to white infused with pink.

Photo by Joan Butler

Photo by Joan Butler

If you look at hosta flowers closely, you may see colorful striations.

Others feature unusual flower scape forms, almost resembling scepters, like those of the 'Blue Dolphin' hosta.

Photo by Joan Butler

Photo by Joan Butler

One of the latest hybridizing trends has been to create branched flowers, as seen in this example created by Tony Avent of Plant Delights nursery.

So as you plan future gardens, give some thought to including hostas purely for their floral display. They can make magnificent additions to your landscape!