ABC Wednesday: A HOST of Plants

This week's ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the letter H, an easy letter to illustrate for any gardener.

Starting with that stalwart of any shade garden . . . the Hosta. There are thousands of cultivars of hostas with new hybrids added each year. I've tried to remember the names of all the new ones I've purchased in the last few years, but I'm afraid the tag for this one is hidden underneath all that lamium creeping up--time to do a little tidying up in the garden, I'm afraid!

While hostas are grown for their foliage, the tall blooms that appear once during the summer are an added bonus, I think. With no planning on my part, I have enough different varieties of hosta to provide a series of blooms all summer long. The photo above is a variety that is blooming this week while the photo below was blooming back in July.

Not only are hostas easy to grow, they are also easy to divide. Several of my older hostas, whose names are long forgotten, were dug up this spring and divided into two or three plants each.

But the giant "Sum and Substance" will not be divided in the hopes of seeing it get even larger next year. Tarzan the cat tried to help in giving some perspective on the size of this hosta--its leaves are easily 12" across.

Another shade plant I've become infatuated with lately is the Heuchera. The old-fashioned coral bells to many of the newer varieties shoot up airy spires with tiny blooms that defy my photographic capabilities.

Every year I add a few more cultivars of heucheras to the shade garden. I seem to be partial to those with luscious-sounding names--"Plum Pudding," "Creme Brulee," "Key Lime," or "Tiramisu," for example. Apparently, my sweet tooth carries over to the garden:)

For show-stopping beauty in the garden, though, you can't top a Hydrangea. One of the perennials I purchased for my first garden was the "Endless Summer," falling in love with its huge blue blooms. Unfortunately, in my non-acidic garden, the blooms are pink, but that's okay, too. Pictured above is a new acquisition last fall that I like even better than "Endless Summer"--"Let's Dance in the Moonlight."

Although there are still a few new blooms on the "Endless Summer," most are fading. But this is one flower whose faded blooms are almost as attractive as the new ones. I hate to pick them, but I may attempt to dry a few of these and bring them indoors this fall.

Hydrangeas aren't just for shady spots, however. My latest infatuation is with the Hydrangea paniculatas, like this "Limelight" above. This species grows best in full sun and can grow as tall as 8-10 feet. A good pruning this winter should help it develop more of the upright growth that I want.

Considering this is only the first year in my garden, this plant has produced a multitude of blooms, starting out with green florets gradually turning to pure white and now fading back to green with the beginning of autumn.

The shade garden isn't the only place for flowers beginning with H, however. Flowers that enjoy full sun include the Heliopsis, or false sunflower, like this passalong from my friend Beckie. I was surprised to see the number of nurseries that offer this plant for sale, all without warning the unsuspecting gardener that this plant can take over the garden! A native plant, it needs lots of space.

I also can't quit without showing my first ever Helianthus, or the common sunflower. Grown from seeds I got from Monica's seed exchange last winter, this is a shorter variety--only 3 feet tall compared to the better-known 10 foot variety.

And, of course, no cottage garden would be complete without an old-fashioned Hollyhock. While most of my hollyhocks have dried up and gone to seed, a few brave blooms still hang on.

I'm sure there are some other flowers beginning with H I've forgotten, like Helenium, which I don't have in my garden . . . yet. And in the spring there will be Hyacinths and Hellebores. But what I had really hoped to end this post with was a photo of a Hummingbird. Alas, while they have been regular visitors to my garden this summer, they seem to have a sixth sense about when I have a camera poised on them. Maybe I'll have a Hummer for Round 6 of . . .

. . . ABC Wednesday, brought to you by Mrs. Nesbitt.