I've heard the whispers: "How does she do it? How does she get her Hostas to look so good? I wonder what she uses for slug repellent? Maybe she doesn't have any slugs? How does she kill them?" It's time to answer those questions with the simple answer that I don't do anything. I wish I could claim some special gardening skill or technique, but it isn't me, it's the Hostas. I don't use slug repellent, but I have slugs, as this photo of a very slug-mauled Hosta can attest.
So how do I have such good looking Hostas (other than this one)? I try to buy only those that are slug-resistant. That's not a typo, it says slug-resistant, not slug-proof, but any damage to the leaves of slug-resistant varieties is minor. What are these slug-resistant Hostas, you ask? In general, slug-resistant Hostas are those with really thick leaves, or as it is described in the trade, "heavy substance."
('Olive Bailey Langdon')Those nasty slugs have a hard time chewing through leaves of heavy substance or those with heavy corrugation. Most blue Hostas are slug resistant because of the coating on the leaves which give them their bluish cast.
('Krossa Regal")Here is a list of some slug-resistant Hostas. Some of my slug-resistant cultivars are not on this list, such as 'Winfield Gold'
and 'Maui Buttercups.'
Sometimes the plant tag will state that a particular cultivar is slug resistant, or a nursery's catalogue will provide that information. If there is no such information available, do the touch test: if the leaves feel thick or bumpy with corrugation (as shown in the photo of 'Maui Buttercups'), chances are good that it is slug-resistant.Sports of slug-resistant Hostas usually are also slug resistant,
such as these Hosta 'Halycon' and its sport 'June.'
(Yes, Hostas make good container plants. I put this 'June' in a container because I had to move one, and there was no readily available space. Container growing is also good if the garden's soil is too dry for Hostas. Surprisingly, well-established Hostas are drought resistant. During the terrible drought of 2005, when all watering was banned, I didn't lose a single plant, and my soil is not known for its moisture-retentive ability. On the contrary, my soil is very well drained.) "The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas" by Diana Grenfell lists which plant a particular cultivar is a sport of in its description.I'm a firm believer in finding the path of least resistance. Why bother to fight against slugs if you can have beautiful Hostas that aren't bothered by them?
33 comments:
Wow!! I never knew there were slug resistant Hostas. I have one in a container and it is growing painfully slow. Here I have heard that we have many slugs and I have in my head strayed away from Hostas if I ever have a yard here. Now I know better. Your Hostas are very beautiful. I wonder why my container one is so very tiny and slow growing?
Thanks, MMD, this is a great resource. I will be planting more hostas in the spring and will use this list.
Though I've been lucky with my hostas. Very few have slug damage though they are browning now.
Great info! You are the High Priestess of Hostas, between this post and your other post on the hosta virus. If I ever get more shade, I'll look up this post to see which varieties are 'slug resisitant'!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Boy - that is some good info. I had no idea those existed! It's amazing what I learn be reading blogs. Now - if only there were some that were bred to be deer resistant!
Wonderful post! Great source of information. Most of mine are slightly slug resistant, thats usually not the problem. It's weevils, I am going to have to resort to using the nematodes again this fall. They worked wonders for 3 years, and now the little ****'s are back. Everything in the garden looks good until the weevils pop out in May.
Jen
Thanks a million for this information -Ii had almost given up on Hoastas, but now I can look for those special varieties. Great!
Katarina
Hi, MMD! Your hosta look great! You show a few that I have that aren't that mature, yet. At least, I hope maturity is the factor and not something else! :-) Several of my hosta bear the scars of a couple of summer hail storms, yet.
Hi MMD, so that's your secret! Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us. I didn't know there was such a thing as slug resistant but I am attracted to the blue and corrugated ones. Just lucky! And that Maui Buttercups is divine! BTW, my berry post will be up early tomorrow morning, I hope. ;->
Frances
http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/
I could really get into Hostas if they would grow well here. I think they need those extended periods of cold weather to thrive. I suspect they also prefer fewer days of heat! I have one small leaved Hosta in a pot, think it's "So Sweet". I'd been contemplating planting a few of them behind the pond but I haven't seen any for sale lately.
I just love hostas too MrMcD. I have some older varieties that are slug bait but happily I have discovered the Resistant ones. I still hate the thought of getting rid of the oldies. They are good friends of mine they have been moved from garden to garden. I guess few slug holes won't hurt my eyes too much.
Now if they could make them deer and rabbit resistant I might have a few leaves left at the end of the season.
I have taken to calling Hosta wild lettuce. ;)
That's a very good strategy! I've been looking at our hostas and noting which one's seem to be more resistant. The patriots seem to be fairly resistant while the 'Gingko Craig' must be delectable dishes for the slimy creatures!
They're not happy here, but if I could grow hostas those Maui Buttercups would be on the list, MMD - what gorgeous leaves! Thanks for the good advice and photos.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Hostas are not content at Clay and Limestone. They grow and slowly shrink to nothing! Kind of like some Heucheras I know. MMD, you have some very lovely hostas sigh! Gail
Hostas are one plant I've been very successful with, MMD, but I did want to know your secret to keep mine thriving. My technique so far has been the same as you first described--do nothing! I didn't know there were slug-resistant hostas, though. Apparently, I have been choosing these varieties without realizing it:) I've always been drawn to the big blues and the bigger, corrugated leaved ones anyway; for once I made a smart decision.
MMD, I'm going to clutter your comment folder. But, I left this same post in response to your visit yesterday on my site... but I wanted to make sure you see it! ;-)
MMD, You have to know that I did my "berry post" berry quickly (I can't resist, either!) ;-) Anyway, this morning, I found just a couple more berries I could have included: both Solomon's Seal and Solomon's Plume! (You've just helped me identify the difference between the two. I clearly remember the Solomon's Plume flowers this past Spring and "wondered" about them!) THANKS!!
I wish we could grow 'em in Austin...they sell them at the nursery and I used to be a believer. They look so lovely in your yard!
MMD, the things you learn! Who knew there were such hostas out there?! Thanks for the info and I will be sure to do my research before buying any more. I am wanting to fill a bed I started a few years ago around a tree. It has a few hostas, but they do become rather ragged during the summer from the slugs. Now I know just what to do.
I usually have trouble when they are first coming up in the spring and it's snails that get them. Maybe I'll try again with some of your suggestions!
Excellent post! It's obvious your plan is working and that most of your hostas are living up to the no slug claim. I'm adding to my shade garden very slowly as I have to amend the soil as I go.
Thank you to share your skills, I have come here to learn
Okay, I get it. Slug resistant. Unfortunately, I'm not about to dig up all my hostas. I must do battle the old fashioned way--with a bottle of beer!
Robin Wedewer
National Gardening Examiner
(and chicken lover)
Oh you have me missing my hosta collection. I had over 250 diffrent types at my old house. I still have some here and some at my moms. But I so enjoyed my garden. I used egg shells and copper to keep them away from my hostas. But some were not savable from the slugs. They love leaves.
Hi, all - sorry I've not been able to answer these comments timely. I'm having problems with my computer. (Who hasn't lately?)
Vanillalotus - it could be that the Hosta you're growing in the container may be a slow growing cultivar. I have a 'Great Expectations' that's been in the ground for 2 years now & it's put out all of 4 leaves this year.
EAL - I'm surprised your Hostas are browning with all the rain you've had.
Carol - "High Priestess of Hostas" is definitely an exaggeration. I've just done my homework on them. There are some beautiful Hostas that will take nearly full sun, so you don't have to wait for shade to get your Hostas. 'Sum and Substance' and its sports do very well in such situations.
Diana - sorry Diana, but Hostas are deer candy. I grow all of mine securely behind the fence.
MBD - weevils! I've never heard of them. I'll keep the nematodes in mind if the weevils invade my garden.
Katarina - I'm glad I could help.
Shady - the only preventative for hail is planting Hostas under heavy leaved trees, but that brings its own problems.
Conscious Gardener - thanks! Hostas are definitely not on any xeriscape list, even though they handle dry conditions better than Astilbes. (That's not saying much.)
Beckie - the hardest part will be choosing among the many beautiful plants.
Leslie - copper strips in a ring around the plants should stop the slugs from getting the emerging leaves.
Anna - thanks! I tried to amend my soil before planting, but it seems to be a never ending process.
Hi, Warhammer Gold, thanks for visiting! I'm happy to help when I can.
Robin - I know some people who think that's not a bad way to die. ;^) Do chickens eat slugs?
Hi, Grammy, thanks for visiting! You had quite a collection. I'm not a Hosta collector, I have fewer than 20 types. I've had terrible slug problems this year with one of my fern-leaf Dicentras. The crushed eggshells were somewhat helpful, but I think I'm going to have to go with the copper next year.
Hi, MMD! I guess the slug resistant varieties must have been attracting me as well. I don't have too much trouble with slugs around my place. However, I attribute that to the presence of brown thrashers, who spend all summer on a search and destroy mission in my gardens. I started out with one pair, but they did so well and enjoy the habitat we have created so much that now we have three pairs nesting on the place!
I understand that ducks are big slug eaters too, if you can afford to host a duck or two they will help with slug control. And unlike chickens, they don't bother your garden too much.
Your hostas look great - I have got my eye on some big "blue" ones for next year - for that very reason - the slugs get fed up of all that chewing.
Very useful post.
Regards
Karen
LOL--"doing nothing" is just how I do hostas as well. However, if you have a large variety of plants, as I suspect you do, you attract many beneficial insects that keep "bad" insects in check. I have very little bug damage in my garden (now groundhog damage is another story!) even though I don't use any kinds of sprays or even fertilizers. I'm guessing it's due to plant and bug diversity. Here's hoping! :)
~ Monica
Hi MMD, It might be because of the nasty pine nugget mulch we have here and the moisture it holds, but whatever the reason, slugs eat almost everything in the shade garden except the slug-resistant hostas. When it comes to slugs, few things please me more than seeing a big group of robins descend on the garden after a rain or watching the resident toad(s) hopping across the patio on their way to dinner, or the supply of cheap beer and pie tins I keep in the garage.
HMH - I don't think my village would look to kindly on the keeping of poultry or waterfowl. I wasn't aware of Brown Thrasher's taste for slugs.
Thanks, Artist's Garden! If I didn't already have 2 'Krossa Regals' I'd probably get a 'Blue Angel' or another one of those big blues too.
Monica - if only the bug problem was kept in check. I had a terrible problem with Earwigs earlier in the summer because of all the rain, then the Japanese Beetles had a convention on the Dahlia.
Garden Girl - I've read that Hostas shouldn't be mulched at all to discourage the slugs, but if Pine nuggets will keep them at bay, I'll start using that around my sad little Dicentra. I doubt the beer trick would work in my garden, as I really don't want to see the damage caused by drunken raccoons.
MMD, actually, I think the pine nuggets provide good shelter for slugs, not to mention that I'm constantly having to push it back from the crowns of my plants, as this awful mulch also smothers plants and causes crown rot over the winter. The mulch sinks into the soil like rocks, adding more challenges. The former owner here, and my husband, used the nasty stuff for over 20 years, and it might be another 20 before it breaks down. I've considered removing as much of it as possible, but it would take a couple of semis to haul it away, there's so much.
It's awful stuff. The only silver lining to this mulch cloud is that I've finally been successful convincing my husband not to put down any more of it.
I just noticed that some of my comments are missing! I hope you don't think I ignored them. Here's the reconstituted version of my missing comments, sorry!
Frances - sometimes good taste & utility combine, but most of the time not.
Cindy - Good luck with them, I'm sure they would look great by the new pond.
Lisa - My slug-tattered Hostas are all from my mom's garden, so I'm leaving them alone, too. I've found that if you walk by them quickly, the damage really isn't noticeable. :^)
Hi, DFP - there are plenty of people around here who've given up trying to grow Hostas because of the deer, especially those whose gardens abut forest preserves. I should invest in several of the companies that make spray deer repellent.
Dave - thanks for the tip about the 'Patriots.' I've been looking at 'Loyalist' every time I go plant shopping. My mom's 'Gingko Craigs' are pretty ratty too.
Annie - I love everything about 'Maui Buttercups.' It's a great little Hosta.
Gail - you should try growing Hostas in containers. I'll bet they could stay in pots all winter in your Zone.
Rose - your good taste has saved you also! Isn't it fun to do nothing?
I was just leaving my house today where I have 4 hostas (2 of one kind and 2 of another) and 2 of them look perfect and the other 2 have gone through the Battle of Gettysburg. Obviously some are more slug resistent than others and now I know not to buy that hosta again (or even bother to divide it).
I also notice that those big leaf hostas look good all season.
As for hostas in containers, do you bring them in or leave them in the garage over the winter? I've wanted to do this to create some height in my garden -- like a hosta towering over its minions- but didn't know about overwintering them.
Garden Girl - thanks for the warning. I guess I'll stick to the shredded hardwood stuff.
Rosemarie - I experimented with a crummy old Hosta & left it in the container over the winter last year. There was ice in the pot & the plant died, so this year I'm removing the 2 potted Hostas from their containers and stuffing them into my holding bed for the winter. I do that with all my potted perennials except for a Sedum in a very large plastic container. I guess putting the potted plants into an unheated garage would work or, if the pots are small, plunging the entire pot into the ground. For very small containers (my seedling Columbines), I put them in a window well & mulch with shredded leaves.
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