A long time ago I put Hostas in my garden.  Hostas are grown primarily for their green foliage and I use them as border plants or stand-alone. I have the “Honeybells” variety and it produces a long spike in summer which develops trumpet shaped flowers. In general Hostas can be grown in sun or full shade. However, there is a yellow-foliage variety that does best in full sun. Though many plants should be divided in spring or fall, Hostas respond well to division any time of the year. I use the foliage and flowers in FREE flower arrangements for my home and as gifts.

This is how my Hostas-border looks; however, I must tell you that few weeks ago we had a hail storm and the ice poked holes in most of my garden plant leaves.  Unfortunately, my Hostas did not escape the destruction path of the storm.

Last year I took a photo of this gorgeous Hydrangea flower that I planted years ago in my back yard. There are several varieties of this medium sized shrub, (about 4-5 feet tall and wide) however, this variety is a Mophead Hydrangea, has a rounded flower head and prefers morning sun and afternoon shade.  The sun exposure factor is quite important, since heavy shade can cause poor flowering and all day sun will wilt it. Believe me, I put one plant in the shade five years ago and the plant did not grow more than 2’ and it has never given me a flower. If you live in the north, the further north you live the more sun this type of Mophead Hydrangea can endure. This type of hydrangea is deciduous, meaning; it will drop all its leaves in the fall. However, please read my following Tip.

Tip: I use a lot of my summer blooms in fresh flower arrangements. Then in the fall, I wait until the flowers dry in the plant, cut them and I use the dry flowers in my winter arrangements. The colors change a bit but they make really nice holiday wreaths.  I also use them to fill gaps in my Christmas tree, as ornaments, if you prefer, you can spray paint them in gold. Finally, put some of them in a basket with pine cones, dry twigs and a big burgundy bow.  Try it and you will enjoy two seasons of this beautiful huge flower.