
If you're looking for tropical garden ideas, they will add a lovely jungle feel to your garden.Ĭhoose a fern that suits your conditions. While some are perennial and will die back in winter and unfurl their leaves in spring, others are evergreen. They are available in lots of forms ranging from thick chunky leaves to delicate fronds, so there is bound to be something to suit your taste.įerns thrive in damp, shady spots, so work well under trees for shade but there are some that are adapted for life in dry shade, too. (Image credit: Annaick Guitteny / Future)įerns are another beautiful and diverse shade loving plant grown for their foliage and make a textural addition to flower bed ideas. Be aware that your hostas may not come out looking the same as the parent plant, but it can be a fun way to propagate. You can also collect seeds from dry seed heads in fall and plant them straight away in trays of potting compost. Choose a large container that will have good water retention and choose a rich potting compost. If your garden is prone to slugs, you may want to consider growing hostas in containers as part of your container gardening ideas. So choose your line with a sharp spade and then go for it,’ he says. ‘It's a fairly corky, solid chunk of root in there and if you go too tentatively, you can actually damage it. ‘The key to dividing hostas is to be brave’ says Monty Don. Each leaf will make a new plant if it has some root attached, but if you want bigger, healthier plants, divide into clumps of several leaves. Remove the entire clump and cut it into sections. Lift and divide when the leaves are just starting to spike through the ground. It is easiest and quickest to plant bulbs or divided plants and make sure you know when to plant hostas. These perennials can be grown from seed, bulbs or from dividing plants. A happy hosta tends not to be eaten so much by slugs and snails,’ says Don. ‘I’ve discovered that an awful lot of hosta damage is a result of stress. They are prone to slug damage, so it’s important to grow plants in good conditions so they can thrive. He recommends adding compost to the soil to improve its moisture retention and mulching the plants annually.

'The key thing for hostas is that they aren’t too dry in winter,' he continues. ‘Hostas are greedy, thirsty plants,’ says Monty Don of Gardeners World (opens in new tab). In case this wasn’t enough, their young leaves are also edible and a great alternative to asparagus. Hostas make great understorey plants and have delicate purple flowers spikes in summer. They come in a variety of colors with some beautiful blue hues and spectacular variegation so are a great addition to shady flower beds as part of north facing garden ideas. Hostas are beautiful perennials, valued for their lush, dense foliage, and large decorative leaves and are a must-have shade plant.
