‘Blue Mouse Ears’. ‘Stiletto’ has narrow, lance-shaped leaves


with a white edge and grows six inches tall and 12 inches wide. ‘Little Treasure’ is more sword-like and


lazy in its habit, sprawling a bit instead of staying in the tight clusters of the varieties above. It has a white streak down its centre and a pea-green coloured leaf. How about a shiny-leaved hosta from Ja-


pan? ‘Shining Tot’ has dark green foliage. ‘Kinbotan’ is only two inches tall, spreading to six inches wide. It is medium green with a gold margin. ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ is 2.5 inches tall and has


‘Sum and Substance’ opening in spring.


dark green leaves. And I have to mention the tiny ‘Kinakafu Otome’, which is three inches tall by two inches wide with yellow leaves and a green


‘Empress Wu’. Proven Winners photo.


margin in spring. This is just a small sampling of the pos- sibilities on the miniature stage. The jumbo hostas


How about a hosta that comes up to


your shoulder? ‘Empress Wu’ comes in at 42 inches tall with leaves that are 18 inches wide and it spreads to five feet. ‘Big Mama’ is a blue-green giant, 42


inches tall, spreading to five feet. The corru- gated leaves will discourage all but the most determined slug. ‘Blue Umbrellas’ is also a very large hosta.


‘Sum and Substance’ can grow from 29 to 40 inches tall and spread to over five feet. Hosta is a rewarding plant no matter what


variety you grow. Plant them in groups for the best effect. `


Above: ‘Francee Williams’ with ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’. Below: ’Alba Marginata’ unfurling its leaves.


Tiny ‘Kinakafu Otome’.


Deer also dislike ferns, bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, harebells and members of the geranium family, scented geraniums, and scented herbs such as anise hyssop, rosemary, dill, ornamental chives and other alliums, wormwood (Artemisia), lavender, lemon balm, bee balm, aromatic thyme, sage and Russian sage, and oregano. Catnip is another deer resistant plant, but it does attract cats and may cause another garden problem altogether. Other aromatic plants that deer usually avoid include salvia, yarrow, lamium, bugleweed, and sweet woodruff. Bear in mind though, that deer will get used to anything and if there is nothing else , they will consume almost any plant.


D 18 • Spring 2012 www.localgardener.net


‘Autmun Frost’ in pots at T & T Seeds. Protecting your hostas with deer resistant plants


eer don’t like the feel of fuzzy leaves or stems in their mouths so tend to stay away from plants such as black-eyed Susan and pulmonaria.


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