By Jerry Baker,

America’s Master Gardener @jerrybaker.com

For the life of me, I cannot understand why more home gardeners have not discovered the joy of using perennials in their landscape—especially one of the best of the bunch—the beautiful, easy-to-care-for hosta! Although hostas will flourish in a variety of light conditions, all need some degree of shade, whether it be deep shade like those on the blue side, or a partial shade, like those on the yellow side.

Although hostas are a bit shy—they generally require a couple of years to establish themselves before they show their beauty to the fullest—after that, like a fine wine, they only get better with age. In fact, hostas can make up a complete garden—all by themselves! These almost perfect perennials are also virtually free of insect pests (with the exception of slugs) and disease.

To eliminate slugs from my hostas, I mix up one of the following tonics and put it in a small dish near my plants. The slugs crawl in and die.

1. A 50-50 mix of sugar and apple cider vinegar.
2. A mixture of fermented fruit peelings, water, ½ package of dry yeast, and ½ can of beer.
3. Beer and/or grape juice.

To keep your hostas really growing, feed them every three weeks with this tonic applied with a 20-gallon hose end sprayer:

For more great growing tips,tricks, and gardening tonics using common household products, visit Jerry Baker online at:

www.jerrybaker.com

AAA Ornamentals, 8S953 Jericho Road, P.O. Box 277 ~ Big Rock ~ Illinois
Retail Office: 630-556-4507