Hostas

by Rosemary Barrett

Hostas is the definitive guide to the popular hardy perennial that gardeners have come to rely upon and enjoy. Favored for their beauty and longevity, these shade-loving, low-maintenance plants bear foliage in all manner of shape, size and texture and in colors ranging from steel blue, tonal greens and yellows to multi-colored. Their long-blooming, aromatic flowers come in variations of white, pale lavender and blue-purple.The growing season for hostas stretches from early spring to late fall, and they flourish in Zone 3 -- most of the continental United States as well as populated areas of Canada and Alaska.Rosemary Barrett provides expert advice on these outstanding plants. Following a brief section on the history of hostas, she covers the various cultivars in fine detail, with topics that CultivationEnhancing a gardenPropagationContainer-growingLandscapingPlant and tree companionsBorders and bedsA catalog of hostasGarden settings.Featuring lush color photographs throughout, Hostas is ideal for gardeners at all levels of expertise.

Genres: Gardening

143 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a harsh critic, but mainly because this book doesn't really fit the bill for what I was looking for and as a result was a bit disappointing. I appreciated that this is a book about hostas and that it is introducing the plants to gardeners who may not be familiar with it, but I found that it spent a lot of time on companion planting and planting ideas without as much information about the different varieties and types of hostas. There is a section at the very end that does a bit more, but even there, it was without photos so hard to really decide if a specific breed is what I would like in my garden. I recognize that not every variety can be captured in a book this short, and I also realize that it's probably not feasible to have a photo of the plant in flower for each variety discussed. But I really didn't need to see as many photos of poppies and plants to plant with hostas as we got in this book. I felt like the hostas were often overshadowed by the ideas for how to use them with other plants and the photos reflected this. So, still looking for a book with photos so I can figure out which hosta is growing in my garden so that I can figure out where best to transplant it so it does better.

[Kelly MAY Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Just* what I needed! Thank you Rosemary Barrett to a Hosta newbie, I needed this. Climatic variations were most helpful (my mother in law has trouble where she is) but I think thanks to this book that I'll finally have one up on her! Yes, excellent, knowledgeable, informatiive. I'll be awaiting Fall...

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hostas by Rosemary Barrett (Firefly Books 2004 ) (635.93432). Without a doubt, this book is one of the best and most thorough guides to the culture of this gorgeous perennial. This book belongs in every hosta aficionado's library. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 2005.