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Model Garden Children: Perfect Perennials Part 1

© Carol Wallace

If I could have flowers for offspring, rather than children, I know exactly which kinds I would choose. I would want some that are easy to raise, healthy, non-temperamental and low-maintenance--the kind that never give me much trouble and always bring me peace of mind. When I make my frequent trips to the plant orphanage (better known as the nursery) I never fail to adopt a few that fit this descrption perfectly. That's why you'll find so many hostas, daylilies and Siberian iris in my gardens.

Model children tend to be so quiet and tame as to border on the insipid, unless you get to know them. This is also true of model plants. They may not dazzle at first glance, but once you get to know them, they have personalities as individual as we do.

The plant that comes closest to the prototypical model child is the hosta. Unless you take the time to get acquainted, you may think of them as big green mounds--with a few big green and white mounds for variety. But take a closer look, and you'll see why hostas have become one of the designer plants of the 90s.

First of all, they come in an amazing variety of colors: green, blue, chartreuse, gold, yellow and shades thereof. Then add variegations. You can have green and white, green and gold, blue and gold, gold and white, ad infinitum. An all-hosta garden that could theoretically border on the downright gaudy.

And forget that idea that all hostas make boring round mounds. Some are stononiferous--that is to say they spread horizontally and do a nice job of creating a low edging for the border. Most are round, but even there, some have leaves that lie flat to the ground, others rise expectantly, as if poised for flight. H.'Christmas Tree' and others mound so high that, when in flower, they look more like shrubs than anything, and can actually be used as privacy plants.

And speaking of uses! Since hostas come in every size from a diminutive 5" across to almost 6' across, they have a lot of potential in any garden. A gigantic mound of H. 'Sum and Substance' with its glowing chartreuse leaves can become a focal point in a garden--or stand alone as a specimen. The more medium sized, plain green of H. sieboldiana can create a restful feeling in a shady nook in the garden.A few of the green and white variegated cultivars can add life and light to this arrangement. And tiny tots like H. 'Chartreuse Wiggles', with its look of a recalcitrant star fish can add a visual pun to the edge of the pond.

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