I’ve finished my hosta garden!

I’m not sure I’ve planted everything correctly as far as spacing and colour are concerned, but I buckled down and finally got the garden leading into my backyard done.

Not a swoon-worthy project?

I know.  Not yet anyways.

But this garden has been a disaster for over a year now.  Last summer Hubby widened our walkway and created a patio extension to house our hot tub – which is gorgeous – but it also left two garden beds full of chips and dust that needed to be dug out and refilled with soil, landscape cloth added and then plants re-homed to their new ‘resting places’.

Not a task someone with a black thumb gets really excited about doing.

I finally buckled down, got dirty and digging and saw my hosta garden to completion.

Here’s where we left it at the end of last summer:

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

Started, but not finished.

Underneath the white bucket you see is a patch of chips and dust still to be dug out.  I picked up a few astilbe plants hoping they would spread and cover the mess I made of the air conditioner (note: do not pressure wash the fragile coils inside an air conditioner unit = learned the hard way).  It looks like graffiti  lol.  I was short on rocks and I needed to rehome some planters that haven’t been filled yet.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

I pulled up a few more daylilies to be replanted elsewhere, dug out the chips and dust and blanketed the area with landscape cloth.

Next came adjusting my plants to give me the perfect hosta garden:

Hosta Garden, landscape plan, planning a hosta garden, hosta garden layout

 

Okay, maybe it isn’t the “perfect” hosta garden – some of these bad boys may grow too large for the space – but only time will tell.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

I left one of my astilbe perennials in a planter to give it a bit more height and interest in the garden.  Those daylilies are determined little buggers and I wasn’t confident they wouldn’t bully my newbie out.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

Try to ignore the graffiti look – if the astilbe doesn’t hide it, I may have to build a screen.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

There are a few blank looking areas, but as the season progresses the hosta garden will fill in more.  I’ve even (totally accidentally) managed to choose plants that will flower at different times!  Some of the hostas will flower in June, others later in the summer and the astilbes will flower in August and September.

Here’s the view as you walk in my back gate:

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

SO much better!

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

One of my favourite parts of my hosta garden are the little treasures I have hidden throughout – like the painted goose rock we made a couple of summers ago.  I came across some minion rocks and some marbled rocks – all of which bring a smile to my face because we made them together.

I also love sprinkling marbles in the garden – after all the rocks are in place of course – the light catches them and gives it a little sparkle here and there.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

I’ll try to remember to update this post later in the summer so there is a photo of the hosta garden in bloom with the leaves a bit more filled out.

Hosta garden, rock garden, shade garden, walkway garden, pathway garden, small garden, hostas, astilbe

Not my typical before and after photo, but gosh it feels good to have it done!

Have a great one!

 

2 Responses

  1. Gorgeous. I have a hosta walk to my back garden. Sadly it has got away from me lately. Now I am inspired. Love the marbles idea.