I am neither here nor there about hostas. I recognize that they’re good garden plants, great for shade, useful space-fillers and the bees do love the flowers (though, perversely, many gardeners cut them off to maintain the architectural look of the things). And they do add a lot to the texture of a garden, especially in shady areas with other tonal variations on green. However, they can be overused, or misused (too much sun, too little water) or just plain abused (slugs, I’m looking at you here!)
But every once in a while, I see a really great use of hostas and I thought I’d share this one.
It’s from the beautiful Chinese Garden at Montreal’s Jardin Botanique – a line of hostas that looks, from the other side of the pond, like a thick charteuse felt marker has been wielded against the sombre dark-green of the foliage nearby. And it’s made more emphatic by the parallel line of water irises in the pond in front.
When I got closer, I saw how beautiful it looks arrayed along the pebble-mosaic walk.
And, naturally, in such a stellar Chinese garden, it has to have the perfect name!