Re: hosta in UK was: Christopher Lloyd - was Re: Roger Swain is back

Well, it's true that hostas grow well over here and they have been very
popular - about 10 years ago, I was selling plants in the local Women's
Institute market and the customers would fight over the hostas (literally,
when we let the customers in they would push each other out of the way to
get to them! I bet you thought the Brits didn't do that sort of thing, but
there's nothing more vicious than a well-bred English lady!!) But my friend
who still sells at the market tells me that they can't sell hostas now, even
good named varieties. I think that part of that is that they are easily and
cheaply available at all the garden centres now, but it is mainly that they
suffer such damage from slugs and snails.

I grow about a dozen sorts and find that the big blue-leaved ones don't
suffer quite as much, but to keep some of the good yellow or variegated
varieties looking good, I either have to put slug killer down every week
from the time the noses first show in about February, or grow them in pots.
Either way it's a lot of work.

I think we do like foliage over here, but thanks I think to the TV gardening
shows, grasses are definitely the foliage plant of the moment.

Barbara
Woking, Surrey, UK

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <perennials@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 07, 2002 5:15 AM
Subject: Re: hosta in UK was: Christopher Lloyd - was Re: Roger Swain is
back


> Well, Cheryl, I'da thought that too but got an email from Graham
> Birkin (Hellebore breeder) the other day telling me that nobody was
> buying his Hosta this year at the plant sales he goes to tho' he'd
> reduced the price to practically zero.  Seems that the snail and slug
> problems with most Hosta in England's damp climate make them
> difficult to grow well.  He's moving house and nursery to Wales
> shortly and has decided to leave all his Hosta behind!
>
> This may be why they aren't as popular on the other side of the pond
> as they are here.  Also, he tells me that Brits are not as into
> foliage plants - they want flowers.  Now, Hosta do flower, but that's
> not what they're primarily grown for...at least by me.
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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> ----------
> > From: Cheryl Isaak <cherylisaak@adelphia.net>
> > I am fairly new to hosta - but I know several people who refer to
> the
> > American Hosta Society as the cabbage and kale group.
> >
> > I find it interesting that in general, the Brits don't seem to do
> > hosta.  It seems to me that hosta and the British climate are
> tailor
> > made for each other!
> > Cheryl
> > --
> > Cheryl Isaak
> > Londonderry, NH
>
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