Confession: I don't see the appeal to Hosta

finally:)

Looks like we have a bunch of hosta in our new backyard and I just don't get the appeal.  Am I missing something???

Magdala9

Many varieties of hostas grow beautifully in the shade and anchor a bed since they are so easy to grow.  I mix mine with a lot of other plants to balance the colors and provide variety.  

TarHeels&Rebels

I think they're great when massed, but I don't love them when they're spaced out.

Good:

Meh:

 

CollegeGrrl219

They grow well in shade. That's the appeal.

Dr.Loretta

They're incredibly hardy and incredibly low maintenance. And they can go from nothing to huge in a matter of weeks.

living_insanity

Ours line our front fence facing the street not our yard.  We have them sort of like a hedge

mmremshard

The prior owners of our house were hosta happy and our front garden has about seven or eight HUGE ones. I didn't like them at first but now that I've split some of them and moved them to the back, they're not so bad. And since I have a tendency to forget to water plants, the low maintenance is sort of appealing. 

That said, I think eventually all of them will be moved to our backyard because the front yard is just a mish mash of all kinds of things that look ugly together.  

~NB~

TarHeels&Rebels:

I think they're great when massed, but I don't love them when they're spaced out.

Good:

Meh:

That sums it up nicely.

And yes, they are one of those plants that's great if you have lots of shade and need some options.

 

et516

I like mine because they are easy to grow in the shade.  However, I'm in zone 4 and mine have sprouted about 6 inches.  It will be June by the time they are full size.  I like them mixed in with other stuff because they die back in the winter and we cut them back.  I don't like the bare spots that leaves in winter.

amz05

the last owners planted 14 hostas, at least 7 types in our front yard because it gets part shade/full shade.

granted I like hostas for the shade but not that many! They do work nicely with some other shade plants I've since added but I still need to add more things to help "with the bare in winter look"

alliapistor

Like PP have said - grow well in shade, low maintenance.  Bottom line - they're hard to kill.  (Although protecting them from deer and slugs can be a challenge.)  I have mine interspersed with some evergreen plants to avoid the bare in winter look - like under/in front of my azaleas.

finally:)

alliapistor:

(Although protecting them from deer and slugs can be a challenge.) 

AAACK!!!  Now I dislike them even more.  There's nothing on this earth I dislike more than SLUGS!!! 

GoldenGibson

Hostas are classic, easy and hardy. They offer an option for shade gardening as well as a bold textural element. If used properly they can lend a lot to a landscape design.

FoxinFiji

Besides what everyone else already mentioned there are many great cheap varieties.  I try not to buy any and just get mine from plant swaps because they are so easy to dig up and divide.  You can easily turn 5 plants into 15 if you'd like and after one season they will fill out nicely. 

There are lots of great varieities out there.  The big blue ones, yellow, white with green edges, miniature, wavy leafed, dark green with light green, etc.  They add nice long lasting color to shady areas that are hard to keep looking good all year (most shade perennials bloom in the spring or early summer after that they can look blah).  Plus some hostas are fall or late summer bloomers.  That said I hate the standard green hosta with a white edge.  Around here everyone has it and a lot of it.  Lining 50 of the same boring plant in a row around your house is not good landscaping.