Flower gardeners are introduced to The Book of Little Hostas with the cover image of petite Dianthus and variegated Lamium edging a collection of tiny potted hosta leaves. Passionate hosta experts, Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack wrote about the gardens in which 200 small, very small and mini varieties rule.
The highlight of the book is the collection of individual hosta cultivars designated as small, very small or miniature. In fact, the book’s Index is only a directory of the 200 cultivar names; offering the reader photos of and information about each variety. Cultivar descriptions give dimensions of the leaf and plant size, coloring and brief cultural notes. Gardeners who appreciate unusual styles of growing plants will find much to mull over.
Garden readers will appreciate the authors’ first-hand experiences growing these diminutive hostas; what has worked, what has not and the inordinately amount of photos shared. While the well-worn facts most know may test the patience of seasoned growers, tips considering petite hostas with their fragile size, not generally encountered with full sized hostas, will prove useful. Bound to open a new world of possibilities for the novice gardener, it is sound for first-time hosta growers to use a broader how- to- grow reference alongside.
How Big Species Turn into Little Sports of Hostas
Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack begin with a brief introduction of the Hosta species and where they hale from; hostas are natives, neither in Europe or North America. Native species of these clump forming perennials are found in Japan, China and Korea.
Hostas are generally described as shade plants. The continually expanding number and variation of cultivars in today’s garden market may give first-time gardeners an inaccurate impression, left believing recent hostas can thrive anywhere.
Throughout The Little Book of Hostas, the authors repeat that dappled shade is the optimal choice for lighting, further explaining the subtle differences among cultivars. Understanding the wildly varying range of land habitats and climate conditions hosta species have migrated from helps readers sharpen their perspectives on the needs of these little plants.
A series of little hostas often are developed from that single sport discovered. The authors share many examples, the well popularized Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ morphed into Cat and Mouse, Green Mouse Ears, Mighty Mouse and Snow Mouse. The sports of the sports include Holy Mouse Ears begat from Royal Mouse Ears and Pure Heart from Mighty Mouse, to name only a few.
Little Hostas in Small Gardens with Flowers
Gardeners who design small gardens care more about how each full grown plant will play against the others in the landscape. They may not even care whether the plants have dwarf, small or miniature designations from a plant society.
When gardeners take artistic license to create a landscape in miniature, size becomes relative. Their canvas may be a piece of driftwood, a rockery or a collection of Bonsai pots, to their credit the Shadracks embrace this aspect of growing little hostas.
Large tubs, even hollowed out tree trunks, are the bases of many companion plantings in The Little Book of Hostas. A perennial with colorful blooms may suddenly be imaged as a tree, the arching stems of Solomon seal gently give cover to clumps of diminutive leaves while a variety of carex act as wispy groundcover and dwarf conifers become giant evergreens. The authors’ woodland photos will give readers much to contemplate.
Members of National Hosta Societies Write on Perennial Favorite
Authors of The Little Book of Hostas, Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack have combined their love of the petite foliage plants into one woodland place, Smug Creek Gardens.
Mike Shadrack has been growing hostas since 1986, and, with more than 5800 images of plants and gardens, has contributed to more than several books on the subject. A past resident of London and now living in New York state, he has been a member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society and of the American Hosta Society.
Kathy Guest Shadrack has been secretary of the American Hosta Society and editor of the Hosta Society Member’s Newsletter. She has dedicated more than 25 years to gardening in Western New York. Together, the Shadracks lead private garden tours throughout the United Kingdom and the United States.
Consultant editor, Diana Grenfell is the holder of the National Plant Collections of very small and miniature hostas in Gloucestershire, England.
Reading on Classical Hostas Scaled-down
In The Little Book of Hostas: 200 Small, Very Small and Mini Varieties, gardeners will meet scaled down versions of the classical big-leaved hosta. Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack introduce readers by giving them an up-close and personal tour of the little foliage plants through 208 pages of written words and photographic images. Published November 24, 2010 by Timber Press, The Little Book of Hostas may be found with ISBN 978-1-60469-060-6.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
Chris Eirschele - Chris writes on plants grown and gardens explored; she is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
