Consider slug-resistant hosta varieties

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2013 (4631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hostas are the mainstay of the shady patch.

They’re low, lush, and add vibrancy to a spot that can be dark and drab. There are a multitude of cultivars. If you’ve got shade to work with, there will a hosta to fulfil your dreams.

Flowers? Purple or white, but so beside the point. It’s the foliage that’s of interest. Larger than life, quietly petite, vibrant green, cool blue, smooth leaves, crinkly leaves… A mass planting of hostas, be it all the same cultivar, or a mix, is simply stunning. But stunning becomes stunted when the slugs arrive.

Leaves with a sprinkling of holes are the first sign of slugs, which in time become tattered and shredded, and even completely devoured with only the stalk remaining.

Slugs are slimy creatures of the night. They don’t even move fast. You’d think they could be efficiently dispensed with. No such luck.

Regular applications of diatomaceous earth, setting beer traps, hand-picking (with gloves) and surrounding the plants with copper flashing are among some of the ways of combatting them.

Regardless of the approach, unrelenting persistence is required to keep them under control, as the ideal growing conditions for hostas — partial to full shade and moist growing conditions — are the exact environment that slugs thrive in. If you’ve grown tired of battling slugs, or if you’re planting hostas for the first time, there are cultivars with good slug resistance.

‘Francis Williams,’ ‘Halcyon,’ and ‘June’ are smaller, 30 to 40 centimetres high by 40 centimetres wide. All make great groundcovers. With variegated blue-green centres edged with yellow margins, ‘Francis Williams’ has more razzle-dazzle than your average groundcover.  ‘Halcyon’ is a quiet blue, ‘June’ is chartreuse with a lovely blue-green margin that looks like its  been applied by a the sweep of a paintbrush.

‘August Moon’ (50 centimetres by 1 metre), ‘Big Daddy’ (60 centimetres by 90 centimetres), and ‘Paradigm’ (50 centimetres by 1.2 metres) are medium sized. August Moon’s bright golden leaves with interesting crinkling will brighten up a dull spot. Big Daddy is a calming green and works well as background support. Paradigm has striking gold leaves with irregular blue-green margins. Lovely little sparks of interest.

Blue Angel and ‘Sum and Substance’ are big. At 75 centimetres by 150 centimetres, they command attention. Think shrub in the shade. The oversized leaves which can easily grow to several times the size of a open hand. Blue Angel is blue-green, Sum and Substance is a vibrant chartreuse.
 
Carla Keast has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and is a Winnipeg-based freelance landscape designer. She can be reached at contact@carlakeast.com