Guest Hosta Blogger ... Pat Hutchinson
- Pat Hutchinson
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
We are delighted to have a guest blog from Pat Hutchinson. A confirmed Hosta lover of many years. Pat and her family own Yorke House & White Rose Cottage.
An award-winning English country garden in the heart of Nidderdale. The garden has a series of distinct areas flowing through two acres of ornamental garden. Colour-themed borders of herbaceous perennials, roses and shrubs. Natural pond and stream with delightful waterside plantings. Plus of course a very large collection of Hostas!
My love affair with Hostas started when I moved with my family to our new home Yorke House in Dacre Banks in Nidderdale at the end of the long hot summer of 1976. As a house-warming gift a friend gave me three Hostas - H.fortunei, H.albopicta and H.aureomarginata.
All seemed very trendy and up to date at the time, and I was absolutely delighted, particularly as I had just started a new hobby of ‘flower arranging’. Little did I know then that both were to take over my life and I am still immersed in the joys of gardening and floral art to this day.
I was fortunate that my new little gems loved the conditions that we could provide at Yorke House gardens, moist well drained soil and loads of locally provided manure. All three have matured into giants in spite of regular splitting and picking. They have of course provided the impetuous to expand our Hosta collection which has now grown to around a hundred different varieties. With any new plant that I purchase it is initially grown in a suitably sized pot in gritty compost to bulk up before planting into soil in the garden.
Some varieties I keep permanently in pots, repotting every year to replenish the growing medium. The downside here, of course, is the need to water in summer, but all are very hardy and emerge through the winter months unscathed by cold and frost. And Hostas are such amazingly good value, they provide beautiful foliage from April to autumn, requiring only the occasional dose of seaweed based feeder to retain their vigour.
As regular visitors to horticultural shows all over the UK there has been the constant temptation to buy ‘just one more’. My late husband became as passionate as I am about new varieties and so we always supported each other’s decision to add to our collection. Now it is so much easier to purchase plants online and I welcome the wonderful range and quality of specimens that Rewela Hostas have available to tempt me.
Over a period of 50 years so many new cultivars have been added to the range that is available, there literally is something of delight for everyone! And however small or large your outdoor space it is possible to accommodate a few of these wonderful gems. Many of my specimens are planted directly into the soil in the garden, I find that mulching with rotted garden compost or chipped bark offers protection from dehydration, annual weeds and most importantly slugs.
Of course these creatures have to feed but I would prefer that they eat something other than my plants! We are fortunate to have a lovely pond situated in the centre of our garden so moorhens, ducks, frogs and newts, together with our resident hedgehogs, take great delight in devouring many of these offending creatures. Otherwise it is battle stations at night with a torch to hunt them out!
Amongst my favourites in our collection are members of the tardiana group, such as H. ‘Remember Me’ and H.’Touch of Class’, their strong foliage fairly resistant to attack by molluscs and many with attractive variation in leaf colouring. I’m also attracted to some of the larger forms such as H.sieboldiana, H. ‘Frances Williams’ and H. ‘Dream Weaver’ which create wonderful focal points not only in the garden but also when picked and used in large floral displays. Hostas have certainly been used to great effect in our garden planting schemes, giving rhythmic movement through the borders when repeated at intervals and wonderful contrast of form and texture to otherwise ‘busy’ combinations of bushy perennials. In pots they can be moved around to fill gaps when another plant fails to develop or give special interest if grouped together for dramatic effect.
We have been opening our gardens at Yorke House, and recently White Rose Cottage, for 26 years to raise funds to support the National Garden Scheme’s nursing and caring charities. Visitors always comment on the beauty of the Hosta foliage and its effectiveness throughout our various borders, whether growing in a traditional herbaceous border, alongside the stream or in the woodland area.
I will be forever grateful for the pleasure that Hostas have brought into my life and I know there will always be a space in my garden to accommodate these amazing beauties.
Pat Hutchinson
June 2026
Thank you Pat for sharing your knowledge and passion with our fellow Hosta lovers.
If you would like to visit Pat's wonderful garden, you are in luck. The garden is open for charity on Sunday 12th July 2026 as part of the NGS (National Garden Scheme) All the details can be found below.
At Rewela Hostas, we are delighted to provide a diverse selection of Hostas suitable for collectors, experienced growers, and beginners alike. As a small family-run Hosta business we are more than happy to share our expert advice on everything related to Hostas. Shop now on our on-line shop for a wide range of Hostas, from new varieties to classics.
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John Plant
Rewela Hostas
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