Hostas as Natural Weed Suppressors in Your Garden
- John Plant
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
No matter the weather, come rain or shine, cold or heat the one thing that can be guaranteed in any garden are weeds.
Weeds! The gardener’s enemy. No matter the type of gardening you do, weeds are always a battle. Not only do they grow anywhere but always seem to grow faster than anything else in the garden.
There are two main types of weed. The first is the perennial wed such as Dock or Dandelion. These can’t be stopped from growing until you physically remove them, roots and all, from the ground.
The other type of weed is much easier to control, but there are more of them. These are the annual weeds that grow from seed. They are more obvious when the weather starts to improve. They will germinate in sometimes quite cold conditions, so get a head start on the gardeners.
These can be hoed off or picked out by hand to control them. The smaller you catch them, the easier they are to eradicate. Chemical control really, only works in open spaces where there are no precious plants, and his method can’t be good for the environment. However, weeds will grow anywhere, and especially between your precious plants. They are not fussy.
So, what can you do to reduce the physical labour required to suppress the weeds.
Why not use the foliage of your Hostas to reduce the light, and moisture the weeds need for germination.
Your Hosta has a natural shape for weed suppression.
Consider the mature size of a clump of leafy Hosta planted alongside another, not just a Hosta, but completely covering the soil beneath, preventing weed germination. The weed seedling will always be here but are being denied the essential materials for them to successfully germinate.
When creating your borders, a thorough clearing of weeds, both perennial and any existing annual weeds. If the area to be planted is particularly bad, it may well be a good idea to cover with cardboard, or a membrane for 12 months. You may not have the patience for this.
When planning your borders, you will no doubt be planting much smaller Hostas that won’t have the desired effect straight away. So why not start by planting closer than the recommended distance, to get a better coverage. They can always be moved the following year when the have grown some.
To help with the suppression of the weeds with Hostas, once planted, why not put down a shallow layer of bark or mulch as well. This will help as the Hosta grows.
Once a border has established you will see a great deal of foliage and you won’t see any of the ground where weed seeds can germinate. Then that’s great.
The above photo shows an area of garden planted with smaller Hosta, but the same benefits can be achieved by closer planting.
Hostas are a great weed suppressant in your garden and takes all the work out of eliminating weeds manually.
That’s not to say that some won’t get through, but it will be a lot easier than normal, and the border look full and lush.
A Hosta border planted with weed suppression in mind will always look great once established. If you are going to plant a border full of Hosta, don’t just do it so it looks good, put it to work and get rid of all your weeding to boot.
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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