I’ve written before about the relentless march of the ferns that led me to relegate some of them to the backyard. I had to banish most of them because they nearly wiped out the Halcyon and Fire Island hostas. With its deep blue-green foliage, the Halcyon was reduced to only a few leaves that struggled to poke through the fern mesh. Fire Island has bright yellow-green leaves that turn almost golden in summer, and being a little farther away from the ferns, managed better. Both hostas are on the small side and help balance the towering presence of the neighboring Blue Angel and Drinking Gourd. Since the Halcyon and Fire Island were well-established when I planted the ferns, I assumed they could hold their own. Nope. Thus the harsh sentence for the ferns.
Removing the ferns did the trick! This year, both hostas have multiple leaves, and the Halcyon bloomed—twice!!! After fearing I had lost both, both are back.
All this fretting over two hostas may not strike you as a big deal, but it is for me. I did not find these hostas while browsing the local big box garden center. Over the course of a few days, I drove miles out of the city to two different hosta breeders to find them. I bought 15 hosta plants, and from that 15, I chose twelve for this space based on size, shape, and color. Each plant is there to provide a specific aesthetic contribution. I lost the Praying Hands hosta years ago (to the other hostas), but a second loss would be too much. Gardening can get personal—much more than you might think, and losses are hard to accept. For now, the ladies are back, and I can breate a little easier. I am eagerly awaiting Fire Island blooms and keeping a very close eye on the ferns.
