Equipping flower bed in garden, there are no problems with the choice of plants for well covered, solar sites, as a rule. And what to do with those sites where constantly shadow (from trees, bushes, fence)? It is not a lot of plants preferring the shaded sites. One of such plants has come to us from East Asia - it is host. This perennial plant with ordinary-looking flowers in the form of hand bells and leaves of surprising beauty. They are green, salad, bluish-gray, golden-yellow, almost white, spotty and striped.
In form the leaves are heart-shaped, round, narrow and long, big and small. Depending on grade of host can grow in type of huge fountain from foliage, and can be slightly noticeable bush. But any kind hosts will surely decorate your garden, creating charm and mystery of the far homeland.
The best time for landing the hosts are spring or fall. It is necessary to put before emergence of leaves on plant in the spring, and in the fall – at the beginning of September that before the onset of cold weather the plant has managed to take roots well. These ways of landing are suitable for reproduction by rhizomes. But the host can put also seeds. At such way of reproduction it is necessary to grow up seedling (in glasses or flowerpots). Further to make landing, as usual, in the spring or in the fall.
Choosing the place for landing hosts, it is necessary to consider some features of different types of this plant. So, hosts with green leaves prefer shadow, and with motley and light leaves need sunlight. Though during the heat them it is necessary pritenyat from direct sunshine.
The soil can be both sour, and alkaline, but surely easy, fertilized that well passed air. As roots hosts expand horizontally, the pole for landing has to be quite wide, and deep into - it is not less than 30 cm. The landing hole needs to be filled with mix from the compost earth, the rerotting manure, peat and sand.
Care for plant simple. As in the homeland hosts grow on coast of streams, the rivers, the humidity is necessary for them. Here regular watering is important, and in the evening bushes hosts can be irrigated from above on leaves. Loosening under bushes of plant should be carried out very carefully because roots are close to surface. And it is the best of all to use mulching instead of loosening. And moisture in the soil remains longer, and roots are not damaged.
Khosta is practically not exposed to any diseases, and here it has wreckers - it is slugs. They damage leaves why the plant becomes unattractive. Mulching will help to get rid of slugs. But it is necessary to mulch not peat, but small crushed stone, pounded shells or chips. On such caustic surface to slugs will uncomfortablly walk.