Hostas — Chicago-style verdure

"I shall soon be rested," said Fanny; "to sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment."

— Jane Austen's Mansfield Park

Gardening in Chicago requires one to come to terms with shade. And shade in Chicago means hostas.

I'm not sure what this green-and-white variety of hosta is called, possibly 'Kenzie' or 'Earth angel,' but it might as well be called hosta 'Chicago.' This is the shade plant of choice on narrow, tree-lined streets and in the slivers of garden beds tucked between houses standing just a few feet apart.

The ubiquity of hosta 'Chicago' is a wee bit tiresome. And the hosta hedge — the crowded straight line of hostas — doesn't do anything for me. But I completely understand the appeal, because not only do they favor shade, but also they propagate quickly and tolerate a great deal of neglect.

When we bought our house, the side garden had nothing but lots of hosta 'Chicago.' So I've been learning how to live with them. As I've added things to this garden, I've used it as the hosta nursery for the rest of the shady places.

A few years ago, I read an article in Fine Gardening in which the author recommended that hostas look best when you plant a mix of sizes and colors. I'm not sure why I didn't figure that out myself. Anyway, I finally bought a variety with large, heavy, solid green leaves.

My real find, however, was a blue variety. I bought three plants at an annual plant sale held by a local garden club to support the volunteer gardening program at nearby Indian Boundary Park, which we love and frequent.

This is the third season of dividing and shuffling the new hostas about. In the front garden, they are mixed with ferns, astilbe, and a dwarf red-twig dogwood shrub.

And for the first time this spring, I moved some of these varieties into the hosta nursery in the side garden. The hostas on the side are mixed with ferns, bleeding hearts, and painter's pallet.

Of course, this now means I am well on my way down the garden path of always needing more hostas . I'm thinking 'Blue Mouse Ears' and 'White Feathers,' both of which look pretty much as they sound.

And now a confession: One might conclude from the quotation that I love Mansfield Park, but it's not so — and not for a lack of trying. I read it the first time in grad school during the quarter from hell. Thinking that quarter might have clouded my judgment, I read it again a few years later. Meh. 

After reading a biography of Jane Austen, I decided I should read it one more time. I think I simply prefer my Austen heroines a bit more flawed than Fanny Price. But I do welcome her appreciation of verdure.