Funkia , often also colloquially known as the Latin nameHosta , is a decorative perennial, valued for its beautiful leaves and the possibility of growing in shady, moist corners of the garden. Find out what it looks likegrowing funkii , get to know the most interestingfunkii varietiesfor planting in gardens and in pots on balconies and terraces, and see how easy it is funkii breedingin amateur cultivation conditions.
Funkia Siebolda - Hosta sieboldiana is a hardy and durable species,
recommended for beginner lovers of growing host
Funkieare plants that are very diverse - from giants, forming large clumps more than a meter high and looking great individually, to small dwarf varieties, which are not more than 10 cm high, perfect for containers or plantings in groups. Thanks to this diversity, they can decorate various gardens.
Funkia - cultivation, care
Funkieit is best to plant them in places sheltered from winds, on compact, slightly acidic soils (pH around 6.0). Most of thefunkiicultivars prefer moist and shady locations where their decorative leaves and beautiful flowers become an unusual attraction, especially since the choice of other plants that like such conditions is limited.
Particular shading is required forfunkiiwith leaves covered with a blue coating, because due to their blue tint, they are extremely susceptible to sunburn. It may seem that the bluish-tinged leaves of the funki will deepen the sense of gloom in a shadowy corner.However, it is very easy to avoid this effect - it is enough to plant plants with bright colors of flowers in the vicinity of the funkia, such as forest plant, tawułki or candlesticks. Funkies will create a perfect background for these plants.
Whengrowing funkiifollow these rules:
- Funkies require shady and damp positions. Water them abundantly, but preferably on cloudy days. You will avoid the sun's rays from burning the damp leaves.
- Funkie grows best in fertile and humus soils. Therefore, before planting the funkia, add compost or well-composted manure to the soil. Garden peat can also be added to the soil structure in which hostas are planted.
- In spring and summer, feed the plants with compound fertilizer. We give the last dose of fertilizer in July.
- The soil under the hostas should be mulched, which will prevent weeds from growing, help maintain the required soil moisture, and ensure an aesthetic appearance of the bed with fungi.Garden bark or gravel can be used as mulch. The leaves of the funkia look particularly attractive against the background of light grit.
Funkia - variants
The funkiivarieties differ in the shape, size and color of the leaves. Thanks to multi-colored varieties with brightly discolored or variegated leaves, you can light up every shady corner of the garden.
Wavy hosta - Hosta undulata <p
A play of lights can be created with funkia with leaves with bright edges, such as Shade Fanfare, the light green leaves of which have a cream border. Medium tallfunkie with variegated leavescan also be excellent ground cover plants. For the proper effect, we plant about 3 to 5 plants per 1 m². We will create a beautiful arrangement by combining compact clumps of funkia with ferns, grasses or tavels. On the other hand, varieties with leaves with clearly defined veins look great when planted at the edge of a garden pond."
"The owners of slightly sunnier beds do not have to give upfunkii cultivationThere are also funkii varieties that like a little sun, such as Gold Standard hosta, which only shows the beauty of bright yellow leaves with blue-green edges in the sun. Leaves of this variety will not be stained so decoratively in a shady spot. "
Funkia Fortune'a - Hosta fortunei
Decorated with ornamental patterns, funkia leaves are a perfect match for ceramic jugs, bowls and other containers. Among thevarieties of funkiiwe can also find those that, when planted in a pot, will perfectly decorate our balcony or terrace. The Honey Bell variety is suitable for sunny balconies. For owners of shady balconies, we recommend the Frances Williams variety with blue-green leaves with yellow edges. So that the substrate in the pot is not too wet, place a drainage layer made of gravel or ceramic shells at its bottom.Then we fill the pots with quite permeable, coarse soil. "
Funkia - reproduction
If we already have funkies in our garden, we can increase their numbers by multiplying by division. For this purpose, the plant should be dug up and one or more fragments should be removed or cut off, in such a way that each separated fragment has at least one leaf bud that will allow the separated plant to develop.
When it is possible to divide funkie?
The propagation of funkiiby division must be done in a timely manner. The division of the expanded funkia clumps should be done in late summer or early spring. Early spring is a good time when leaf buds start to grow above the ground. Then it is clear which funkies can be divided and how many new plants can be obtained from one clump.
Note!If we divide the plants in late summer (usually it is done from the end of August to the beginning of September), remember to cut all the leaves of the funkai seedlings obtained in this way at a height of about 10 cm.Thanks to this, the root ball damaged during division will be able to feed the above-ground (green) part more easily.
These plants can also be propagated from seeds, but then in most cases the features of the variety will not be repeated. Some gardenfunkiivarieties also do not produce seeds that can germinate. Therefore, a much more certain way ispropagation of funkiiby division.
However, if we decide topropagate funkiifrom seeds, then seeds from plants harvesting in the garden should be harvested in the fall, when the bolls dry up and start to crack. The seeds are sown in late autumn or early spring on seedbeds. To germinatefunkii seedsneed a temperature of 20-22 ° C and an even substrate moisture. The obtained seedlings are quilted into pots and planted in beds when they have 5 - 6 leaves each.
Funkia - diseases and pests
The bane of funkaa lovers may be snails that like the taste of the leaves of these plants.These are undoubtedly the most troublesomefunkii pestsIf in our garden plants are often gnawed by snails, it is worth choosing funkii varieties with thick, leathery leaf blades, which snails taste a little less. We should not water the plants in the evenings, because in this way we create favorable conditions for snails for feeding. A better time to water your funkia would be in the early morning. If these pests are very numerous, it is necessary to combat the slugs.
Diseases of the funkiimost often attacking these plants are leaf blotches, caused by fungi such as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Phyllosticta funkiae. When infested with leaf blotch, rusty spots appear on the infected host leaves, which turn brown over time. After a long time, the center of the spots becomes brighter and a cluster of fungal spores appears on it. The development of thisfunkii diseasecan be prevented by carefully raking the fallen leaves and removing plant debris left in the beds in the fall.It is also worth regularly weeding the ground under the hostas and avoid soaking the leaves during watering (watering directly on the ground). In the case of slight plant infection, the development of the disease will be limited by garlic preparations, such as Bioczos BR. When funkii leaf blotch infection is very strong, a fungicide should be used, eg Topsin M 500 SC. Spraying must be repeated after 7 - 14 days.
