'Sagae' is the mainstay of shade gardens. It can be mixed with other perennials in shady borders or placed in woodland gardens. Other planting possibilities include use as an edging plant, mass for a showy ground cover or put it to work as an excellent background specimen. Many of our home gardens have a focal point, very often a statue, sundial, pergola, seat, stones or other ornaments. In my hosta garden it is several large pieces of limestone and a delicate birdbath. These special features should not stand out; but needs plantings to soften them and to help integrate them into the garden. Hostas play an important role here, because 'Sagae' has such beautiful and often very large leaves, it is also excellent for hiding the base of a decorative structure or object.

Hostas are beautiful herbaceous perennial plants with a great diversity of leaf shape, color and size. They are primarily shade-loving and low maintenance. Hostas have basically eight different leaf shapes. Hostas come in the typical greens, blues, yellows as well as a myriad of other variations. They may range from a petite few inches in size to enormous masses. This gives gardeners tremendous scope in design.

The hosta collection at the Arboretum takes advantage of the shady hillside along the west boundary. Here you can view and enjoy over 200 cultivars of the ever popular genus Hosta. Because the hostas are maintained and labeled, the collection has earned the coveted American Hosta Society designation in 2004 as an official AHS Display Garden. A stroll through this lovely shaded area is a treat that inspires visitors to become enthused about growing this perennial in their home gardens.