We’ve been experimenting the last two or three years with growing hostas right in the streams that run into our ponds. We don’t generally think of hostas as aquatic plants, and one might think that hostas planted in a running stream would be getting
too much water. But they have done amazingly well, even in full sun. We planted some in the mud of the stream in the Hosta Ravine. They grow there like crazy and look fantastic.
To plant hostas in the rubber-lined streams running into our ponds, we took the hostas out of the pots, shook and washed off the potting soil from the roots, and planted them like we do any other aquatic plant by pulling back some gravel, placing the roots on the rubber liner, and pulling gravel or small stones around and over the roots. We planted them along the sides of the streams, rather than out in the middle of the running water. They grew well, taking nutrients from the pond water, thus helping to control algae in the streams and ponds.
In the winter, we shut down the streams, but the hostas overwinter fine right there in the gravel of the streams. We plan to experiment with a few hostas planted along the edges of the ponds. Those of you with ponds and/or streams might want to give this a try.