Interesting you say that - I planted a very small Luna Moth this spring. Nearby I have a small Montana Aureomarginata which has been decimated by slugs and cutworms. The Luna Moth is completely untouched. I have been wondering why myself!

You got a very nice sized Luna Moth! Mine is in it's second year. It only had about 12 leaves last year.

Lunar Orbit is one of my favorites. It has a spot right in the front of the garden. Here's mine in it's second year, fully recovered from the frost damage.

Gesila

That is a very pretty hosta, your pine needles are a great contrast in color!

G

Thanks everyone for responding. Gesila your 'Luna Moth' and 'Lunar Orbit' are amazing. I love the sheen on your LM!!! What kind of light is it in?

Hi irawon-

The hybridizer/orginator of Lunar Orbit is Ran Lydell of Eagle Bay Gardens in Sheridan, New York (northern Chautauqua County). If you are still looking to purchase it, Eagle Bay might be an option.

In the same photo with the pine needles, I see a small Elijah Blue fescue in the upper left. I never thought of it as a companion plant for hosta, but it is super blue and lasts for at least a couple of years. The growth habit is quite different than hosta, so it could make a great edging if the liriope does not survive in your area.

I planted it up in Massachusetts about 3 years ago, and my DH tells me it is a bit ragged this year, but still around.

My Luna Moth is right on the dripline of the trees. It gets dappled shade most of the day and some afternoon sun.

Gesila

Whatever plant the adult insect lays her eggs on is the first one to be eaten when the young hatch. If the plant is big enough to feed them, there is no reason for them to migrate to the next plant. So one gets attacked but not a neighboring plant.

I just ordered Luna Moth this fall, don't have it yet. Beautiful pictures!

Sandy

Here's a picture of the original clump in Bill Meyer's garden. I love the colors on this one. Yours looks great, Ira.

Steve

Mine has only been here a couple years, but has been growing well and is one of the few hostas that has made it through the summer without insect or slug damage. And I love the colors, just as pretty as a real Luna Moth. Hadn't seen Lunar Orbit. Even though it's a lot like Paradigm and Brother Stephan, I think I "need" one.

What a surprise to see this thread resurface.

Gesila, I made a mistake. It was Gemini Moon that I had wanted but I like Lunar Orbit too. Now I have to add another cultivar to my wish list, lol.

Steve wny, thanks for the info but I live in Canada. The cost of buying hostas in the States is prohibitive because of the required testing at the border.

Moccasin, I have a lot of that Elijah Blue fescue as I've divided it for many years now. I use it as fillers everywhere. If I had taken the time this past spring to trim the grass in this photo back to two inches , it would look better. I also stretch the sun requirements for sedums. I like the blue foliage of sedum cauticola, which blooms in the fall.

Thanks for posting the original Luna Moth, Steve.

Oh yes, Ira, I see you have a lot of it.
If that is a sedum in the foreground with the last picture above, then it looks so lacy and beautiful, and gray-green sort of like artemisia. I have a great almost woody artemisia that I have grown for several years up in Massachusetts along with a sedum 'Autumn Joy'....down here in Alabama, I'm growing a similar artemisia 'Powis Castle' which I got from Plant Delights Nursery in N.C....it is doing okay, but I think it prefers a slightly shorter hot season.

Both the Elijah Blue fescue and the Powis Castle artemisia and your sedum cauticola all look great with blue hosta. I can feel an inspiration coming on! I'm thinking with all that white or glaucous coloration, they could do very well with hypoleuca and some others with bright white backs....plus, make a sort of white twilight planting along a walkway. Along with frosted blue conifers.

I'm fond of white flowers, variegated leaves, where there is a lot of deep shade or early darkness, since bright colors disappear in the deep shaded areas.

Moccasin, the plant in the foreground is yarrow 'Moonshine'. It has butter yellow flowers in early summer. I planted it here for it's foliage but the flowers complement the yellow in the row of hostas. It does well in full sunshine and is drought tolerant once established. It gets a minimum of sun in this section of the hosta bed in front of h. 'Wolverine'.

The sedum cauticola is the blue low growing plant with succulent leaves that I've alternated with the blue fescue and yellow Scotch grass along the little flagstone path running across this section of the hosta bed. Sedum 'Brilliant' also performs well in a bit of shade. I haven't tried 'Autumn Joy' in shade. I think it would become too floppy.

I like artemesia 'Powis Castle' but it isn't cold hardy in my zone. It might do better in less sun in your zone. If you like variegated leaves, have you seen the variegated lavender? It didn't survive our winter. I can post a picture if you like.

Many supposedly sun loving perennials do quite well in some shade. For example arabis (silver foliage and drought tolerant). I aquired a variegated variety (yellow and green) which looks good with hakonechloa grass ('Aureola' and "All Gold') and hostas. I would think that if sun loving perennials tolerate shade in my climate, they would tolerate more shade in yours.

I love the short flower scapes on that Luna Moth in the original clump.

Heck, it makes it possible to take a closeup picture of the plant to include the flowers. Such a tidy package.

Well, I guess I might have to create a WISH LIST 2013 after all.

Just got a Luna Moth. Beautiful Hosta, one of my favorites. It's still quite little, but it's healthy and really taking to where it's planted..

Don, did you get your Luna Moth from Hallson or NH?

Deb

I just ordered Luna Moth from Hallsons. My first mail order. I swore that I would not mail order. I lied:)

Deb,
New Hampshire Hostas is where I got my Luna Moth. That's why it would be quite little. LOL...It's OK, the roots on it are in great shape, nice and full. Plus, now I know about Hallson's Gardens. :)

Don B.