Taking You Back with Hosta Blue Mouse Ears

Have a young one in your life? Have someone who yearns to be youthful, regardless of age? I might have the solution if you are wondering how to make them smile.

Crafting a smile-inspiring planter is as simple as cleaning out a home-from-school art box of old supplies. If crayons don’t transport us back in time, I am not sure what does. Even their smell conjures up memories of childhood. And if they can jazz up a container to hold a sweet mini plant like Hosta Blue Mouse Ears, the equation is complete.

Now truth be told, I know lots of great artwork can be created with crayons that are veritable nubs of their former selves. Why throw them away when they are still very usable, and why use them for anything other than creating art? Creating the right home for a cute little Hosta seems worthy of this upcycling. Using old crayons as part of an artsy little piece turns a basic container into something fun. Add Hosta Blue Mouse Ears or another mini Hosta variety, and start gazing or gifting… the choice is yours.

To surround a small glass custard cup that once held a store-bought dessert, I dug out crayons that had seen better days but still had lots of life in them. All the colors looked good against Hosta Blue Mouse Ears, so the main task was to find crayons of the right height to surround the container. The home-from-school art box was not lacking in choices. Throwing in a paper-covered oil pastel or two, I made my final selections.

I used hot glue to affix the paper-wrapped crayons to my container. My little glass custard cup was heat-tolerant, and I knew it. Were I to have selected a glass that could not handle the heat of the glue without cracking, I would have considered using a low-temp glue. More likely, I would have changed the container that would soon become home to my Hosta. And frankly, while I like to have children join me on different projects, I couldn’t wait to do this one myself.

Now, Hosta Blue Mouse Ears has been a favorite Hosta of mine for a while now. This little blue-green (there should be a crayon this color) Hosta with small, small leaves came up this spring with two little off-shoot plants, one of which eventually bloomed in the palest shade of lavender. I transplanted one baby Hosta back in the garden and kept one with the mother plant. Dusting off the roots of Hosta Blue Mouse Ears, I wished I had crafted a larger container. No bigger than a mouse above ground, my Hosta Blue Mouse Ears had roots that were a little larger than I had expected. But I went about the potting nonetheless, knowing how forgiving a Hosta typically is. Hosta Blue Mouse Ears would not mind its small-sized planter.

Hosta is, of course, generally planted outdoors. In the case of larger plants, they fill spaces beautifully. With the mini varieties like Hosta Blue Mouse Ears, gardeners create charming displays that beg for a closer look. But a Hosta can, without worry, be used as a houseplant. Now I cannot imagine anyone potting up a Humpback Whale or an Empress Wu Hosta. Who has the space? But the sweet Hosta Blue Mouse Ears is the perfect size for an indoor display. Be sure to add a few tiny pebbles to line the base of your container so that Hosta Blue Mouse Ears will not sit in water, and you’re good to go. With Sheet Moss plentiful around my home, I added a little of that to turn the top of the soil into bright and cheery turf.  I have done this with other houseplants, and the Moss takes hold and does well for a while but not indefinitely. Still, it was hard to resist adding it to this display.

I could suggest that my crayon-clad Hosta be used as a back-to-school gift. But summer is still in full swing, so let’s not think about that yet. I could suggest that it be used to acknowledge a special teacher. But again, let’s not rush the season. I could suggest giving it to someone long, long past the crayon stage and helping them to feel young again. But this particular Hosta Blue Mouse Ears, dressed in many colors beyond blue, is for me. I see the torn paper on the crayons, and I think of the pictures those crayons have drawn and the shapes they have colored. I smell the wax and am back in the classroom and young again.