Audra Lowe: Need some exercise? Head back to the garden, it’s time to get going for next year and our expert is showing us how some little plants can go a long way in boosting your backyard beds.

James Baggett: Today we want to explore that the diminutive world of miniature hostas. I like to think of them as the plant world of Cleveland, to a litter of Beagle puppies.

In order to be classified as a miniature these hostas must be less than six inches in height, easy to grow and shade loving just like their largest size cousins, these little guys are guaranteed to steal your green heart.

Miniature hostas are perfect as border plants or when you need to fill a small space in the rock garden. Try grouping several miniature hostas in a bit of their very own. This creates the many worlds of hostas on a very small scale.

Texture with hostas are leafy answer to shade gardening dilemmas. Hostas range from these petite plants to bold three feet tall and wide monsters. Although hostas are grown primarily for the foliage, some have wonderfully fragrant and attractive flowers that can be cut for arrangements.

Hostas are the most popular perennial in the United States for good reasons. They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and textures. Colors range from pale green to deep blue green and many have attracted markings and white, yellow, or a pale shade of green.

Some leaves are very large, some are wavy, some smooth, some crinkly. The flowers are white or lavender bells that dangle from erect stems several feet tall.

Hostas are easy, vigorous plants that will thrive and park to full shade. They like rich moist, soil that needs good drainage in the winter. Slugs can be a problem especially when plants are emerging. Division is easy and best done in the spring.

As we said miniature hostas are great for the garden edge as a ground cover or as a container plant. Here we planted out the troth with Blue Mouse Ears, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Little Jay, cracker crumbs in Kimbolton.