Hallson Gardens

You can’t have any idea what a convoluted discussion arose between us; trying to derive a ratio between compost and wood ash. First - do we estimate using the volume or the weight? Then - what about the moisture content? Then - he knows everything because he's the one who shovels the most. Top this ...

We have gone back and forth over whether to add our ashes from the wood stove into our compost pile. We heat entirely with wood and have LOTS of wood ash to dispose of. Any opinions?

Not only has your retirement taken a hit, your Elegans, Gold Standard and Albopicta's all have to look alike (notice their online photos).

I have used this site for years to establish a complete genealogy of our 700 cultivars of Hosta. Now the site has vanished and I cannot conveniently track the family relationships. Does anyone know anything about this site?

I'd love to see a db that was truly searchable. When you said . . . "if you are looking to FIND the cultivar name there is no direct way to weed out all the 'definite not matches' . . . you had me. I am definitely NOT a web-dweeb (or whatever you called yourself) but I would love to have it all in o...

Here is the status of my Sherborne Swift. It is now five weeks in the ground and the pictures below tell the whole story. The first picture is of a perfectly healthy plant in my garden. The second photo is of the hosta that the vole(s) tore into. It doesn't look very pretty, but at least most of the...

Our Guardian Angel also lays flat and it doesn't really show any seasonal color changes. It looks pretty much the same today as it did in May. We're close to Kansas City Missouri - about as close to the "middle" of the country as can be and it usually gets terribly hot and dry here in August. This y...

Thank you all for responding. I've had the clumps in water for about 3 days now and dug out my rooting compound today. I was planning on using the compound and introducing them back into the garden this weekend. I think I'll go looking for some wire, or netting or something to line the hole with als...

I just discovered that voles have eaten all the roots and crown(s) of my Sherborne Swift. Is it possible to "root" the remaining stubs? If so, what method would you recommend? I had many clumps but the one in the photo seems to have the most substance left. [ Sorry for the fuzzy photo -- I just can'...

As to which I prefer - I can't answer that question yet. We have four Climax hostas purchased in 07 and 08. I'm sure they haven't reached their full potential so am glad to hear that so many people seem to like them. So far they have gorgeous leaves and substance; they just seem sparse when compared...

I really dislike it when people try to "one up" me, so please don't take this that way. But - we have a 'Satisfaction' that I just "popped in" as you call it, and it too is WAY outgrowing expectations. We purchased it in 2005 so it isn't that old, but it's overshadowing a lovely Halcyon, a Paul's Gl...

To the "Hosta Designer" that responded to our sense of urgency: I feel as if I have received grief counseling, an intervention. The bane of becoming a hostaholic is that the health of our plants may be as important as our marriage. Suffice to say that virus X and nematodes have diminished our qualit...

Thanks for replying Chris. This is a typical example of what we are up against. I suppose this is the price we pay for entertaining non-indigenous species. Phil

Last year we dug about 80 hostas from a friend's garden and washed away the dirt from their roots, often using the same water. Yes, I know - - very stupid. They were immediately replanted in our gardens last July. Now this August many of these plants are showing the classic signs of Nematodes, mainl...

I have a Dream Queen with three sets of conjoining leaves. One conjoining "set" has four leaves growing together, while the other two appear to conjoin only two leaves. At first I thought those nasty spiders had glued the leaves together with those really dense webs, but no - these leaves grew toget...

It's too late for us to contribute to any of the "favorite" lists this year - but we have to submit photos of one of our most intriguing plants. We don't hear anything about it in popularity polls, nor in complaints. This plant just quietly goes about it's business with no fuss or worries. The slugs...

I agree with Chris & Alexa - your plant looks like an undulata. A Fire and Ice has more white in the center and it also has the leaf shape/form that reminds me of a flame. Thus - "Fire" in the name.

What's in a name? For this hosta we're finding conflicting results. Does this name include the "s" or not?

We got a 'Serendipity' from a friend last year. She said it loved wet, boggy conditions so that's where we placed it. So far so good.
ps: She also said that Undulata, Gold Standard and Blue Angel grow well under wet boggy conditions.

I emailed you one photo, meanwhile the rain has quit and I got a chance to get pictures with my camera settings adjusted. The larger dark green hosta shown behind (or next to) the smaller ones are what these plants looked like last year. Also, we've discovered one more similar aberration on the fars...