Just curious.
My obsession started with a request of a nursery/grower to find something that grew well in shade that was sort of new and he suggested I try hosta. There was a limited variety back then (late 70s).
The rest as they say is history ...
Helen
How did your hosta obsession start?
Moderators: ViolaAnn, redcrx, Chris_W
How did your hosta obsession start?
A day without laughter AND gardening is a day wasted ... oh ... and be kind to your children ... they will choose your nursing home!
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Nathalie23
- Posts: 1031
- Joined: Feb 17, 2006 10:08 pm
- Location: Quebec, Canada (zone 4) 46 25'/-72 35'
I like gardening since I was young. I was making a veggie garden with my brothers. I was helping my mother with the annuals (that's the only thing she had because perennials weren't very popular at this time). I started growing seed in my first appartment in 93. I begun to assist at horticultural conference a few years later. I even planted perennials at my appartment and won a price for my bed! Since I had my home (1999), I plant a lot of perennials. I also made a shade bed but with no much succes. I had only few hostas then. I think it's 3 years ago, while we went on a flower's trip 
with the horticultural society, we went to a garden at Sherbrooke 
There were hostas everywhere and they are so gorgeous. That's how is begin! 
with the horticultural society, we went to a garden at Sherbrooke There were hostas everywhere and they are so gorgeous. That's how is begin! Excellent idea, Helen. We haven't done this in a long time, and we have a lot of new members.
Mine is an 'old' story. I had an old cousin who lived down the road when I was a kid, grandma's first cousin. I used to walk down the road to visit her, back in the old days when a 4-year old could safely walk a half mile down a country road. She had an old planting of plantaginea in her back yard, but I had no idea what it was. I just remember sticking my nose into those wonderfully fragrant blossoms.
When we would take the big trip 15 miles in to town to visit my town grandma, I'd see them here and there in some of the old gardens around her house. Fast forward to the year I married my 'old' farmer (neither of us had yet reached our second decade!!!) and we moved into the little house on the old farm his parents ran; there was a row of those darn things again. After a year or so, MIL decided that they didn't bloom long enough to have a place in her yard, so she mowed them off.
I didn't know enough about them to know that I could have gone out and dug them up and moved them to my side of the yard. Many years passed by, and we moved several times. I made friends with someone from church who was also a gardener. Somewhere along the line in the 80's she and I began to discover hostas. DH was working on the farm we lived on, but we didn't own it so I didn't plant many perennials. Veggies, annuals...yes, but no hostas. We moved here to this old farmhouse in 1986 and the first hosta (lancifolia) came to live here a year later. The old farmhouse needed a lot of work, so the garden had to wait. I sent for a bunch of unlabeled hostas from Gurney Seed Co in 1988. In 1992 I really settled down to putting the garden together, and the hosta collecting started in earnest in the late 90's. Oddly enough, I didn't get the good old plantaginea until 5 or 6 years ago.
Linda P
Mine is an 'old' story. I had an old cousin who lived down the road when I was a kid, grandma's first cousin. I used to walk down the road to visit her, back in the old days when a 4-year old could safely walk a half mile down a country road. She had an old planting of plantaginea in her back yard, but I had no idea what it was. I just remember sticking my nose into those wonderfully fragrant blossoms.
When we would take the big trip 15 miles in to town to visit my town grandma, I'd see them here and there in some of the old gardens around her house. Fast forward to the year I married my 'old' farmer (neither of us had yet reached our second decade!!!) and we moved into the little house on the old farm his parents ran; there was a row of those darn things again. After a year or so, MIL decided that they didn't bloom long enough to have a place in her yard, so she mowed them off.
I didn't know enough about them to know that I could have gone out and dug them up and moved them to my side of the yard. Many years passed by, and we moved several times. I made friends with someone from church who was also a gardener. Somewhere along the line in the 80's she and I began to discover hostas. DH was working on the farm we lived on, but we didn't own it so I didn't plant many perennials. Veggies, annuals...yes, but no hostas. We moved here to this old farmhouse in 1986 and the first hosta (lancifolia) came to live here a year later. The old farmhouse needed a lot of work, so the garden had to wait. I sent for a bunch of unlabeled hostas from Gurney Seed Co in 1988. In 1992 I really settled down to putting the garden together, and the hosta collecting started in earnest in the late 90's. Oddly enough, I didn't get the good old plantaginea until 5 or 6 years ago. Linda P
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Latitude: 41° 51' 12.1572"
My Hosta List
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Latitude: 41° 51' 12.1572"
My Hosta List
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wishiwere
- Posts: 6029
- Joined: Jan 05, 2004 11:05 am
- USDA Zone: 5
- Location: Central Michigan
- Contact:
Well, let's see. When we bought this house back in 1987, I bought my first hosta, and I'm nearly positive it was 'Royal Standard'. Then I saw some really neat blue ones, that I just fell in love with, but I think those were the ones I've lost names of over the years and never really felt sure when I've had help ID'ing them. 
I've always loved hosta since then, but was busy raising kids, running the business and doing 'veggies' to put up and such. Life was happening...
Slowly I'd add more hosta, but never really got the 'Obsession' until about 2003 and starting looking for more varieties!
THEN!!!!!!!!! I found Hallson's and the forums and it's been uphill or downhill since then, depending on who you ask about that 'obsession'! 
I've always loved hosta since then, but was busy raising kids, running the business and doing 'veggies' to put up and such.
Life was happening...Slowly I'd add more hosta, but never really got the 'Obsession' until about 2003 and starting looking for more varieties!
THEN!!!!!!!!! I found Hallson's and the forums
and it's been uphill or downhill since then, depending on who you ask about that 'obsession'! Jane (from the middle of the Mitten state)
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
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Tigger
- Posts: 2727
- Joined: Oct 14, 2001 8:00 pm
- USDA Zone: 6b - 7a
- Location: SE Penna Zone 6b (7a?), lat. 39°50'
- Contact:
I'm not obsessed. 
Really, no. I garden with a lot of hostas. But witness that I've been doing so for about 15 years and have fewer than 150 varieties. That's more than enough, but of course I add some each year.
Still, I love 'em, and devote time outside the garden to their promotion, etc. (serving the local hosta society). It's the idea of focusing on the genus rather than obsessing about it.
The story as it starts (more or less) is on my Journal page. I can certainly relate to Linda's plantaginea story, though, as the house I grew up in had a nice planting of August Lilies. Even though my parents have moved three times since then, I still have some of that original stock (to share with siblings as needed).
Really, no. I garden with a lot of hostas. But witness that I've been doing so for about 15 years and have fewer than 150 varieties. That's more than enough, but of course I add some each year.
Still, I love 'em, and devote time outside the garden to their promotion, etc. (serving the local hosta society). It's the idea of focusing on the genus rather than obsessing about it.
The story as it starts (more or less) is on my Journal page. I can certainly relate to Linda's plantaginea story, though, as the house I grew up in had a nice planting of August Lilies. Even though my parents have moved three times since then, I still have some of that original stock (to share with siblings as needed).
This is fun! When I moved from the Bay Area to Kansas in 1986, I rented a little house in the oldest neighborhood in town. My neighbors were all elderly and they were so impressed when the big semi pulled up on their little street to unpack this young single woman's belongings. Evidently it was the most exciting thing to happen in the neighborhood in years!
They all treated me as their daughter. John who was about 76 then, would mow my lawn while I was at work. Even after I bought a lawn mower, I would find the lawn mowed! He gave me five 'August lilies' from his garden. He had brought them with him when he moved here with his new bride from Tennessee in the '40s.
I loved the neighborhood so much that I bought a house around the corner. I brought my 'August lilies' with me. My new house had a little clump of some green narrow leafed hosta I now know as lancifolia.
After many years of fighting the shade, I decided it would be more cost effective to buy colorful hosta than continue to plant impatiens. But when my Mom called me a collecter (with only 33 varieties in 2005), I denied it. Now with about 85 varieties, I've admited I've moved past the collector phase to the hostaholic phase.
And while the neighborhood has changed and I eventually got married (to a wonderful man who is now hosta'd out), John was the consistant staple. He died in 2005 at 97 years and his wife Lavinia just passed about 6 weeks ago. I sure do miss them and will always have my 'August lilies' to remember them by.
Karen
They all treated me as their daughter. John who was about 76 then, would mow my lawn while I was at work. Even after I bought a lawn mower, I would find the lawn mowed! He gave me five 'August lilies' from his garden. He had brought them with him when he moved here with his new bride from Tennessee in the '40s.
I loved the neighborhood so much that I bought a house around the corner. I brought my 'August lilies' with me. My new house had a little clump of some green narrow leafed hosta I now know as lancifolia.
After many years of fighting the shade, I decided it would be more cost effective to buy colorful hosta than continue to plant impatiens. But when my Mom called me a collecter (with only 33 varieties in 2005), I denied it. Now with about 85 varieties, I've admited I've moved past the collector phase to the hostaholic phase.
And while the neighborhood has changed and I eventually got married (to a wonderful man who is now hosta'd out), John was the consistant staple. He died in 2005 at 97 years and his wife Lavinia just passed about 6 weeks ago. I sure do miss them and will always have my 'August lilies' to remember them by.
Karen
This is great! I'm enjoying reading everyone's story.
My mother grew Lancifolia in Chicago when I was a child. I think we called it the big, green, leafy plant. She brought it with her when we moved to the suburbs in 1970.
I got married and DH and I bought a house in 1977. My mom gave me a piece of Lancifolia. Later my DMIL's neighbor gave me some Undulata univittatas. At least, I think that's what they are. Those are the hostas I grew in my small yard. We only had one big tree along the street and the roots were too big to grow anything under it.
We moved to Indiana in 1991 and I brought pieces of my hostas with me. Our lot has lots of Oak trees. The first few years we lived here, I found a couple of collections of hostas from Breck's and bought them. I also bought a few from Van Bourgondien. I was happy. I loved my little hosta beds. I wanted more but I didn't know where to find them.
Then came the internet. The kids were growing up and I had more free time. I started searching for hostas. I found The Hosta Library and then I joined Garden Web. I was a little hesitant to order hostas online from an unknown company. Garden Web just happened to have a list of The Best Online Hosta Nurseries. This was the best thing since sliced bread! I believe Hallson's was number two and I decided to order from them because they were close by in Michigan. I placed my first order in July of 2002. I didn't even know about the forum yet. I found out about it shortly after and lurked for the rest of the summer. I had around 12 different hostas before that first order.
My mother grew Lancifolia in Chicago when I was a child. I think we called it the big, green, leafy plant. She brought it with her when we moved to the suburbs in 1970.
I got married and DH and I bought a house in 1977. My mom gave me a piece of Lancifolia. Later my DMIL's neighbor gave me some Undulata univittatas. At least, I think that's what they are. Those are the hostas I grew in my small yard. We only had one big tree along the street and the roots were too big to grow anything under it.
We moved to Indiana in 1991 and I brought pieces of my hostas with me. Our lot has lots of Oak trees. The first few years we lived here, I found a couple of collections of hostas from Breck's and bought them. I also bought a few from Van Bourgondien. I was happy. I loved my little hosta beds. I wanted more but I didn't know where to find them.
Then came the internet. The kids were growing up and I had more free time. I started searching for hostas. I found The Hosta Library and then I joined Garden Web. I was a little hesitant to order hostas online from an unknown company. Garden Web just happened to have a list of The Best Online Hosta Nurseries. This was the best thing since sliced bread! I believe Hallson's was number two and I decided to order from them because they were close by in Michigan. I placed my first order in July of 2002. I didn't even know about the forum yet. I found out about it shortly after and lurked for the rest of the summer. I had around 12 different hostas before that first order.
Pat
My Hosta List
Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.
~ Walt Whitman
My Hosta List
Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.
~ Walt Whitman
oooooooo...lemme see. The yard I lived in has some plain erromena in it. Very shady place with loads of oak trees. My oldest son was set to graduate in 1999, so that winter I began looking for some shady plants to spruce up the place. First place I stumbled upon was over in Iowa and I no longer remember the name, may not be in business anymore. I was amazed at how many different type hostas they had! Then by accident I stumbled across Mary Chastains website and drooled til I had to get a new keyboard! 
Really couldn't afford her hostas at the time and the search resumed. Then I ran into the hostalibrary somehow and sat in shock over the vast numbers of different plants that were around. Seems like Patriot was the hot one at the time. Since that time, I've been a hostaholic and there is no 12 step program for it, believe me!
Got my first plantaginea's just a couple years ago when someone committed hostacide and I rescued them. Gads, the fragrance is incredible! Love my babies!
mooie
Really couldn't afford her hostas at the time and the search resumed. Then I ran into the hostalibrary somehow and sat in shock over the vast numbers of different plants that were around. Seems like Patriot was the hot one at the time. Since that time, I've been a hostaholic and there is no 12 step program for it, believe me! Got my first plantaginea's just a couple years ago when someone committed hostacide and I rescued them. Gads, the fragrance is incredible! Love my babies!
mooie
- Attachments
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~Imagine~
Well I didn't like those ugly green-white plants 10 years ago, but started to appreciate them getting older (25 
)...
In my first house, I placed 5 standard hostas (Frances Williams, Lancifolia, Francee, Elegans and ?) because that was about all that was available in the average nursery. I liked them so I was completely hooked ...
I bought a new house 4 years ago, and working abroad (3 days a week) I didn't have a lot of time to manage the garden. But after 3 years, I returned working in Belgium, so the garden has been arranged last year. I searched for about 5-6 hosta, but I wanted nicer ones than the ones I had before (because I saw some verry pretty onces in a garden book), so I started looking in the internet... there were obviously too much plants to chose from, and being selective isn't my forte at all. Went to a local Hosta-nursery and bought way too many plants
So before the end of last year I had 40 varieties
And this year, after seeing the garden of Jeroen, I was confident I could add some more plants, so I have in the mean time 101 different plants. I decided that I will stop at 111 plants next year, because I'm thinking of another project to focus my hosta passion next year
The funny part is that hosta aren't way less popular in Europe than in the states, but the few specialists hosta nurseries do have a truly amazing offering (the one I know offer in between 600 and 1200 different species). On top of that, there are several important collectors that live at 1-2 hours driving form here, so getting what I want has succeeded rather well
sugar
)...In my first house, I placed 5 standard hostas (Frances Williams, Lancifolia, Francee, Elegans and ?) because that was about all that was available in the average nursery. I liked them so I was completely hooked ...
I bought a new house 4 years ago, and working abroad (3 days a week) I didn't have a lot of time to manage the garden. But after 3 years, I returned working in Belgium, so the garden has been arranged last year. I searched for about 5-6 hosta, but I wanted nicer ones than the ones I had before (because I saw some verry pretty onces in a garden book), so I started looking in the internet... there were obviously too much plants to chose from, and being selective isn't my forte at all. Went to a local Hosta-nursery and bought way too many plants
So before the end of last year I had 40 varieties
And this year, after seeing the garden of Jeroen, I was confident I could add some more plants, so I have in the mean time 101 different plants. I decided that I will stop at 111 plants next year
, because I'm thinking of another project to focus my hosta passion next yearThe funny part is that hosta aren't way less popular in Europe than in the states, but the few specialists hosta nurseries do have a truly amazing offering (the one I know offer in between 600 and 1200 different species). On top of that, there are several important collectors that live at 1-2 hours driving form here, so getting what I want has succeeded rather well
sugar
A Hosta a Day :http://hostatalk.blogspot.com/
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Pieter
- Posts: 875
- Joined: May 16, 2006 9:18 am
- Location: Richmond, BC @ 49°07'49.30 N Elevation: 8ft
- Contact:
Where do I begin....One of the first Hostas I received was a clump of what I now know is Hyacinthina from my youngest brother. And I'll bet that was 15 years ago. It grew quite nicely, was spread to other shady corners of our yard and were eventually joined by Golden Tiara and Albo Marginata, as well as Groundmaster. Things stayed that way until about 5 or 6 years ago when I became more intrigued by the genus and discovered there were fragrant varieties. WHAT A CONCEPT. Both my wife and I are rather fond of fragrance in the garden and the idea of being able to have something other than OT lilies for fragrance certainly appealed to me.
One spring day in 2001 I found myself up the Fraser Valley, getting my car serviced, and while there I paid a visit to a nursery that since has gone completely wholesale. There I spotted 2 fragrant varieties: So Sweet and Fragrant Blue. That was the beginning of the end in most respects because I now found myself looking for whatever excuse to visit all local retail nurseries to see what varieties of Hostas they offered. It's fine and dandy to see pictures, but there's nothing like being able to see and feel the plant.
The six varieties we now had were coming along nicely and GT in particular spread rapidly throughout the garden. Then in June of 2004 we shopped at the Van Dusen Gardens spring sale, one of their major fundraisers. and the collection grew with the addition of June, Cherry Berry and Minute Man. CB languished and never came back the following year, but J and MM have done well, with MM by far the more vigorous one.
The following year, 2005 that would be, I succumbed to the attractive pricing of bagged bare root Hostas @ Costco and that is when all hell broke loose. In 2006 I purchased some more, only to find major issues with HVX in that year's purchases. It's easy enough to return them to Costco for a refund, but there is a larger issue at stake here and I was less then pleased with the response I got from their plant buyer with respect to this matter. While these days I still keep an eye on those, I have become much more discriminating and have found a local nursery that periodically has some of the less common cultivars.
By the end of last year I had somewhere close to 30 varieties and I took the first steps this year towards trading with others with the same affliction. While that will stay limited to just my fellow Canucks, it has allowed me to expand my collection through a swap/trade by 5 and then as part of the Summer Secret Trade my benefactor blessed me with another 8, so that now I'm well over 40 in terms of known varieties, some of which I feel very fortunate to own since they appear to be quite uncommon, plus I have started to grow from seed I have no doubt I'll do this again next year, it's fun, and educational, to make contact with total strangers and make them Hosta buddies! In addition I have dabbled in Rossizing, as well as the more conventional means of dividing of course.
If you hadn't guessed by now, I'm hopelessly HOOKED! And I enjoy it every time I gaze at my assembled multitude and count my blessings and good fortune that some have come from fellow Hostaphiliacs! We all are such a wonderful group of enablers, aren't we?!?
One spring day in 2001 I found myself up the Fraser Valley, getting my car serviced, and while there I paid a visit to a nursery that since has gone completely wholesale. There I spotted 2 fragrant varieties: So Sweet and Fragrant Blue. That was the beginning of the end in most respects because I now found myself looking for whatever excuse to visit all local retail nurseries to see what varieties of Hostas they offered. It's fine and dandy to see pictures, but there's nothing like being able to see and feel the plant.
The six varieties we now had were coming along nicely and GT in particular spread rapidly throughout the garden. Then in June of 2004 we shopped at the Van Dusen Gardens spring sale, one of their major fundraisers. and the collection grew with the addition of June, Cherry Berry and Minute Man. CB languished and never came back the following year, but J and MM have done well, with MM by far the more vigorous one.
The following year, 2005 that would be, I succumbed to the attractive pricing of bagged bare root Hostas @ Costco and that is when all hell broke loose. In 2006 I purchased some more, only to find major issues with HVX in that year's purchases. It's easy enough to return them to Costco for a refund, but there is a larger issue at stake here and I was less then pleased with the response I got from their plant buyer with respect to this matter. While these days I still keep an eye on those, I have become much more discriminating and have found a local nursery that periodically has some of the less common cultivars.
By the end of last year I had somewhere close to 30 varieties and I took the first steps this year towards trading with others with the same affliction. While that will stay limited to just my fellow Canucks, it has allowed me to expand my collection through a swap/trade by 5 and then as part of the Summer Secret Trade my benefactor blessed me with another 8, so that now I'm well over 40 in terms of known varieties, some of which I feel very fortunate to own since they appear to be quite uncommon, plus I have started to grow from seed
I have no doubt I'll do this again next year, it's fun, and educational, to make contact with total strangers and make them Hosta buddies! In addition I have dabbled in Rossizing, as well as the more conventional means of dividing of course.If you hadn't guessed by now, I'm hopelessly HOOKED! And I enjoy it every time I gaze at my assembled multitude and count my blessings and good fortune that some have come from fellow Hostaphiliacs! We all are such a wonderful group of enablers, aren't we?!?
May the 4. 1995
drove to see a light show at the west sea celebrating 50 years after WW2.. on a roadside I saw a funkia... oh it could be fun to have such a granny plant in the garden sp my firs hosta went to the car, it was an Elegans. During the summer I found the rest of them and had a full colletion of hostas.. the blue one, the green with yellow edge and with white edge and undulata unnivita and the green ones
Then to my big surprise I saw 2 new hostas 10 years ago h. Royal Standard and Halcyon (not) bought them home and looked for more, but could not find any after a year I found Guacamole and then one winthe day I typed hosta in Google ... 3.500 different hostas
The seach got serious
Now I have a too tiny garden and too many hostas
Sugar... want to see your garden with 111 mature hostas
Pia
drove to see a light show at the west sea celebrating 50 years after WW2.. on a roadside I saw a funkia... oh it could be fun to have such a granny plant in the garden sp my firs hosta went to the car, it was an Elegans. During the summer I found the rest of them and had a full colletion of hostas.. the blue one, the green with yellow edge and with white edge and undulata unnivita and the green ones
Then to my big surprise I saw 2 new hostas 10 years ago h. Royal Standard and Halcyon (not) bought them home and looked for more, but could not find any
after a year I found Guacamole and then one winthe day I typed hosta in Google ... 3.500 different hostas The seach got serious
Now I have a too tiny garden and too many hostas
Sugar... want to see your garden with 111 mature hostas
Pia
Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
E-mail for pics hostapics@gmail.com
E-mail for pics hostapics@gmail.com
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nanny_56
- Posts: 3202
- Joined: Jul 01, 2006 5:07 pm
- USDA Zone: 5b
- Location: Putnam County, Indiana Lat. 39* 45' 54.2892" Long. -86* 41' 55.9284''
Summer 2006, when I found Hallson's!!!
I had perennials, but was searching for new ideas, so I was searching the net for gardening forums. Had found a few, but only couple where I felt comfortable joining in. They all seemed so 'cliquish'. One day I somehow stumbled here. I lurked for awhile and decided you all seemed genuinely nice and friendly.
OC with his liliy and bird photos, Ed with his dayliles, and this crazy LucyGoose with her sense of humor drew me in. I also liked it that Chris and Brian joined in. Not some mysterious guys who run the show but you never hear from.
DH and I always liked hostas but had never seen anything 'WOW' about what we saw.
Then it happened!!!!!! I saw all your beautiful hostas. There was more than green & white or all green. There are blues, golds, yellows!!!!!! Even different all green ones and green & whites ones that are 'WOW'!!!!!!
I will never be able to have all of them I would like, but I feel up to the challenge of getting all of them that I possibly can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am forever a changed woman, and I thank you (not sure dh does though
)
I had perennials, but was searching for new ideas, so I was searching the net for gardening forums. Had found a few, but only couple where I felt comfortable joining in. They all seemed so 'cliquish'. One day I somehow stumbled here. I lurked for awhile and decided you all seemed genuinely nice and friendly.
OC with his liliy and bird photos, Ed with his dayliles, and this crazy LucyGoose with her sense of humor drew me in. I also liked it that Chris and Brian joined in. Not some mysterious guys who run the show but you never hear from.
DH and I always liked hostas but had never seen anything 'WOW' about what we saw.
Then it happened!!!!!! I saw all your beautiful hostas. There was more than green & white or all green. There are blues, golds, yellows!!!!!! Even different all green ones and green & whites ones that are 'WOW'!!!!!!
I will never be able to have all of them I would like, but I feel up to the challenge of getting all of them that I possibly can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am forever a changed woman, and I thank you (not sure dh does though
) Claudia
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest" - John Muir
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest" - John Muir
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HostaDesigner
- Posts: 750
- Joined: May 15, 2006 3:29 pm
- Location: Niles, MI
Nearly fired on the spot
Well, my obsession happened by accident. I was 16 and I started working for a local wholesale nursery. It started with basic potting, pruning , and cuttings. On my first day, I was asked to condense a group of about 400 "hostas" so they weren't spaced so far apart. I had no idea what a "hosta" was. Little did I know, there was an unlabeled grouping of about 100 on the end of the 100ft row that were all separated into smaller groups. So I figured that if it had a yellow margin vs. a white one, it was simply younger. If it was all green (regardless of the strange differences in leaf shape), they were the same plant. I mixed them all up and moved them together. About an hour later, the owner came out to check my work. There was a brief pause as he looked onward. Suddenly, he threw his hat to the ground shouting, "SH*T!!" He wasn't familiar with the 100 or so rarer varieties in that bunch either. He had spent years separating them as they grew larger. OOOPS! I had a now-found respect for them from that point on. Respect grew to interest, Interest grew to appreciation, Then came obsession.... Now, 15 years later, if he has a hosta question, he comes to ME for answers.
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Arlene
- Posts: 306
- Joined: Oct 19, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: formerly Northern Indiana, now mid-Tennessee
- Contact:
I know it gets ugly, but Undulata has earned a place in my garden and my heart because it was my first hosta.
On our daily walk, my friend Carol and I passed a burn pile. On the top were several plants, upside down, with dry roots waving in the air. The plants themselves were trying desperately to grow "up." We stopped to look, and I decided that any plant that determined to grow deserved a second chance. I drove back later and rescued them. The "wrong way" leaves made them challenging to plant, but (of course) many survived, and 15+ years later I still have a few of them. I tend to move them around to fill empty spots.
Then I found two "big blue ones" at a landscaper . . . one was Ryan's Big One and the other was labeled Sieboldiana "Curled" -- I suspect it's just Elegans mislabeled. In any case, they were so big and so blue and so beautiful - and they stayed nice through the summer, unlike Undulata - and the chase was on.
When I met a wholesaler who sells mature, field-grown hostas at a local flea market, I began acquiring more varieties, and for years did "hosta rescue" at the box stores - I no longer do that, of course - and then found the GW forums, which led me to my favorite place, right here.
I'll be moving all my hostas -- including those "mature, field-grown" ones to Tennessee in April.
On our daily walk, my friend Carol and I passed a burn pile. On the top were several plants, upside down, with dry roots waving in the air. The plants themselves were trying desperately to grow "up." We stopped to look, and I decided that any plant that determined to grow deserved a second chance. I drove back later and rescued them. The "wrong way" leaves made them challenging to plant, but (of course) many survived, and 15+ years later I still have a few of them. I tend to move them around to fill empty spots.
Then I found two "big blue ones" at a landscaper . . . one was Ryan's Big One and the other was labeled Sieboldiana "Curled" -- I suspect it's just Elegans mislabeled. In any case, they were so big and so blue and so beautiful - and they stayed nice through the summer, unlike Undulata - and the chase was on.
When I met a wholesaler who sells mature, field-grown hostas at a local flea market, I began acquiring more varieties, and for years did "hosta rescue" at the box stores - I no longer do that, of course - and then found the GW forums, which led me to my favorite place, right here.
I'll be moving all my hostas -- including those "mature, field-grown" ones to Tennessee in April.
Pia, 50% of my hostas are small or mini, most of the others are mini. And I have about 100 m² of space to fill...thy wrote:
Sugar... want to see your garden with 111 mature hostas
Pia
I've visited gardens with a much higher hosta/m² ratio
A Hosta a Day :http://hostatalk.blogspot.com/
Have you ever seen Hank, Rod, Linda or Hangara try to tell me the difference between inch and centimeters
Didnt help much indeed, but they tried
A small one can fill up 70 cm and I am pretty sure you have some mediums or at least small/mediums
Enjoy them... for me, most of the fun is growing them big and beautiful ... and keeping a few
Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
E-mail for pics hostapics@gmail.com
E-mail for pics hostapics@gmail.com
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eastwood2007
- Posts: 3517
- Joined: Jan 25, 2007 12:51 pm
- Location: kansas, usa zone 5b
Let's see...to answer the question, "how did your hosta obsession begin?"....
slowly at first, then it ran over me like a steamroller!
I had seen a few, then I briefly worked at a garden center in 2000 where they specialized in hostas. I was still okay until I found the Hosta Library in 2004. That's what pushed me over the edge!!!! Seeing pictures of all those beautiful hostas! And there's hundreds of them, no, thousands!! Oh, dear...I want that one and that one and that one!
Then finally I got to the forum and especially after all the POTD's and everyone sharing their least/most favorite, I have slowed down a little and am a little more selective...now instead of buying every cheap hosta I can find to collect them all...I am more selective. Now I am spending $50 and up for the streaked ones!!!!!!!!!
Just kidding about that! I'm lovin' every minute of it!
(great thread...thanks for askin' )
slowly at first, then it ran over me like a steamroller!
I had seen a few, then I briefly worked at a garden center in 2000 where they specialized in hostas. I was still okay until I found the Hosta Library in 2004. That's what pushed me over the edge!!!!
Seeing pictures of all those beautiful hostas! And there's hundreds of them, no, thousands!! Oh, dear...I want that one and that one and that one!Then finally I got to the forum and especially after all the POTD's and everyone sharing their least/most favorite, I have slowed down a little and am a little more selective...now instead of buying every cheap hosta I can find to collect them all...I am more selective. Now I am spending $50 and up for the streaked ones!!!!!!!!!
Just kidding about
that! I'm lovin' every minute of it!(great thread...thanks for askin'
)Charla
Latitude 38.57N; Longitude -94.89W (Elev. 886 ft.)
Latitude 38.57N; Longitude -94.89W (Elev. 886 ft.)
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fenceberry
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Sep 03, 2005 10:22 pm
- Location: Omaha, NE
I've always loved gardening and have done something almost everywhere I lived. When we bought our first home, a townhome/condo, I had a tiny yard so looked for interesting things to tuck in among the standard plantings that came with the place. I went to Walmart and saw those boxes with roots in them (yeah I know, dumb dumb dumb). I took two home and put them in small pots on my front step. The first year, I had about one eye per pot of 'Honeybells". They were sort of floppy and not very impressive. The second year, I planted them in the ground as I wasn't impressed from the previous year...unsuspecting. I was amazed at how much they grew, I had about 8 eyes that year and they were three times as tall! This was a sm-a-ll bed, so I divided some and gave them to the neighbors. Year three they just about exploded, and I divided again. Then we sold the house, lol!
When I moved, I made a decision to buy more of those things and bought Sagae and a couple of others. I've been in love ever since. I must say that this year is the first year I've really noticed the scent on my fragrant hostas. My nose isn't very perceptive, but I've made a point of checking them all out and been glad for it.
Laura
When I moved, I made a decision to buy more of those things and bought Sagae and a couple of others. I've been in love ever since. I must say that this year is the first year I've really noticed the scent on my fragrant hostas. My nose isn't very perceptive, but I've made a point of checking them all out and been glad for it.
Laura
Hi Helen!!
I used to be just a perennial and rose girl when I first joined here....took about 2 years, give or take....went up to Chris and Brian's one time in May....I used to go on my birthday in May.....Brian wanted to show me the hosta's and I tole him i didn't like them.... .....that is just about what Brian did..... .. 
.. ....then for whatever reason, I started to come the hosta forum....I never visited before.....and then the rest in history.....
I used to be just a perennial and rose girl when I first joined here....took about 2 years, give or take....went up to Chris and Brian's one time in May....I used to go on my birthday in May.....Brian wanted to show me the hosta's and I tole him i didn't like them....
.....that is just about what Brian did..... .. .. ....then for whatever reason, I started to come the hosta forum....I never visited before.....and then the rest in history.....