Where is everybody at?

[allhuskrred]

Last year at this time I would get on Hallson's and I could read anywhere between 6 and 10 posts a day but now it seems like a ghost town ,
Where is everybody at, Taking a break from hosta, Taking a break from a busy last year ,come on wake up, spring is here, pretty soon we will start seeing eyes poking around the corner and I sure enjoy seeing all your wonderful pictures and hearing about all your wonderful stories, Come on please get those fabulous fingers excercised, we have a lot more stories to tell

Thanks Chris for having this forum so we all have something to do .

and thank you all, Allen

[R. Rock]

Hi!
I am not sure, just getting aquainted with how all this works, and what to expect? I like your enthusiasm.

[hookedonhostas]

Well I'm happy to know that things are "usually" more exciting around here. I have just joined and thought it was rather quiet for this time of the year. I'm looking forward to gaining some hosta knowledge, and to see if there are any other Canadian hostaholics out there!

[Hosta-Haven]

Well I spent 3 hrs outside cleaning up my flower beds. Lots of perennials and bulbs popping up which I didn't know about until I removed the tree leaves I had piled on my beds to protect them. It was 61 degrees here in Wisconsin today!

Also putting out garden statues and ornaments. Far too early to clean up hosta beds...I'm afraid they'll break dormancy and get hammered by a late spring frost. Mine don't usually start poking up until mid-April here

[Chris_W]

I think that is what most of us are doing right now - cleaning up and finally enjoying some warm weather

Cowboy recently shared several great topics showing us how some of his plants have progressed over the years, so be sure to check those out if you haven't already. Personally I have been extra busy, but with the hosta beds still slightly frozen it will still be a while before I have much else to report in the garden other than cleaning from last year.

And welcome hooked on hostas!

Chris

[Lessadragon]

Allen, I too have been wondering where everyone is and why they are so quiet. I know that I have been really busy this year. I have been lurking though and adding a comment here and there. The last few days we have been busy doing some clean-up around here. We are starting to get ready for opening day. It is less than 2 months away and we already have lots of tours booked, so we are really in pre-panic sort of mode here. I love this time of year!!! And of course, Hosta College is this weekend and I am so pumped! I can't wait. I'm not looking forward to the long drive alone, but it will be worth it!

Welcome hookedonhostas. It's always nice to have a fellow Canuk on board! Glad you found us. Where abouts do you hail from?

Lynn

[hookedonhostas]

All this reading about eyes popping up, raking, spring cleaning, well its like pouring salt into an open wound I live north of Toronto about 2 hours and our lawns are still white. It isn't uncommon for us to get snow on May 24th weekend, so Hosta season is a short season compared to others on here. So, for now I sit and read about it all, knowing my time will come soon, maybe, hopefully. Right now I'm sourcing places to go for a day trip. I have had no choice but to purchase many of my Hostas mail order as there just isn't any Hosta places in the Muskokas other then the box stores and they scare me,so this year I'm taking on the road. I am new on here and a little unclear of the forum rules, can I ask where people shop? I want to pick put my own Hostas this year! ! ! Should I start a new thread as I'm looking Canadian only, seems like such a hassle to bring in from the US which is too bad! So if you could please advise I would greatly appreciate it.
The calendar says 4 days til spring, but my yard says another 6 weeks

[steg]

I'm here too!!!!! Been outside getting things ready. Finally got mulch put down over the weekend. I'm guessing we'll have a late frost as usual and am hoping this will help. Haven't seen any "eyes" yet. Some sedum coming up though. Unfortunately we didn't get enough mulch last weekend and will be doing more this weekend. Oh well. Spring is coming, sooner or later.

[Linda P]

Welcome, hookedonhostas! I know the best place to mail order hostas is Hallson Gardens. Can't remember, though, Chris, do you ship to Canada?
It has been really slow here of late. I've not been contributing much either, busy trying to rehab a frozen shoulder, along with my regular duties of looking after my aging dad/stepmom, mother-in-law, etc. I was able to work outside for a while yesterday, not as long as I'd have liked due to the unco-operative shoulder, but it felt good to do something!
I'll try to blow some of this warmth up your way. I know this is an anomaly, and we'll get back to reality soon, so I'm not touching the hosta beds yet.
I finally saw snowdrops yesterday. I looked for them in the morning when I first went out, nothing there at all. Worked for a couple hours, went in for lunch, and when I went back out walked by the bed they're in, and Voila!!!! There they were. The first little tips of daffodils are showing up, too.
Allen, it's good to hear from you. I agree, time for all of us to get posting!
Linda P

[pauhaus]

I'm here too, just trying to get an early start on my spring clean-up since I didn't do a fall clean-up. Welcome to the forum hookedonhostas, I'm sure things will pick up soon. Hey Lynn, I'll be looking for you at Hosta College, I'm going alone too. What classes are you taking?

[Pieter]

How's is goin' eh, hooked, welcome to the forum, from a fellow Canuck. I'm out West however, in the comparative banana belt and even though things are roughly 2 weeks behind last year, it's great to see plenty of signs of spring's imminent arrival. Hostaholics have a variety of ways of satiating their need for ever more Hostas, for most that will be their favourite nursery and you're fortunate that the greatest concentration of Hosta specialists is out your end of the country, though not necessarily right next door for you. Lynn (lessadragon) runs Shades of Green in Aylmer and if you check my website you will find a fair listing of Canadian nurseries with good selections of Hostas, mostly in Ontario.

You'll find BTW, that some time late spring somebody on this forum will organize a so-called Secret Trade, where you throw your name in the hat, a recipient gets drawn for you and you are to send that party a minimum of one Hosta, preferably off their Most Wanted List. Most folk will send more than one of course and there's usually just more than a handful of Canucks participating in that as well. It's like Christmas in the summer for Hostaholics.

[hookedonhostas]

Pieter, thanks so much for the links! As I mentioned earlier I want to PICK OUT my own hostas this year, I did try Hallsons but they don't ship to Canada plus by the time I pay for the phyto, shipping, and dollar exchange it sure makes for expensive hostas. However on Pieter's link page I noticed a site Hosta Fever which is only an hour from me (how exciting) and they have alot of the newer varieties I haven't seen here in Canada. I will continue mapping out day drives and waiting for the snow to disappear while all you other lucky hosta lovers are playing in your gardens! Thanks again Pieter, I'm hoping I have finally found a place close to home

[Pieter]

Pieter, thanks so much for the links!

You're welcome my friend. Don't be a stranger around here...... we all LOVE seeing pictures, and not just during the growing season.

[newtohosta-no more]

Hopefully things will heat up on here as soon as more hosta eyes start popping out of the ground! I have seen some green shoots from some Sedums, as well as the blooms on yellow crocus. I don't expect hosta eyes for another 2-4 weeks. It will depend on the weather. It is not unusual for us to have another winter blast in mid to late March, so time will tell if that holds true this year. It sure is nice right now. Sunny and warmer...and very spring-like.

[ViolaAnn]

hookedonhostas - I'm in Ottawa and like you, we won't we doing ANYTHING in the garden for awhile yet, though I did notice today that an area where I have some mini hostas in the back yard and have pile soil on top of them for extra insulation has emerged from the snow.

As far as purchasing Hostas, I'm fortunate to have Budd Gardens and hundreds of varieties about 15 minutes away, but I've mail ordered lovely Hostas from Lynn (lessadragon here on Hallson's) who owns Shades of Green http://www.shades-of-green.ca/
Hosta Choice is now back in business with new owners who have pledged to carry on the traditions set forth my the original owners, both of whom died 2 years ago. http://www.hostachoicegardens.com/
This year I've ordered a few from Goldenbrook Hostas http://www.goldenbrookhostas.com/ who have some interesting varieties.

Ann

[hookedonhostas]

Thank you Ann, I have placed orders from all that you have listed, I've even been to Hosta Choice a few times. I'm actually thinking of a weekend trip to Ottawa, I've been planning on a few stops along the way and Budds was one of them. Ordering on line is fun, but nothing can compare to picking out your new hostas. I will be giving Hosta Fever a visit, as I have just discovered they have H. Snow Mouse, H. War Paint which was on the front cover of one of the American Hosta Society books. I have wanted and been looking for H. Christmas Tree Gala too so I will wait until they are open. They don't advertise mail order but they did offer to mail to me, so if they have something your interested in check out their site. I sure hope I can get out in the garden soon, looking at all these hosta sites is making me restless, not to mention all the orders I have made up.

[ViolaAnn]

I wasn't familiar with Hosta Fever. If you get there and are sure you are coming to Ottawa, would you pick up a H. Snow Mouse for me too? I haven't yet seen that one listed many places and one of my themes is ice and snow in the names. And DO plan to visit my garden. You might also want to visit the Hosta garden at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa and the one at the Experimental Farm Arboretum (though I've not been there in a few years when the Hostas were up).

Ann

[hookedonhostas]

Ann,
Did you look at the web site http://www.hostafever.com I have no idea when my trip will be, more then likely towards the end of August, but we can stay in touch.If you really want it, why don't you get it mailed to you so you don't have to wait. This place is in Barrie which is south of me and in CANADA so no extra charges other then the shipping and that cant be to bad! I had no idea they were there until I was given a list of links today. I'm getting so excited, nothing like finding a new place to shop.

[ViolaAnn]

Will take another look. When I did, I didn't see any lists of Hostas. Maybe I wasn't at the right spot.

Ann

[redcrx]

Hi Ann, try this: http://www.hostafever.com/hostas.html

I had been chatting(emailing) with them about H. Dry Ice

There is another place in Canada called "On Russell" http://www.onrussell.com/1.html
But I don't where they are located.