Planting Hostas In The Summertime

Planting in Summer is a No-No??  Not So! The rule of thumb has always been to never plant in summer, but rather plant in spring and fall when the weather is cooler. As this is a good rule, it is not set in stone. We do the majority of our planting in the summer months Read More

Growing Hostas in Decorative Containers

Container gardening is used for many reasons with the two most popular reasons being space limitations and decorative appeal. People grow all sorts of plants in containers from vegetables to trees. For this article I will focus on why and how to grow hostas in decorative containers. Let’s start off with why you can and Read More

A Quick Introduction To Hellebore’s

What is a Hellebore? Hellebore’s are still fairly unknown and underutilized by the home gardener but they are gaining in popularity and for good reason. Hellebore’s are evergreen perennials that bloom in late winter or early spring depending on where you live. In the southern states,  Helleborus niger starts blooming around Christmas and in northern Read More

Why Should I Grow Fragrant Hostas?

Why Grow Fragrant Hostas? When choosing a new hosta for your garden, very few of you take the flower performance into suggestion for your choice. The majority of people choose the hostas they want because of the leaf color, shape and size. You may not care about the flowers, and I know a lot of Read More

How to Grow GIANT Hostas

Key West Hosta, a Giant Hosta

The American Hosta Growers Association defines giant hosta as those that exceed 30 inches in height. There are several cultivars now that are in the 48 inch range. The size GIANT Hostas can achieve in your garden is determined by the light exposure, the available water and the depth and quality of the soil. All Read More

What is a Hosta and Why Should I Grow Hostas?

The easy answer to this question is that they are the most popular, bestselling perennial in the world. That being said, let me give my two cents into why this is true. Hostas are shade tolerant perennials that are extremely hardy and require very little maintenance. They are shade tolerant, not shade loving. Most hostas Read More

Bringing Bluebirds and Tree Swallows Into Your Hosta Gardens

For those that are struggling to develop thriving tree swallow and bluebird populations in their hosta gardens and yards, I have some thoughts on how to reverse this problem. This is certainly not the final solution, but the answer to why you need to help them to be successful in today’s environment. Prior to the Read More

Hosta Pest Control: Deer Deterrent Strategy 102

I would like to share a refined strategy on how to protect your hosta garden from deer. This is an accumulated strategy, built from research and experience. Using deer deterrents successfully can be somewhat of a challenge, but I have applied this strategy within my own hosta gardens with great results. You have to understand Read More

Hosta Sports and Reversions

What is wrong with my hosta? Why does some of the clump look different from the rest? What are hosta sports? What is a reversion? Here is a technical definition of a sport and a reversion. Sport: An individual arising from the result of mutation, chimeral rearrangement, or mitotic recombination that is genotypically or phenotypically Read More

The Subtle Beauty of Epimedium Plants

Epimedium x rubrum

The Subtle Beauty of Epimediums The following is wikiHow’s definition of subtle beauty. “Subtle beauty is almost indefinable and makes a woman seem special; achieving it requires modesty and self-awareness. A person may desire to exhibit subtle beauty rather than being exhibitionist and objectifying the body. Those with subtle beauty don’t scream for attention, but Read More

We’re Excited to See These Beauties!

Montana Aureomarginata Hosta

This time of year we are always dreaming of seeing all the hostas emerge. We all have our favorites but there are some that you just get excited to see again.