Just to let you know...

I posted a thread earlier today asking about BIG blue and BIG golden hostas. I didn't receive any posts (probably because I haven't waited long enough) so I went ahead and ordered (more than I should have!) But I *had* to let you guys know about this experience.

I made my order about 1/2 an hour ago. I also wrote a comment in the order that I'd learned about the company through the members here at DG.

Would you believe that I just got an email from Duck and Greta telling me that my order would shipped tomorrow??? Holy CATS! Is Hosta Farm always so nice to deal with?

Thanks to all the people who have mentioned 'Greta' and/or 'Duck' in their posts. I think I've just figured out how to spend my kids' inheritance! LOL

~julie~

You are to funny. Poor children no inheritance. You better watch your back and not let them have time alone to plot against you.

I love Hosta farm and so will you. Just wait till you get your order they always send beautiful divisions!

Cathy

someone post a link in this thread as to which hosta farm :-) pleeeeeeeeease!

http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/261/ It is www.hostafarm.com I believe this is the link. Figures I had to read this thread. Now I will spending my nieces inheritance. lol I don't have children.

LOL...Makshi, I've seen that "I'm spending my kids inheritance" saying on a bumper sticker on BIG RV's and thought it was a good way to scare those kids. :-D Maybe I need to make up a garden ornament that says the same thing. If they ever figure out exactly how much money I've actually spent on my garden, my kids will know for sure I wasn't joking. But then, they can look at it this way...the house will sell for more (after I'm gone!) if it looks good. (I sure one of them can keep it going until then, though. LOL)

Cathy...thanks! I was hoping someone would 'chime in' and let me know what to expect when I open the box. ;-)

302lady...oops! Sorry...I meant to put the link in my first message. Guess I was so excited I forgot to do it.

GardenGeek...thanks for adding the link. Glad to meet another Wisconsite!

When I get my order, I'll be back to let you know it got here.

~julie~

Why not tell us what your ordered? Also, which ones you have now.

Then, if there's a secret blue hosta trade, we'll know what NOT to send you.

Pirl...Hi!
I think it's going to be a long time before I'm able to join in on any of those trades. ~grin~ but...I ordered the 'Blue Angel', 'Blue Cadet', and 'Choo Choo Train' this time around. This spring I bought a couple of good sized starter plants of 'Patriot' and 'Gold Standard'. Those were added to a dozen or so 'antique' green and white variegated (something like albo marginata...but *much* older according to the info I found on their release date. I've had these for nearly 35 years), a few Wide Brim, Great Expectations, Frances Williams, and a couple of "Noid's" donated to my garden by DG friends.

That's the extent of my hosta' collection'. :-D But I'm sure, after opening the door to Pandora's Box (AKA the Hosta Forum) it isn't going to stop there. LOL

~julie~

You got in with great folks in Duck and Greta. I live a couple of hours frm them, and thoroughly enjoyed a visit there a couple of months ago, coming home with about a dozen plants, and 2 presents, including an adorable micro-mini. Good luck with your hostas!

Peter

Thanks Peter. I wish I had a place closer to go visit...but being in the 'boonies' of WI, there's not much call for really *good* nurseries in the area. We used to have a Hosta nursery in the next town over. But I only found out about through the Plant Scout this past weekend. And sorry to say, it's already closed and out of business. :-(

~julie~

Hi julie,
Your quite welcome. I just added Foxfire Gardens to the Garden Watchdog. It would be a wonderfully dangerous place for you. It would be a bit of a drive for you, but maybe a hosta friend and a road trip,,,,,sounds good!!!

One of my friends and I did that last year. Went to Busse Gardens about 3 1/2 hours from me. GREAT time, found way too many garden centers on the way and of coarse had to stop at most. Even found a really nice older couple that sold out of their driveway. It pays to watch for those hand written Perennial signs. LOL

Kelly

I've been trying to stay away from Foxfire Gardens ;-) .......the people there are so nice and I spend way too much money! It's about an hour and half from me, and I try to stop by if I'm in the Marshfield area, and have plenty of time to enjoy their gardens as well as drool over their amazing collection of hostas. Do you know if they ever put things on sale towards the end of the year? I have spent so much this year and am working on new beds to have somewhere to put them. I'm thinking of visiting Savory's in the Twin Cities tomorrow.....I've never been there and am hoping that I can exercise some control. I will try very hard not to fill the back of my pickup. Maybe if I just try and concentrate on the mini's it won't look like so much.

Hi Kelly...Followed up on that Foxfire link. Thank GOODNESS it's too far away for me to just 'drop in' LOL When we had a cabin on the Mississippi River a few years back, there was one of those 'driveway' merchants every spring. I only stopped one time, but sure wish I'd had the urge to do so much sooner. I still have daylilies that I bought from him. (Moved them right along with the furniture when we moved back here. ;-))

HI Marie...another WI resident! How cool! Uh...about that little trip tomorrow. I hope you also have a "mini" truck...otherwise you'll spend a fortune! (:-D only speaking from my own tendencies here...*and* the fact we have a full size duelly that will handle quite a load. hehehe)

~julie~

Hi marie,
I'm not sure if they do or not,,,,maybe they just winter the pots. I was just there about 2 weeks ago,,,1 (of about 7 or 8) I bought was on sale. I fugure I didn't do enough damage LOL I may have to go spend another 2 days worth of wages. Maybe I'll find some sales though. If I do, I'll let you know.

Hi Julie,
LOL Foxfire does ship though!!!! Yep driveway guys are great,,,,trip with friend to Busse gardens, other garden centers and driveway merchants,,,,,FILLED the bed of my truck and the back seat!! LOL I had an epiphany before I left and took about 5 totes. They worked awesome! Didn't have to worry about wind at all. Plants were perfect when we got home.
Take Care all, Kelly

Thanks GardenGeek_WI :)

Your welcome Lady

pdkrones ~ what was the micro-mini that you got?

Speaking of 'driveway merchants', I found one in town this Spring. There wasn't much in the way of hosta in the front, so I walked around to the back yard and almost fainted!

Moby, That is a very pretty back yard. Makes you want to walk through it & just sit & relax.

Isn't that the nicest part of other people's gardens? You can just sit and relax and not think of the weeds or where you want to put a plant. Just sittin' and a thinkin' and a dreamin'.

Julie.....I wanted to let you know that I gratefully do not have a full-sized pick-up. If I did, I most certainly would have tried to fill it up during my visit to Savory's. What a wonderful place.......and such a lovely woman to talk hostas with. I didn't get home until late last night and decided that I should actually count up hostas after work today. OMG there are 21 of them! (Good thing that my husband is out of town....he never needs to know.) Now where am I going to put them all? When I was selecting them I know that I was mentally arranging them in my beds, but I think that I must have gotten multiples for several areas. I hope that the ground freezes late this year so that I have time to get them all in the ground.

Marie

Kelly...~grin~ I really didn't *need* to know that Foxfire will ship. LOL (I can't believe that a person (like me) who rarely gets away from the house can spend as much money as I do on plants. Can't even imagine what my life would be like if there wasn't an Internet *and* Next Day delivery services. :-D Oh...and thanks for that 'Totes' tip. I'll have to remember to load mine up if I ever get in the truck for a road trip. (hehehe)

Hi Moby! I could that picture of that back yard for a desktop on my computer. It's grand! What a peaceful place.

Marie..sounds like you made quite a haul. (:-o) It also sounds like you're the same kind of shopper I am. Like my old "Sea food diet" (See food....and eat it) I'm a "Sea plant" addict...(See plant...BUY it!) LOL And then not know what on earth I'm going to do with it!

It's Thursday...and I sure hope the mail man brings my package.

I'll be back a little later.

~julie~

Hello moby -

The baby I mentioned was "Cherish". I love the name, which suits her. She is pictured in this link:

http://www.hostafarm.com/cherish.html

but in her moss-covered little pot, in bloom, I found her even cuter when she came home with us. I guess she is more of a standard "mini", rather than "micro". I don't remember the details of size terms.

Anyhow, we gave her a place of honor in the living room bay window, but the environment change or problems watering something that tiny lost her some leaves. After failing to find a 3" clay pot I settled for repotting her into a 4".

Since she has bloomed and is resting, I may put her into dormancy soon, wake her up in October, and look for growth and bloom in the winter. I have not done that before, but it should work. Maybe I will put a bed of moist rocks under her to deal with winter house dryness.

Anyhow, it is fun to have a miniature hosta inside.

Peter

Thanks a lot for letting me know, Peter. I have become absolutely enchanted by the minis this year.

I don't know if it has a name, but this is the little guy that started it ~

julie,,,,I feel the same way about the internet. I can get some really great deals on plants. I think I have gotten too many great deals this year. I'm almost glad winter is on it's way,,,,then I can give the checkbook a long needed break. I know I will go through withdrawls though LOL. I have been working feverishly on my trades list for the swap. It's kind of scarry! Have so many and want so many more. What's really scarry is I'm not done with the wants yet LOL. Way too many cool cultivars out there. Take Care, Kelly

~jumping with joy~ ~oo ooo ooo~
My order is here and the hostas are positively BEYOND MY EXPECTATION!!!

I was expecting to receive single or *maybe* (heavy on the 'maybe') eyed (I have no idea what they are actually called - Sprouts). I was amazed to see, what I would consider, 2-3 year growth, beautiful roots, and gorgeous foliage. I definitely won't hesitate to order from Duck and Greta at Hosta Farm in the future. WoW!!

Moby, that's the sweetest little hosta I've ever seen. In fact, it's the first mini I've *ever* seen, in someone's hand anyway. I hope I forget seeing it before I think about ordering any more plants, or I'll be on my way to the 'Poor House'. LOL

Thanks everyone for visiting my thread! And thanks for putting up with a 'newbie' while I get indoctrinated into the new addiction of HOSTA! LOL

~julie~

Moby, that is cute.

Let's see how they do as they mature. The leaves are about the same size as mine.


Peter

I found one today that I'd never seen before and it has lovely reddish purple flowers. The hosta has very pointed leaves. My pot didn't have a name tag so I'll go back tomorrow - always have to have a good reason to return!

Could they be Clausa? It has purple flowers like that that don't open.

Thanks Hostanquilts. On my nurseryman's list there's "Clausa-Korean Hosta-shiny green leaves, deep purple fl., stoloniferous" so I guess that's it. Thanks so much!

Edited to spell Clausa correctly! Sorry!

This message was edited Aug 21, 2005 8:36 AM

Moby,,,I'm the same way with mini's. I admit that I have an "Unnatural Obsession" with Hostas,,,,and an "Anal Obsession" with Mini's.

This is a pic of the front of my house. The larger Front Garden has about 100 hostas in it and about 85% are mini's. The back of the larger garden has more sections to it than the front of it. So it is bigger than the pic shows.
I am hopelessly addicted! The corner garden has some more mini's but also some other sizes. I need to re-do both of these gardens next spring.,,,and add a couple more. What a project.
If you feel the need to trade, let me know.
Kelly

Have a hard time choosing my favorite, they all are! However my little 'Tatto' is one of the higher ups on my list.

Garden Geek: your home has a lovely setting and the gardens must be wonderful up close. We need more photos!

How could anyone attempt to trade with you when you have so many? Do you have time to collect any other plant that we could ever offer you? Do you have a want list?

Arlene

Thank-You, I'm working on that whole trade list thing. So far I have only my Hostas done. Only because I get to play in a swap right now. Well, hostas aren't completely done,,,have more to list that I have just gotten and will be arriveing and have more wants,,,didn't want to seem too greedy with the wants though. LOL.

http://davesgarden.com/trading/tl/GardenGeek_WI/

The rest of the list will be my winter project. LOL ALL Winter. Haven't taken pics of the rest of the yard yet,,,just the front for now. Here's a different view.
I will be taking more pics of different sections up close. One of these days. Thanks Again, Kelly

LOL, G-Geek!

Thanks for all the nice comments on the mini. I never thought a hosta leaf could be smaller than 1 sq. inch. I keep looking at it every day because I can't believe the largest leaf is smaller than my thumb print.

Moby - will you be planting it outside eventually? Where? You have to put it someplace where it will really stand out and be noticed.

Moby, which one do you have that is like a thumbprint?
Catbirdsue has gotten me started with the minis. A new addiction!

Moby's post is here: August 20th at 1:20 AM. :-)) Enabling is a very "good thing".

Kelly, you have wonderful gardens! (And I just love your sunburst trellis!)

...Now...as for the rest of you...do you have *any* idea of what you're doing to me!?? :-D (I don't WANT another plant addiction! hehehe)

~julie~

Julie, IT'S TOO LATE!! THERE IS NO HOPE...DON'T FIGHT IT!! YOU WILL NOT WIN!!!!!....LOL.....

MAXXY

Thanks...heaps! Maxxy! ROTFLOL

~julie~