My gardens - mostly Hostas and yesterday's garden tour

Hi folks. Last night, my garden was included in the list of gardens to be visited by members of the Ottawa Horticultural Society. With about 137 varieties of Hostas plus a few seedlings, the Hostas were the prime focus of the tour.

This is the garden around my oak tree. This part of it is three years old and includes several large specimens as well as several which are smaller and/or newer.

Visible in this pic from left to right are: Peppermint Ice, part of White Christmas - both partly behind the tree. To the right of the tree and going clockwise, you can see a bit of Chinese Sunrise, Venus, Karin, Paul's Glory (with Fujibotan behind it), Diana Remembered, Invincible, Remember Me, Patriot, September Sun and Gold Drop.

I added a new garden to the front of the yard and filled it full of Hostas.

From the other direction.

I got a broken lot of pavers from a local landscaper and we've set them in around the gardens as a mowing strip. Sure beats edging the garden every year.

Very beautiful Viola. I love your new bed and your yard, and your hostas, LOL, just everything.

In the third picture, the upright hosta in the middle, what is that one? I have really began liking the looks of the taller upright hostas now. Peg

This message was edited Jul 18, 2008 2:50 PM

Most of this garden, especially the area around the Linden tree is an older garden and the Undulata Albomarginata Hostas have been there for quite awhile. Also visible here are some of my newer Hostas in pots. I like to grow some of them in pots for awhile to observe what they look like. Also, quite a few of them are mini hostas group in containers.

Among the larger Hostas are Great Expectations, Spilt Milk, Undulata and next to it, Last Dance. A bit farther into the garden, the large one is Regal Splendor. Behind Spilt Milk is a grouping that contains Blue Shadows, Tokudama Aureonebulosa (or maybe the last two are the same with one mislabelled - see my other thread), Marilyn Monroe and Whirlwind.

merpeg - I think you are referring to the Regal Splendor. It's a wonderful Hosta and holds its flowers about two feet above the plant.

Here's a pic of the other side of the Linden tree. I've been moving the Hostas out from right around the tree except for the UA's which are so mired in tree roots that it's not possible. I've put a clump of Clausa to the right of the tree. It spreads by rhizomes and will fill in that difficult area.

Also in this area are Mack the Knife, Halcyon, Korean Snow, Full Moon, Center of Attention (which gets split every year*) and several plants that like sun.

Reading this in January, it strikes me you might think I divide Center of Attention. I don't. The leaves just split each year. Starts out really pretty and then I think thunder storms do it in.



This message was edited Jan 12, 2009 4:50 PM

On the east side of the house I have several which include Moonstruck, June, Morning Light, Aristocrat, Revolution and Brim Cup. Not so sure Brim Cup will be there next year. Will probably divide it and get rid of it as it has never grown particularly well since the second year.

In the back yard, I have a number of Hostas shaded by lilac bushes. I have to be a bit careful here because they get some afternoon sun.

The close-up shows Sara and So Sweet in the background and Janet in the front.

To the right of them I have Praying Hands and Tick Tock - just visible at the left of this pic. And between the lilacs are On Stage, a green-eyed reversion or sport of On Stage (behind the lilac), Lakeside Shoremaster, Japanese Painted Fern and Lime Rickey Heuchera.

In the back corner of the yard, the large Hosta is Sun Power. In front of it is Obsession, First Frost, Cracker Crumbs, Kifukurin Ko Mame, Blue Ice. To the left of it, Blue Wedgewood, Punky, Heart and Soul. Kifukurin Ko Mame edges the garden except for a Masquerade which I haven't yet moved. There is a small white and green Heuchera (no remember the name) and the large Heuchera (Marmalade, I think). I will switch it and the Obsession Hosta someday.

In the round container is a family of small Hostas - the Baby Bunting family. BB is the green one. The others are Pandora's Box, Hope, Cherish and Cameo.

Edited to say that the pavers here will eventually be set into the ground like they are in the front, but we didn't get them all done.

This message was edited Jul 18, 2008 8:52 PM

The rest of the back yard is mostly vegetable garden, edged by flowers. This year, the veggies may not happen. I got them all started late and then critters have been nibbling them on a regular basis. The tomatoes are all spread around this year to give the regular veggie garden a rest.

This edge of the veggie garden was extended out about 3 ft. last autumn when I had extra soil from the front. I still need to move some of the border plants out closer to the edge.

Another of the veggie garden.

And I've got more tomatoes mixed in with bunches of volunteer dill along the west fence.

There are a number of planters on the patio.

And here.

On the west side of the house I have a few smaller Hostas as well as quite a bit of Sedum and misc. other plants.

Will have to finish off later. I realized I need to take some pics of the area between my driveway and the neighbour, of my Hosta seedling bed and some of my sun plants. But I need to take a dinner break.

Ann

Very nice tour Ann - what a fun way to celebrate your birthday!

Ann, you beat me to it. I took a bunch of pics at your tour and have some lined up to post. It was hard to edit them down! I'll post them either later tonight or tomorrow. (It's girl's night out so it depends if I behave or not! lol)

Sandy

Have fun Sandy and I look forward to seeing what you have.

Here's Sandy peeking out from behind the Linden tree. She helped me do some of the early planting of the new garden and came out for most of the duration of the tour.

Ann

Just beautiful!!! I am sorry I did not get to see your garden. We were in ottawa for 2 days. Bellie

Looks great, Ann! I bet that was a ton of work, getting ready for the tour. I really like Moonstruck...how slug resistant is that one?

What do you do with your potted hosta over the winter? I'm sort of fretting about that now. I aquired a few more this year that I technically don't have room for, so they are in pots.

Noreaster - I plan to put all of the potted Hostas into the garden over the winter. Probably my veggie garden. I may take some varieties of which I have several divisions and try leaving one or more in the garage. I have, at times, left some in the garden in pots, but I generally just put them in the soil. If I sink the whole pot into the garden it really call it to the attention of the local squirrels which dig things up.

Moonstruck is in its second year in my garden. Last year it was in the garden next to Sun Power where it gets some afternoon sun and it was melted out to ribbons by the end of July. So far, so good this year. This was taken July 13. I DO use an ammonia solution on many of my plants to control slugs and before I went to Vancouver for a week, I applied Safer's slug bait rather liberally.

Edited to add that it wasn't so much work getting ready for the garden tour as much as it was the combination of a large, totally new garden which needed to be planted, edged and mulched and the fact that we were out of town nearly 4 weeks between May 22 and July 10 and when we WERE in town it always seemed to be raining.

This message was edited Jul 18, 2008 10:59 PM

(Ew, but that pic of me is so dern big!) Ok, here goes with the pics from Ann's garden tour. Sorry if some might be repeats of what Ann has posted, above.

I went to lend a hand if needed and to take some pics. It was no surprise that Ann was well organized and had handouts for everyone with an introduction telling how she became fascinated with hostas, the # of varieties (137), etc.. All the hostas were listed by area.

Everything was freshly edged and mulched and the garden looked very inviting.
A pano of the newest bed in the front yard.

I tried to get a few snaps before the people started arriving.

Another shot of some of the hostas in the new garden.

In the little nook by the front door we have Blue Cadet, Ice Age Trail, Princess Anastasia & Fragrant Bouquet in the back.

I was really impressed that her Invincible had no slug holes! In fact, all the hostas looked pristine.

She says the falling acorns are a pest in her raised garden! :-)

Entering the backyard.

The garden minstrels. There is a veggie garden behind them. And just look at that Clematis!

The ladies from the Hort. Society came early to take some pics.

They wanted a picture of the hostess and she wasn't allowed to hide! lol

It was quiet at first and then between 6:30-7:30 it suddenly became very busy.

It was great chatting with other gardeners.

This copper collar got a lot of comments.

Ann's hosta seedling bed. The one she's pointing to is a misty one, which I don't have a close up of. Check out the rad toenail polish!