Hosta Musings 2

This is a continuation of Hosta Musings ad it was getting a bit long. If you wish to go back and read it, you'll find it at: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/981990/

This is one of my favorites.... got it from Foxfire in 2007
Northern Sunray [though i do not believe this one is registered, as the NS that is, is green]

Here's Regal Splendor ... still has it's "SpringTime Color"
mid - Summer, this is one of my Faves... when it's the 'cool blue' ... it's still pretty green-ish

aww that Regal Splendor ... truly a golden oldie! I just planted one again last week, my second, I sure hope this one make it. :)

I love mine Sylvia... i divided it this year, as my neighbor wanted a piece. and sometimes i find i'm a generous "giver" as i always give a huge piece. last year she also asked for some "Blue Arrow" ... but it's so pretty this year, i'm not ready to divide... though it has a lot of eyes.

That's a lovely Regal Splendor! Mine is just starting to unfurl. When I make my weekly round of pictures, I'll likely have some to post next week. The Obsession above was about the only one sufficiently unfurled in the last set of edited pics.

here is Blue Arrow

Harsh late afternoon sun.........

Regal Splendor
Patriot
Queen Josephine [baby]
Paul's Glory
Ginko Craig

one of my small honeybelles!

tcs, it sounds like you have my kind of neighbors. They walk over and say oh how pretty, can I you share a bit with me?

she always offers me some... but depending on what it is.. -- she does shop at WallyWord and grocery stores....

she gets so excited about her cheap plants... a small 'really full' one -- i have no idea what it is... but ONE dollar at Dominicks [our SafeWay] and $5 Great Expectations at WW. I tried explaining HVX gto her, but she doesnt get it.

that small one, in the first post... she wants to give me some of that... but i dont really care for that one.

I just got word from the owner of Hosta Choice nursery here in Ontario that he was able to find a Liberty Bell for me on his recent trip to the USA. It will be in a shipment in early June and unless something goes wrong and border inspectors reject it or it has a mishap in shipping, I will FINALLY have one. I've been looking for that particular plant ever since the handbell choir which I direct first gave me a gardening gift certificate a few years ago. Not to mention that it's a streaker too. :-)

That is good that you found it. I enjoy handbells :)

tcs - I wish you were my neighbor. I live in a really established neighborhood(100+ year old houses) and a woman down the street has a NOID that I covet every time I walk by her back yard (it backs up to an alley). It's a very old one and huge and blue. It sits along the alley on the back of her property and is surrounded by weeds. I swear I am the only person that ever pays any attention to it because she doesn't seem to. I've asked her if she will let me have just one eye - and she can come over and take ANYTHING she wants from my yard. But she just laughs and says she'll think about it. So far nothing..... I am hoping that some of the 50+ hostas that I planted last summer will grow up and be so spectacular that there will be something that will entice her....... but I'm not holding my breath. I guess I'll just have to enjoy hers when I walk the dogs! I'll try to sneak a picture one of these days and post it. It's just awesome.....

Here's my baby Krossa Regal still looking pretty green as of two weeks ago. It's new from last year, so I'm excited it's coming up so well!

That is good that you offer a trade at least lol. My daughter"s inlaws wanted enough to landscape!

And here's my montana Aureomarginata, also new from last year but not doing nearly as well. There were several eye points showing just below the surface that hadn't emerged. I suspect that 1) I planted it too deep and 2) I planted it in a less than ideal spot. So two nights ago, I did some graverobbing and moved it along with my baby Sum and Substance. Cross your fingers that it's happier now!

Very nice Eleven! I have been moving things around some also. I moved my sum and substance the other day the spot I had it in was way to small. Especially after seeing a friends of mine. So awsome when they get huge... I really like the montana... hosta. Pretty. Ronna

Thanks Ronna! I'll have to post a new pic of the plants soon. Here's one of my Night Before Christmas, which was also a new addition from last year. It looks a little fuller but seems to have about the same number of leaves. At least it didn't get any smaller!

Eleven

Wow very nice. I have a night before christmas also but my leaves are kinda twisty... ? I got mine from a secret hosta swap last year very showy don't you think? Are you going to sign up for the hosta swap? Its really fun and you get some really neat hostas. I enjoyed it last year. Well thanks for posting the nice photo of N.B.C. Ronna

okay I looked on plant files and mine is different than yours your is N. B. C. Well I wonder if the leaves straighten out when they get older? Interesting... Mine is still pretty small your is way larger than mine... Ronna

I had to move my Montana too. It was under this huge jagged fern and was getting no sun. The Sum&Substance is over there too but its just coming up and I dont dare move it.
Eleven, my NBC is different too. It has more white and pointed leaves ... yours look kinda like American Halo ... speaking of pointed leaves, my Montana dont have pointed leaves ... I dont think. I had mine in a pot for a long time. I think I will buy another Montana and compare.

Sylvia -- post an image of your Montana. I'll do mine later.- i cant see it from where i'm sitting.... but i do think there are 3 leaves... same as last year.

How do you know if a hostas is planted too deep?

Here are my 2 Great Expectations ..... the larger is at least 3 yrs in that spot, and the lil one i got in the Co-Op this year.

Here is my Montana..... i did see a 4th leaf starting to peek out.... but still 1 eye.

Bought it June of 2007 ... .it was the same size then too.

ic_conifers - if a hosta is planted too deep, it will compensate for that within a year by its growth. If it's planted too shallow, it will eventually develop deeper growth all around the edge, leaving a "fairy ring" in the middle.

Here's a pic of my NBC when I got it in early July last year. The young leaves were displaying a mottled green/yellow stripe rather than white. Sorry it's a bit blurry. Do you think it was mislabeled?

No, I looked on plant files and the pictures there looked just like yours. Well I guess, sometimes its so hard to tell. Everyone always says how many vein pairs are there? Then you can compare it on plant files. My leaves are pointed. I wonder if when it grow some more if they will round? Oh well nothing to loose sleep over right. I have enough of that with the hormones raging already. LOL. Still it is still a very beautiful hosta. More pictures. I got a lovely "June" hosta last night....;) Ronna

H. Singing in the Rain -- got it last fall.

H. Jack of Diamonds .. young one... also got it last Fall.
[half off sale at a local garden center]

Frosted jade..... one of my favorites.

Lemon Lime.... starting to darken... 2 weeks ago it was quite chartreuse. bought at a yard sale in Madison - divided into two plants.

Frances Williams -- it was given to me last Fall, nice big clump.

Ronna,

Thanks for the encouragement! I thought about signing up for the swap but am waffling. Since I inherited most of these hostas, many of the identifications are just guesses. The ones I'm positive about don't seem as if they'd be exciting for the recipients (undulata or Francee or Hyacinthina or Sum and Substance). You all seem to have so many more interesting named varieties! And the new plants I bought last year, either don't seem large enough to divide or came from a questionable source before I knew about HVX (two Frances Williams that I'm glad are far away from everything else). So maybe I'll have something good next year =)

Eleven

tcs,

LOL, my montana was actually twice as big when I bought it last year! So I was compelled to move the poor guy. Here he was last July, although I think there's just one eye like yours. I probably should have splurged and got the next size up!

Eleven

This is English Sunrise. It's a really bright yellow. It's new to my garden this year.

I came out one morning to find 'Beckoning' ripped out of the ground. Sigh. It had a few tiny roots stuck to the plant, so I planted it a little to the right of where its was before. The leaves have been slowly dying. Double sigh.

But, now it looks like one might live, and the plant is coming back from the roots. Yea!

What do you suppose did that to it?

Bizzare! Glad it looks like it's coming back.