Because you can never get enough Hosta love – here are more from Susan Strong in Arkansas!
Here's what Susan said yesterday "We’ve had a wet spring here in NW Arkansas and my plants are flourishing. I love shade gardens and hostas are my favorite shade plant. Many that I’ve planted over the past four years are filling out and finally reaching maturity. While some hostas are stars, others play supporting roles; however, all are wonderful. Here are some of my favorites."
Keep sending in photos, everyone! Whether you've never shared before or you've been featured multiple times, we want to see your garden! Email a few photos and a little info about your garden to [email protected].
Would you like to see a few more tomorrow?
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Comments
Nothing says wholesome leafy goodness in the plant world than hostas and your garden is topnotch Susan! That armillary in the last photo is also divine. Where did you find her?
I bought it on close out for $15 years ago in Florida and it was intended for indoor use. When I moved to NW Arkansas I didn't have room for it in my house so I decided to try it in the garden since I love rusty garden accents. It's been out there for three years (even in the winter) and is holding up well. I think you will be able to find a wide selection if you do an internet search.
Wow, that's an even more fabulous find then. Thanks. I will resume by hunt through Craigslist and yard sales then. Have a fun summer!
It is so inspiring and satisfying to see such gorgeous hosta thriving in a real person's garden as opposed to a catalog picture or in a pot at a nursery. Many of your selections are named varieties that I am not familiar with and I can certainly see why they captured your heart. Yesterday, I was wondering if you had an Empress Wu and now I see you have 2...they should certainly take up some garden real estate in the years to come!
I'd be tickled to have another day of photos from Susan's garden.
Susan, nice to see more great glamour shots of your hostas. I love the first un-named plant sale hosta. It looks like a great sport of "striptease".
GPOD Susan: I'm definitely up for more hosta envy tomorrow! Thanks.
Also I'm only getting email alerts to blog posts erratically; didn't get one today.
I didn't get one today either - will go check that out!
I didn't get it either Tim, hence the delayed response. I have 'Striptease' and I love it. You may be right - they are similar. Thanks.
Striptease is a favorite of mine, too. Mine is reverting, though. I need to divide it up to divide out the plain green leaves and the leaves without the really nice markings. Do you have any variegated varieties that have reverted or thrown off sports? Have you tried growing hostas from seeds? I was disappointed to learn that hosta variegates are chimeras: different genetics growing together. As far as I know, seedlings are always one color/one set of genes. I raised seeds from H. Kinkaku and got chartreuse plants and green plants. Nice, but not what I expected!
My 'Striptease', 'Hosta of the Year' for 2005 I believe, is also one of my favorites and just this year begin reverting to some of the plain green leaves. I was told that if you pick those leaves off it will stop them reverting back - do you think that is true? And Tim, what do you think?
Since hostas are clumps of individual plants (although often attached) I don't think that just picking off the green leaves will do the trick. Maybe that reverted growing point would die from attrition, but my guess is that we'll need to divide ours before the leaves turn to mush this fall and just keep the best parts. Of course, I'm not an expert, but I pretend to know a lot about a lot of things!! :)
You are too funny #_#
I'm going to try that, so I'll let you all know if it works. It won't stop the other eyes (plants) from reverting, but I'm hoping it will reduce the competition for nutrients, etc. for the ones that do stay true. I think it's worth a try.
Hi Tim - yes, my hosta 'St Paul' has a number of plain green leaves and I am going to cut them out. I'm hoping if I starve those eyes they will die out and I won't need to divide the whole plant. I have a lovely sport of 'Fire and Ice' that I have separated from the mother clump and am hoping it maintains the same color and size it had when it was "attached". If it stays true, I will share pictures with everyone. My understanding is that hosta growers propagate plants from tissue culture to make sure the plants stay true for the reason you sited above.
'Hosta Susan'... you're making my list of hosta 'wants' grow, and grow and grow by the day!
GPOD Susan... It's a 'Yes' from my end for another day of hosta love!
Beautiful hostas, beautifully placed! Love the rest of your garden too, Susan!
I know there are so many look-alikes that making an identification just from photos is almost impossible. Just a thought that your lovely unidentified hosta looks like 'Liberty'. See http://www.hostagrowers.org/Hosta_of_the_Year-2012.html
You are correct - it is so difficult to make an identification from photos as many photos fail to reproduce true colors (mine included). I have a 'Liberty' and its borders are a creamier white than my unnamed variety, but it's possible that it may be a sport. One year it had an eye that sported with longer narrower leaves and I was planning to dig it up the following spring to propagate it, but it didn't reappear.
They are such wonderful specimens Susan. You must give them good soil and I am amazed there are no slug bites.
GPOD Susan my notifications are erratic too. Always up for more Hostas.
Hi All. Gorgeous hostas. Susan- I did not get this post either. Had to go look for it.
Pat - I moved here from south Florida where there were so many plants that I had grown up with in New England but was unable to enjoy in the deep south. I think that's why I've gone so "crazy for hostas". :-)
Susan, I am glad to now get this day 2 post. So many beautiful hostas it is just stunning. I just planted Empress Wu last year and it is already nearly outgrowing it's spot. Yours are magnificent, how old are they? I have never seen 'Lakeside Paisley Print' before, it is so charming. Thanks you for all of these amazing plant photos.
The 'Empress Wu' hostas have been in the ground for three years and they have grown considerably since I shot the photo. I believe it takes about five years for them to reach maturity, so mine are probably getting very close. The markings of 'Lakeside Paisley Print' are spectacular - looks like someone made random paint strokes down the center. Each leaf is a little different. It's one of my favorites.
Thank you and sooo beautiful.
gorgeous.... no greedy snails ???
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in