Great pics Laurel. My clematis have had a bizarre year. They were all killed back in the spring week of winter and had to totally regrow. I actually lost two of them. The others bloomed really late or not at all.

The latest bizarre happening, the vines are being stripped of all foliage, one by one. I never see a Japanese beetle on them and don't really have very many in my garden but one by one, I find the foliage gone and just the vine on the support.

Brooke

That must be really distressing, Brooke. I've never had my clematis affected by insect pests. That's really weird. I'd be hiding out in the garden with a flashlight, watching for the culprit after dark. (LOL, now THERE'S an image for you. . . .)

Laurel

Laurel the snakes and I have an understanding - they stay out of my yard during my daylight hours and they can roam at night. It also applies to the skunks, possum and raccoons. It is a very good arrangement.

Nope, I've never had a problem either and was shocked when I saw it. Within a week, clematis after clematis losted it's foliage. It was like the went from post to post to devour the whole leaf structure on that particular vine and then they moved to the next one. Today, the foliage is regrowing. I don't even know if it is the Japanese beetle or something else. Some of their favorite targets, canna and sweet potato vine, have hardly any holes in them.

It has just been a v-e-r-y strange year.

Brooke

Hmm, I guess I'm of the "snakes are cool" persuasion, and the rummaging rodents had better watch out for ME, because in their case I'll speak loudly and carry a big stick, LOL.

I'm glad your clematis are regrowing - if they had been killed outright, that would be heartbreaking, since they take so long to reach maturity and bloom well. My clematis bloomed well this year. I wish I'd labeled this one better - I think it's 'Warsaw Nike.' The picture makes it look more purple than it really is; it's a dark, dark burgundy-maroon.

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Laurel

I don't mind the other critters except the possums are dumber than rocks, you know about skunks and raccoons carry rabies and EAT my goldfish from the pond. When the raccoons come up on your backporch, eat a hole in your screen and drag a loaf of bread through the hole, I defer to them. I was lucky he could get the bread through the hole and didn't come into the house looking for food. I think it was maximus that had one come in her house. Backed into a corner, a raccoon is mean. I applaud every dead body I see beside the road.

The good news around here - I HAD 4" OF RAIN IN LAST 24 HOURS. My garden is breathing a sigh of relief.

Nice clemmie but can't verify any names for you.

Brooke

Laurel, I just checked this part of the forum and saw your beautiful pics. The photo of the Rose of Sharon is amazing.

You must not have a problem with Japanese beetles -- I had to get rid of every Rose of Sharon, verbascum, malva, hollyhock and rose because they would be covered with the nasty suckers.

And yes, I was the one who had a raccoon inside the house. Of course, we had a dog door at the time and the raccoon made a buffet of our pantry. He had a definite hankering for junk food -- opened jars of peanuts, through jars on the floor and ate the flaming hot Doritos. I hope those chips caused some discomfort when his next bathroom break arrived.

Hi Chris and Brooke - no, I wouldn't welcome a raccoon or skunk or possum in my yard either. We had a rabid skunk in the neighborhood once, and a rabid fox. That's why I can't stand having the rotten woodchucks around - it's not safe for our kids, never mind the garden damage they can do. Our son is lobbying for a dog, which I'm okay with, but my DH hasn't been sold on the idea yet. I would LOVE to have the dog keep the critters out, if I can train him to leave the flowers ALONE. The kids and I would like an Australian Shepherd. . . .

I do have Japanese beetles, but they haven't touched the Rose of Sharon. They've been eating my roses (and I haven't had the energy to fight them), but that seem to be it for their damage so far.

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Knautia and liatris - I like the color combination, and it's growing in the toughest part of my yard, beside the street in full sun.

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Hydrangea 'Pee Wee' (an oak-leaf dwarf, a wonderful plant)

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Hosta blossoms

Laurel

Laurel unless you have boundless energy and a VERY large area for a boundless energy breed like the Aussie, consider another dog. They are a great breed and super intelligent but need lots of attention to keep them occupied and out of mischief. If you get a herd of sheep, they would be happy to tend them for you! They are active and want to work and do things all the time. They are great obediance, agility, etc. dogs.

Brooke

I agree with Brooke -- as usual :o)

I think Aussies are beautiful dogs, but their energy always scared me away from owning one. We opted for a German Shepherd instead and, as long as she has "work" to do, she's a wonderful pet. Her current job is to herd the cats, which is an endless job since we have quite a few. She's smarter than her owners, which keeps us on our toes. We've had to change the doorknobs several times because she always figures out how to open them.

Nice new photos, by the way. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I always cut the blooms off my hostas (unless they're the fragrant white ones) because I prefer the look of the plant by itself. My yard is getting shadier as the trees get bigger, and I've been adding more hostas. Just added one called something "Frost" -- Robert? Winter? Can't remember, but it's a beauty.

Of course you agree with me, I'm always right - ROTFLMBO!

The hosta is Robert Frost and beautiful. Did you know hummingbirds LOVE hosta blooms. I hate the blooms and scapes that lean over, just like I hate daylily scapes that lean, but hummers love them so I leave them.

Laurel might do well with an Aussie because she has at least three cats and two kids. Herding them could keep an Aussie occupied most of the day - LOL!

Love the comment about being smarter than the owners. My housedogs are smarter than my husband. Please don't take that to mean by husband is dumb because he's not except when it comes to the dogs. They play him like an old player piano. I love how the female will "punish" him when he offends her. She then "permits" him to make up to her with a tummy rub or an ear scratch or whatever else her highness enjoys. Sometimes the dogs "make" him take them for a ride just 'cause! Yes, the dogs rule.

Brooke

OK, Hosta Queen, I need some advice. I want to add some more hostas, and I want them to be HUGE. I have a few Sum & Substance and love that size, but I'd like some that are variegated and big. I prefer the ones that aren't green and white, and I hate skinny leaves. (Not picky, am I?)

How do you get seeds from the hostas? What's your best source for buying the plants? Is planting best in Spring or Fall?

Sounds like I'm on the road to a new obsession . . .

Thanks for the dog advice, everyone. I like the image of the dog herding our cats, lol - THAT would be interesting!

As far as keeping a smart, active dog occupied, I think our son would do a good job - it would be his pet. We want him to participate in an obedience class with the dog, and the dog to be a general companion for him. We home school, and are around the house a lot, so the dog wouldn't be alone for long periods of time. It could receive LOTS of attention and interaction and activity. We do have a fenced yard - not huge, but sufficient, and walks are always a good family activity.

We've thought it through a bit, and wouldn't get the dog for another 1-2 years. Our son needs to be a little older before he can manage a dog - he's 8 1/2, with Asperger's Syndrome (like very mild autism), and he needs just a little more maturity before he'll be ready. I think a companion dog would be VERY good for him, and he doesn't need a trained "therapy dog," but Aussies have a great reputation for being used as such, and being trainable, friendly, and good family dogs. So, we'll see. This is a long-term plan.

Brooke is GREAT with hostas. She sent me some awesome seed last year, and I have a bunch of little hostas now. I like the flowers on my mature plants, so I let them bloom. I planted 'Fragrant Bouquet' this year, and I hope it blooms next year.

Laurel

Hi Laurel -- I just made a list of some hostas I liked from a hosta website, but I have no idea where to begin buying hostas. It's like starting all over again with daylilies. The ones I liked were $15 - $30, but I don't know what you get for the money.

maximus - go to perennialnursery, NaylorCreek and GreenHills - add the dot coms to those sites. All of those are pretty good about virus testing for HVX - yes, hosta have problems too. Stay away from big box store type nurseries, it is rampant at those. Those websites will give you a clue as to the eventual size. I've purchased from all three sources and you get nice, healthy plants. If you want a few this year, order soon and get them in the ground. They need the same settling time until a hard freeze like daylilies. Plant them the same way as daylilies with the crown about an inch below the surface.

If you keep cutting off your blooms you won't find the seed pods! Again, hosta are just like daylilies with the anthers and pistil. Check your hosta blooms tonight and see if the bees didn't give you the very familiar little orange spot on the pistil. They dry up and crack open just like a daylily pod in about the same time.

Start making a list of what you like and I'll tell you if I know anything about it i.e. slug bait, slow grower, dissecation, etc. My one suggestion would be to look for upright growing plants. They definitely stand up to slugs better than the pretty mounding type.

How are the hosta seedlings doing Laurel? I finally planted some of my seedlings a week or so ago but still have about a dozen in pots. I'm afraid I will overwinter them in the pots since they appear to be small ones.

Brooke

Well, I do get lazy fairly often and have plenty of flower stalks that didn't get cut off, so I'll check those tonight.

The website I was checking was Jim's Hostas (just because it was the first one to pop up). My short list is:

DANCE WITH ME
EARTH ANGEL
ICE AGE TRAIL
ROCK AND ROLL
TOUCH OF CLASS
JEWEL OF THE NILE
GOLDEN GATE
LAKESIDE METER MAID
LAKEPORT BLUE
LEADING LADY
PARADIGM
LIBERTY

I guess when I said "no green and white," I meant the old variegated ones (maybe albo marginata?), because I saw plenty of white on the ones I liked.

Anything you can tell me about these would be great. Thanks -- Chris

Ahhhh, the lazy part - been there, do that too!

Dance With Me - I've heard it is hard so I never got it.
Earth Angel - grows like a weed, love it.
Ice Age Trail - I had it, got it as a young TC and grew it in a pot but it didn't survive this spring. I've seen pics of IAT purchased from Jim's Hosta that were big and gorgeous. It also is a streaker plant and will produce other streaked plants from seed. If you get it, save me some seeds.
Touch of Class - gorgeous, don't have it but have one of the look alikes named Dream Weaver. It does very well here and intro'd by Kevin Walleck, our current AHS prez.
Jewel of the Nile - another KW intro and it grows like a weed here.
Paradigm - a classic, yes to it.
Liberty - a new one for me last fall. It almost didn't come back and when it did was puny. I dug it up and potted it - the leaf is 1" and probably won't make it back next year. I replaced it, it has only produced one new leaf - I hope it comes back next spring. Liberty is a sport, probably tetraploid of Sagae. I highly recommend Sagae for the look, the margin just isn't as wide.

I don't have any of the others and have heard nothing about them.

For a balanced hosta garden, make sure you bring in solid colors to offset the patterned cultivars. I didn't because I love all the same type. I then had to go back and bring in some solids and to move things around to please the eye. It is the same as the daylily addiction - we bring in our favorite colors, look around and it becomes blah, so we then bring in other colors to liven things up.

Some good blues in different sizes I recommend - Abiqua Drinking Gouard or Love Pat - great color, upright growing. Small blues that hold their color late into the season - Blue Jay and Fragrant Blue.

Dark greens - Fried Green Tomatoes, a couple of Lakeside plants that I can't remember right now.

If you want big, try some of the sports from Sum and Substance - Sum It Up, Bottom Line and Sum of All. Big, fast growing, all with edges but not "clashy" edges. They are all dark green.

Other must haves - June, Paul's Glory or St. Paul.

I know you don't like the skinny leaves but consider Ginsu Knife, has a slight light margin but lots of rippling on the edge, Marilyn Monroe, lighter green with ripples and Queen of the Seas, big blue with ripples. These offset the big round leaves that I love.

For golds, Choo Choo Train, Sweet Sunshine, I think, hybridized by Solberg and a couple more Lakesides I can't remember, really make the shady areas pop.

Have fun as another addiction starts. Could I also interest you in orchids??????????

Brooke

I have thoroughly enjoyed this post. Laurel your pics are wonderful, as always. I added another clematis this year (jackmanii). But this time I decided to keep it in a pot for at least a year. I want to see if it will do any better than the ones I started last year in the ground. So far, I can't tell any difference. They all seem to be doing about the same. They're about 3 ft tall and have given me a few flowers...about like last year. Maybe next year they will "leap".

Brook, thanks for all the info on the hosta. I have a couple that do well in my yard (an unknown and 2 guacamole), but I don't know much about them except that some will grow well here and some won't and I don't know which are which. Also, I read enough to find out about the X virus and thought...oh great... my luck it will be 10 times worse here in FL! So, I've been reluctant to buy any more. But I decided to save this post on my computer just in case I decide to add some more hosta. And I'll be checking back to see what Chris decides to order.

My son bought me an orchid (phal - moth orchid) for mother's day. It's my first and only. I have been so impressed because the flowers still look as fresh and new as when I received it! I had no idea that orchid flowers lasted this long. I water it in the kitchen sink once a week, let it drain good, and then sit it back on it's stand by the sliding glass doors. So far, it seems very happy. I've read a little bit about them and think I might buy a another one. But I'm only interested in the easy growers that are happy house plants. Actually, I think I'd like a couple more of these moth orchids...but in different colors. I saw a pic of a bright yellow one and it was really pretty. I think it was a moth orchid?

Y'all have a great day and stay out of the heat.
Kathy

First off, sorry to take over this thread, Laurel!

Brooke, you are bad, bad, bad. I love orchids, but have no sunny spot to grow them, so at least I can avoid that temptation. I couldn't even germinate daylily seeds indoors because of the lack of sunlight in my house. It sounds like we're those "mole people" who live in caves.

OK, I checked the three sites you gave me (would you believe one is 30 mins. away from my house?), but the only vendor who carries all the ones I want is Jim's Hostas. Any scoop on this company? I still need to find pics of a few you recommended, but I definitely like June, Sagae and Paul's Glory. I haven't developed an appreciation yet for the really gold ones -- they look like they've spent too much time in the sun. And I see your point about adding variety with the skinny-leafed ones, so I'll include a few of those.

I also found another I like -- Silk Komono. Any thoughts?

My next question is which of these, if any, would tolerate the most sun. My plan is to have a swath of hostas across the entire front lawn, about 12-15 feet wide by 40 ft. long, and some of that area gets sun.

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I made a small start with some inexpensive hostas last year, but I have a long way to go.

Chris

Hey, I don't mind Chris. Hosta are interesting too! I just don't want to get wound up in another plant interest. Starting some from seed, getting some good ones in trade is about all I'm up for. I have nice handful of varieties now, and I'm going to give away some plain green 'Fragrant Honeybells' to make room for another couple clusters of variegated ones. (I have a couple dozen FH, so I've plenty to share. I just LOVE that the hosta grow well under my hemlock trees - not much else does.) And, I'll need space for the seedlings from the seed Brooke gave me.

Brooke, I'll have to get out back and check out the babies - I haven't been attentive to the garden the past couple weeks because of a prolonged sinus infection and a whole lot of other life happening to me. I hope they're doing fine without me hovering. . . .

Here's my favorite hosta so far:

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ANTIOCH (earlier this spring)

Laurel

I know we don't have to worry about Laurel feeling like the thread was hijacked, she's a plantaholic too. Nice Antioch and no, don't worry about the seedlings. As long as they don't dry out, they will do fine.

Kathy you stumbled across the particular line of hosta that will do well in the semi-south. Guacamole (Chris you need this one too) is from the hosta species plantagenia line and they do well with the shorter dormancy period. I have Guac plus Fried Green Tomatoes, Fried Bananas and Sweet something or other, all descended from plantagenia. As a bonus, they all have fragrance.

Chris hosta are shade tolerant and actually do better with some sun. Again any of the plantagenia family will love sun and in MI, several hours a day. Even blue hosta enjoy a few hours of morning or late afternoon sun. White centered hosta need some sun because they don't grow as well as the solid colors, less chlorophyl. Golds turn prettier colors with some sun.

I've seen Silk Komono but don't have it or heard anything bad about it.

I've never purchased hosta from Jim's but never hear complaints. I did buy some streaker seeds about four years ago from him and had great germination.

30 minutes from Hallson's? You lucky girl, run don't walk over there and see the plants for yourself. Take your list with you and if he doesn't carry it, does he have something close to it. Hosta are just like daylilies - many look alike. Many of the online sources send a single eye, at best two and being able to pick out the best one, is the best. More bang for the buck.

You asked about Earth Angel but I prefer Celestial Angel. I have both but CA has a wider edge and is also a weed. If my memory cell is working, I got both of them from Hallson three years ago.

I felt the same way about gold hosta. To me they looked like they needed massive amounts of fertilizer before they died but would I steer you wrong? You will love them planted in the ground - they will be the first thing that catches your eye.

Orchids - Chris don't you have an area inside for a light set-up. Sure makes winter bearable.

Kathy your moth orchid is a Phalaenopsis. It will bloom for months. Of course you need to get a few more. After blooming, ask me about repotting and the requirements to bring it back into spike.

Brooke