I tend to just wander and admire the beauty of a leaf, or a special combination, or how the light hits a hosta just right for a moment. I also enjoy just sitting by a grouping of Ventricosa aureomarginata in flower and watching the bumblebees go from flower to flower.

I'm with you Gayle...I mentally move them around all the time...I dig holes in my mind, I take this one out of here and put it there....and at the end of an hour....I haven't done a thing but think about what might look better in that spot than what's there.
But what I really like is when it gets dry....and I can feel useful standing there with the hose in my hand....

I am always pulling a weed or two, looking at placement, listening to the birds, watching for hummers, mentally blocking out work, family, BS and anything that gets in the way of my hosta fix.

Wow!
A good, honest post and response. I'm in there too.

I caress the leaves and talk to them. Mine are all in pots, and I ask them if they would like a drink, or compliment them on how fine they are doing, or asking if they would like a brighter spot... Nutso. Yup.

-Babka

Here lately I've pretty much been cursing stuff... whether the wind, heavy rain, birds, slugs, rabbits... mother in law lol... but its all worth it =)

I'll pull a tree seedling, a weed or some meandering grass. I'll move mulch away from a hosta and maybe re-position a label. I might remove some litter from the garden or on top of a leaf.

I'll talk to them and tell them if they're going to get moved. That way, they can start packin'

Mostly I enjoy the peace and quiet. But I can't resist pulling weeds if they're there. It just bugs me too much to look at them!

Deanna

I'm just..... being.

I do talk to mine all the time too :-)

Lindac you remind me of sitting back after the Christmas tree is decorated and I started moving lights and decorations around because the colors weren't distributed evenly around the tree. Sit back, na that ones gotta move over there, and so it continues. A few years ago I decided it was crazy to worry about it and only move a few around and that was it. Now when the grandchildren help decorate and they put most within their reach that is where they stay. Period.

Can also relate it to moving furniture, I think, what would that chair look like over there, so I change the whole room in my mind and am not happy till I do it for real. Now what the heck.

Actually with my hosta I usually pull a few weeds, try to remember which is which before looking at the tag, if it is there. Tell them how good they look and say I should be moving some of them because they are crowded or killing a small rhodo or azalea beside them. Look at the seedlings as well as take in all the colors and textures of the plants.

Betty

well if you are a introverted, anti-social, prone to depression, peace loving person like myself, gardening is an oasis.
plants do not judge or hurt you; chances are that they flourish under good care.
there is something so indescribly satisfying about tending to plants and flowers; when you make the time and effort commitment to the garden, it rewards you almost daily with a stunning show of appreciation. you can take the same energy and invest it into humans and there is no guarantee you will get the same results.
it is my escape from a disappointing world and nothing is better than sitting amongs the birds and plants and trees with a glass of fine wine in my hand enjoying the fruits of my labour.
yep- fell off the deep end years ago and have no intention of coming back...

Wow, compelling posts here! I think hosta gardening is exactly what each of us need. I have been a mom for almost 34 years, my youngest being 16,so I now have more time to garden. I am guilty of all of the above. But mostly hosta gardening fills my need to nurture .

Most of what I do now is clear debris off the leaves,as this is the time when Poplars,and Oaks drop their trash. Also,now I have been spraying my ammonia solution on slugs,as we've had a lot of rain lately. I just enjoy the serenity of it,unless my neighbor cranks up a chain saw,or leaf blower! It's just a nice peaceful place to be. Phil

I just made my new hosta bed last spring. Everything has survived the move, thankfully. When I'm out there, along with my notebook, I weed first. I've been doing that for the past 3 days, between rains. I also make a note of how things are growing (not the weeds) & any problems. Is Whirlwind always so slow to come up? Mine is just starting to poke up through the soil. Most of the others are between 4-8" by now. I like to watch the birds and be on the lookout for the garter snakes. Can't help it, I hate snakes! I don't kill them, I just go sit on my bench til they are gone. When they don't find a meal, they don't stay long. Another thing I do is make notes of what plants I can move in to complement what hosta, i.e. heucheras, coleus, impatiens etc. My hostas themselves won't be moved for another few years. I also make plans for my seating area. I had wanted to plant shrubs on either side of it but the trees are in the way so anything I do plant will have to go into a container. Maybe some year I'll actually be finished, you think? Marg

It is just me and my garden and the task at hand. Everything else is forgotten. It is tranquil and all the traffic sounds fade into the background.(I live along a state highway) I am zoned into what I am doing with my hostas and until I finish I am in my own little world. I create new beds and perfect combinations of hostas and companion plants in my head. Ofcourse that's where most of the plans stay! It's when the task is finished that the 'outside' comes crashing back. Aches and pains, stiffness,trucks jake braking for the stop light down the road, husband wanting dinner etc..

Gardening is my theropy and hostas are my passion at this time in my life.

Happy Hosta Gardening.

Connie

I'm enjoying this thread and everyone's response.
When I'm in my garden it's not just hostas but all kinds of plants, everything, it's my time off, private time to zone out and let my mind wander. I tend to notice what combinations of plants are looking really nice, what ones never had their picture taken, what might do better with more light, etc. While I don't talk to plants (not out loud anyway) I do hear them. I know that my garden is not really mine so I appreciate the beauty in nature and realize it's only temporary.

Joebar your post was very touching and sounds sincerely from the heart. I'm glad you find joy in your oasis--a glass of fine wine in the garden is bliss :-)

This is me - The most serious gardening I do would seem very strange to an onlooker, for it involves hours of walking round in circles, apparently doing nothing. --Helen Dillon

Paul

Pual,
Ditto!
Denny

Marg,the garden is never really finished. It is always a work in progress. And yes,Whirlwind is always late coming up here,also. Of course,everything is up here already. Phil

One thing I love about gardening, not just hostas, but gardening in general, is when wildlife uses something I planted. It can be a bird nesting or landing, waiting it's turn at a feeder. A snake was taking a nap one day about 4 feet up in a yew. Occasionally a turtle will wander through. This year I had a Mallard have 13 babies in one of my beds. These things make my efforts feel special to me.