It was funny how he jumped on that red rubber mulch idea with so much enthusiasm. I know he was trying to help me do something once and be done with it, which is a smart way to work when you can do it. It could seem logical to someone who's never thought about building their soil into something plants can thrive in. Jo, no hostas that day. I had to get him outta there fast! Mocc, I can applaud recycling old tires, and playgrounds seem like a good use for this product. There's probably other things it might be good for. Maybe some landscapers like how it spruces up the looks of things fast. We have a new housing tract nearby, and it looks like they used that stuff along the fence line with intermittent shrubs. .....Hey, I thought you were done with your renovations and we'd see more of you here. I hope you're still enjoying your hostas and not having troubles with them.

Hi all! I'm Michelle from Saskatchewan and I'm very new to this forum. Started out searching on the computer for hosta problems and like somebody else said was always directed to this site. For two weeks I just read what people posted and then I decided it was time to join. Everybody on here has been so helpful to me, because I had or maybe still have the dreaded HVX virus. Very disheartening. I've always liked gardening somewhat but was mainly annuals in containers. I have pine trees in my yard and never knew what to do there. We dug a pond and what do you do with all the extra dirt?? Shoved it under the pine trees and decided to make flower beds. That was maybe four years ago. Hostas caught my eye and I bought a few and some ferns and coral bells etc. The hostas have now taken over my life as I can't get enough. I was the kind of person that just bought what looked good at box stores and nurseries here. Now that I caught the darn HVX I will not do that anymore. I am into the collecting of different names now even though I have MANY with no names from the start. I have also learned on here that in my Zone I can plant more hostas in the sun. Annie posted about squishiness and hard to plant far apart, well I am kind of like her too. Ive planted small hostas too close to one another and as they get more mature its obvious I have to move to a new location. Ahhh but its so much fun. I have over 250 hostas in my backyard and still growing with new varieties and hostas I don't have which is many. Love the hostas, love the forum and all the friendly people that have given me great advice.

Whew. It's over and I'm exhausted! I probably had 20 visitors. It was nice to start the day with friends (Paul and his wife) and end the day with friends (tsbccowboy and his sig other). Paul, you are such a great friend.... I cannot believe that you started helping out when you arrived! Thank you soooooo much! And thank you for your kind words. While I didn't get what I wanted to get done, I was pleased with the overall outcome. Pics will have to wait till tomorrow! I'm tired and it's dark

Thanks Teresa, I'm hoping it will be a good experience for me too! Kathie! It was great meeting you too, thanks for all the hard work you do to make the TSHS as successful as it is! I really enjoyed listening to Olga, it was a great meeting to start off with, and I look forward to many more. Its good to see you posting here as well!! Maggiemae, I'm probably one of the few that found the leaf show absolutely fascinating. I had no idea that hostas were that diverse. For me the whole experience was a positive one (loved that sea of leaves in the tiny bottles!!). Although I've been a gardener for years, the show got me started in my love affair with hostas. Again, some of the greatest joys in our lives wouldn't be had if we isolated ourselves due to all the frustrations we encounter. You know along with the "lovelies" in life there are a lot of "nasties" out there, and as hard as it is sometimes, I just try to shower everyone with kindness. Life is too short, and in the grand scheme of things, its all about people, not hostas. In many ways people are like hostas, some of us can be neglected and grow on the driveway, but others of us need some coaxing and TLC in order to reach our full potential...some of us don't pass the 10 foot rule, some of us do. Put us all together and we make a beautiful tapestry in this thing called life. Not everyone is going to like me, and that's okay, I just need to be as kind to others as I am to my hostas.