Absolutely--I drive by a rental house, that stands empty right now for months and it has a glorious mound
of 'Antioch', although its an oldie in the hosta line-ups, I've wanted one for awhile.

I would call the owner if I knew who it is! There's not even a rental sign out front--just an obviously empty
home!

It's the only thing of interest on the property, between two arborvitae, at the bedroom end of the house.
Surely, they wouldn't want it if I offered to buy a huge hunk of it--maybe?

I think we all secretly wish we could show up in the middle of the night with a shovel and "rescue" an under-appreciated plant sometimes.

Perhaps the owner of that rental home appreciates the hosta. I don't get why it being a rental home means that it's any less appreciated, unless you mean that rental tenants don't appreciate landscaping plants. If there were rental properties around my home, I'd appreciate nice landscaping or plants there as opposed to an empty landscape.

There's a non-rental down the block with a lowly hosta in the owners front yard and nothing else. Drives me crazy, and every time I drive by I think about how I'd landscape his property. I was considering offering him some more of my own hostas next year when I make room for new hostas. I have three mature albo marginatas I'll be "ditching" next year, free to a new home.

I have lived in rental houses, and I know friends of mine that do, and they do plant things and have lovely gardens. Just being a rental house doesn't mean nobody cares.

And yes, hey_j I have an older hosta that I recently narrowed down as being Antioch. It's a wonderful plant! Kind of reminds me of my Montana but not so big and white edges. I figured it out only because it came from the nursery where I worked in the 80's and 90's, and it was one that was in their hosta selection--I still have a plant list--that matched the description. (I still have a few others that I can't quite identify, tho)

You can generally tell when a hosta is not cared for. The ones at this house have grass grown up to them which never gets pulled. They are mowed around. The house always has junk and garbage everywhere and is usually up for rent every few months. A long ago tenant planted 3 hostas. Ocassionaly a new tenant will put in some annuals but the tenant is gone shortly. It is a slum rental unit. The owner will rent to anyone.

I am tortured by a few gigantic hostas growing at an abandoned landscape and garden center here in my town...The entire garden is overgrown by weeds now after a few summers of nobody caring for it.

You can usually tell a rental by the landscape - 0 to 4 shrubs that should have been dug and tossed years ago, so to see a hosta or two is encouraging.

Amazing on how we focus..... Out driving with my DW and Daughter - whenever I see a house with a lot of hosta - my comment is usually, "they must be good people they have lots of hosta"..... I often couldn't tell you what the house looked like. They chide/tease me about my comment whenever they see a house with a few hostas......but, they just don't realize yet that I'm right.

Paul

My only reason for mentioning it as a 'rental house', is that the op question begged for it AND
because I don't really have a way of contacting the owner (that I've come up with) to ask if they'd sell me a nice chunk of the 'Antioch'! I dare not ask an inhabitant because they might say 'yes', and take the money not caring what the real owner would want done!

It's also mentioned as 'rental house' because in this instance as is most that are rh's in our neighborhood, only the minimum they can get away with doing is done as far as landscaping. Makes me mad, cause the house right across the street from us, had been owned by a friend who took very good care of her landscaping and really loved her yard but now---don't EVEN get me started....

Today I drove by a corner lot with nice mounds of junipers and other conifers, but all were full of grass, I hated to look at that, but some people do not take care or can not take care of their landscape. Perhaps the owner is sick and old, other people have no interest, and there is no money to hire a landscaper to clean up the place.

This could happen to many people and their gardens when they get old or sick. Today I also noticed how fast weeds grow, could have cleaned the bed a few days ago, and there they are again. Probably my yard would look like a real disaster should I be in a hospital from April to July. Things can happen!
Bernd

FrankNJim, if you are serious about a division or the entire plant itself, why not leave a note for the landlord in the door (I'm sure it would make it back to the landlord in time) and ask if you can swap some of your own divisions for his/her specimen?

I am serious, I want the whole clump. I will wait until the house is empty again, which will be in the next month or two, and I will get the landlords number off of the For Rent sign to give him a call about making a trade. A tree in that empty front yard will improve the value of the house more than a hosta will.

I know the tenant would sell me the hosta but that wouldn't be right since they don't own it.

A few years ago, my daughter drove me past an abandonded house, with the most beautiful garden you could ever imagin,with a

sunken,secret garden,and at least 200 HUGE HOSTA,all different
A wonderful old bird bath,with meandering trails,through out, old bricks layed along the paths, and even had a cement pond,I could just see it in my minds eye, how it looked in it's day,and how it could look once again.Some one has moved in, but the gardens are still un-loved,so sad.I want to get in there and weed it, and bring it back to its day of glory.
Some people just can not see the beauty in a garden,perhaps to much sadness in their life,or they are not tuned into gardening.
If you can rescue the hosta,do so,I can't get this garden out of my mind,matter of fact, last month, when I went up for a visit, we drove past the house once again,I just wish SOMEONE, would love it, and bring it back to life.
cAROL

I bet if one offered to clean up a garden for an elderly or disable person, one could harvest some nice plants to bring home as part of the deal...would be win-win for both parties.

Oh cAROL--that is my nightmare--that when I die ALL the work I've expended these past 8 years especially and the past two when it has been most difficult for me, will just not really be valued or appreciated by anyone else! I sat on my bench in my 'secret garden' this afternoon, with my feet dangling and now able to 'touch', with the brick chips I filled in with and thought that very thought. Those chips will be there long after I'm gone and I wonder if anyone will think about the love that was put into putting them (and ALL the rest of it) in place to get the 'feel' I wanted to have! I've even created two dry-creek beds this year! It was depressing, to think that--and I'm not normally one to be depressed! But then, I looked around and thought, "Well, I LOVE it, and if no one else ever does, it's enough I am blessed to have what time I'm allowed to enjoy it so much!"

hey-j..."Well, I LOVE it, and if no one else ever does, it's enough I am blessed to have what time I'm allowed to enjoy it so much!"

Well said!

Jim, why not ask the renter for the landlord's #? I really hope you get that hosta. This story will end well...I have a feeling.

cAROL and Janice,

You may have heard this old saw:

When asked, "How long will a garden last? The answer, "About three years after the gardener leaves."

No matter though. We garden for the pleasure it brings us and others while we garden. I imagine that after I leave my place the next owner may take out the trees, regrade the back yard and put in a pool.

Mark

When people see my front yard they know I am nuts. Not a blade of grass in sight. There is one other house in the neighborhood that comes close but they have a much bigger yard and they still have grass. I have one last place to plant out behind the garage. 12'x24' that won't be visible from anywhere. I'll move a bunch of my mature hostas to back there so I can plant new things out front and have a secret garden out back.

I think it would be nice, to have a "Free" hosta, you dig, and fill in each hole,if I have the luxury of knowing when I will be leaving this great earth,start the younger generation with as many hosta as they like.
When we sold our last home, the young girl across the street( but old enough to know better ) came during the night one night, and dug up every thing I had planted, and did not fill in the holes, you just never can tell what people will do.
My daughter has a large collection , so she can't take any more, no more room,since I sell hosta, she always gets one of every thing I have,lol
All we can do, is enjoy what we have, while we still can, Janice, I can see you sitting and thinking, what a nice picture in my mind, enjoy!
((((((((((( pictures coming soon )))))))))))))),?
cAROL

I had a realtor tell me that landscaping doesn't necessarily increase the value of a property because some people aren't interested in the upkeep.

He obviously isn't a gardener.

I can't imagine the thought of someone purchasing my home without any appreciation for the landscaping.

I'm losing a little bit more lawn this year. It takes about 5 minutes to mow the back yard. Next year it will probably be 4. LOL.

I hope you get that hosta you are vying after.

You could go to your city/town office and have them look up the owners name and address of the rental property.

Owner's name and address is probably on-line. Most states have adopted laws that require property tax information be accessible by the internet.

Gesila

I "rescued' more than a half dozen Lancifolia from the house next to mine. My neighbor is relatively young and has cancer and cannot work. "The" bank foreclosed on the house. The property is unkept and the city postedt a weed-law warning on the front door. The fact is no one seems to know what bank holds the papers.

I have areas I hate to mow and when Jerry had moved a bunch of Lancifolia from his Mom's a couple years ago he had 6 extra which he gave me. I have them along a steel shed on one side, and I no longer have to weed-eat there. We visit occasionally so I talked to him one morning and asked him if he wanted his hostas-and he said no. So I rescued 8 of them, leaving more than 20, and would like to take more.

I feel guilty, but I know when it is resolved about what to do about the property it is highly likely the cleanup crew will chop and mop, or the building will be leveled along with the plantings.

I drove paat my Arkansaas gardens a few years ago and the new owner had back-hoes and Bobcats parked where my beautiful gardens used to be. It broke my heart. I am on the list of "free hosta, you dig" and have instructed my girls to do so - after they take what they want.

Les

I have a neighbor just up the hill from me,who has never planted a single plant of any kind in the 11+ years I've lived here. They don't go into their part of the woods,or anything! I know the woman who lives there says she likes my garden,because they can see it from their property. They are supposedly trying to sell their house,but no luck,so far. If they ever do sell,I'm going to put a bug in the new owners ear about growing hostas in the property adjoining mine. We could put in a little arched bridge over the little creek and continue the hosta garden on their property. I know my current neighbors would never garden there. As Janice said,I always wordered if we had to sell our home,I would have to ask anyone buying our house if they liked gardening. I couldn't stand it if the garden went to ruin,right after I left! When we left our home in Fla. to move here I had lots of nice plants and trees,(no hostas),but the new owners just destroyed what it took me years to do,and it just made me ill! I don't ever want to go back and see it again! About the seeing a nice hosta at a rental home,I have never seen that,but I have seen hostas growing in vacant fields near a road,and one house we pass all the time has hostas growing in an area by their home that had grass so tall,all you can see is hosta flowers sticking up there thru the grass. They look like Undulata flowers,and they are no big deal,but at least they could weed!! Phil

If we ever sell this house, I will dig and pot up every last hosta and take them with me. I have saved hundreds of growers pots from 4" to 30 gallon for just such a purpose. I would replace the garden here with foundation plantings and sod. A new owner can create their own garden, this one is mine.

We built a home in 1974 in subdivision with no trees. We planted several trees. After we sold the house.the first owner cut all the bottom branches off of the pines.. even though the trees still healthy. The next owner took down a tree that had grown quite large and shaded the pool. This was also understandable. The current owners have come through and cut all the remaining trees and left the stumps up to 3 feet in height. His wife doesn't like trees.... so why buy this house? I wish I never would see my house again but I have friends on that block.

My brother has a beautiful house on a lake. He took all the landscaping out and cemented the whole back yard. He hasn't been able to sell his house -- I'm sure part of it is the economy, but from comments made by potential buyers is the huge cost in removing all that cement. I guess a new owner may not like our hosta gardens, but they are a whole lot easier to remove than cement!

Gesila

The neighbors next to us purchased the home in the winter when there was snow cover.

As soon as they were in the home and the snow melted, they realized that much of their tiny back yard was a cement slab. The previous owner had moved the garage at one point, leaving the original slab where the garage was formerly positioned. The new owners took a sledge hammer, and painstakingly smashed the concrete to pieces and we helped them haul the remnants to the dump.

What an undertaking.

Never buy a house in the winter. LOL.

"Never buy a house in the winter. LOL."

I agree!! We bought our house in November after all the leaves had fallen and we'd had a couple of snows. The only reference we had to what the yard looked like were realtor pics, which showed a beautiful, park-like setting. What we found next spring was a bunch of overgrown, unkempt gardens with no rhyme or reason to any of them, not to mention land-slidden (is that a word) banks, disheveled edging, virtually no grass, and weeds galore. We surmised that the photos must have been taken at least 5 years prior! It was quite an eye opener!

Karen

I walk past a house every day that had some beautiful mature hostas all along the sidewalk. It was sold as a teardown, and boy do I wish I'd gone and dug all those hostas a couple days before the bulldozers arrived, permission or not. All gone, just mud now.

The key is to stop at the jobsite while the crews are working and speak to the person in charge of the demolition. Ask what they plan on doing with the hostas. You might get them for free or for a few bucks.

"Never buy a house in the winter"

That didn't matter here because...lol...when I started digging one year, I hit a rock just under the grass...I thought.
The "rock" turned out to be a VERY old cement slab to a former garage MANY years (decades?) prior. It looked of course, just like a lawn, completely grown over with grass.
So far, I've left it alone....until I need more room for plants, anyway!