New Michigan Hosta Bed - Part 1 - Warning 11 photos included

15 years ago

These photos are a few days old, so things have changed a little since they were taken. Most of the change has been to add additional mulching. Gary and I are both really happy with the way the gardens are turning out. Did I mention that I am well on the way to making a hostaholic out of him? Actually, I believe he's already there and maybe he even knows it :-)

Our new town is full of old houses and lovely gardens. There are lots of native plants and wildflowers growing here, as well as many more cultivated flowers and plants. There are even a lot of hostas! But even with all these gorgeous gardens to look at, people are constantly stopping by and complimenting our new hosta bed when we are out there working. And I'm not talking a few people, I'm talking about maybe a couple of dozen so far. I've had compliments on the old gardens in Minnesota, but NEVER like this. One fellow told Gary that he'd been waiting to catch us in the garden and that we are an asset to the community LOL! A newspaper boy (maybe 10-11 years old) stopped and told me that 'there was just grass here before and then you came and planted all this stuff and now it's really cool!' (I loved that, coming from a pre-adolescent boy!). One couple stopped and stood in the middle of the intersection for a good 5 minutes one night, just looking at the garden. And these are only a few of many. I am absolutely amazed. Sorry I'm rambling....

Anyway, here are wider angle photos of the new hosta garden. I'm going to post a second time with photos of small groups and some individual hostas (to keep this thread from being so image heavy).

Oh, and yes, those are nasty old maples you see there. I'm hoping I have the good luck that lindac has and not the bad luck that ken and others have, growing hosta under them, because these trees literally line the streets here, and they aren't goin' anywhere.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (13)

hostasformez4
15 years ago
You've really been busy! What an improvement for the neighborhood to see and watch grow and mature from boring old grass.

I like.

Connie
dbowemd
15 years ago
Looks like you break a lot of shovels on those maple tree roots.
Excellent use of the space!

Dave
Related Discussions
Photos of new bed and path
Q
Comments (24)
I'm not saying that graceful presentation is somehow contradictory to the display of a correction, far from it. But I do think that the particular style which relies on repetition of plants, etc. may not be the best suited for the purpose. An outstanding collector's garden would rely instead on a pleasing juxtaposition of elements as you mention, and as we see in the scenes from Coenosium Gardens you link to. Thanks everyone for your comments. The initial rock placement is never the final one and and I appreciate specific suggestions. Perhaps I'll start by moving the some of the smaller rocks out from periphery and accumulate them at the bottom of the bed. Moving the discussion onward, here's the list of varieties planted in the new bed (the central ellipse-shaped bed), which is approximately 32’ x 18’. Some I grafted myself, many were purchased over the past several years and maintained in containers, a few are new purchases. 41 plants in all. Groundcovers and perennial material are not in yet. Abies balsamea 'Wolcott Pond' Abies concolor 'Bryce Canyon' Abies concolor 'King's Gap' Abies concolor 'Morton' Abies koreana 'Blauer Eskimo' Abies koreana 'Blauer Pfiff' Abies pinsapo 'Glauca' Abies procera 'Glauca' Abies procera 'Sherwoodii' Acer palmatum 'Murogawa' Acer palmatum 'Tana' Cedrus brevifolia 'Kenwith' Ginkgo biloba 'Troll' Ginko biloba 'Mariken' Larix kaempferi 'Bambino' Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace' Picea glauca 'Eagle Rock' Picea omorika 'Pimoko' Picea omorika 'Wodan' Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl' Picea pungens 'Mint Julep' Picea pungens 'Sharp Cheddar' Picea rubens 'HB' Pinus aristata 'Joe's Bess' Pinus banksiana 'Wisconsin' Pinus densiflora 'Edsal Wood' Pinus flexilis 'Blackfoot' Pinus flexilis 'Comanche' Pinus flexilis 'Damfino' Pinus koraiensis 'Blue Ball' Pinus koraiensis 'Gee Broom' Pinus monophylla 'Tiny Pout' Pinus mugo 'Little Delight' Pinus parviflora 'Billie' Pinus ponderosa 'Mary Ann Haecock' Pinus pungens 'Doughton Park' Pinus strobus 'Diggy' Pinus sylvestris 'Calle' Pinus uncinata 'Baby' Pinus virginiana 'Driscoll' Tsuga candensis 'Jervis' This post was edited by maple_grove on Tue, Nov 11, 14 at 12:24
...See More
top gun hosta - warning....enabling...
Q
Comments (64)
tHANK YOU, jO. yOU ARE A good activity director! This year I'll be ready. And waiting. I'll try to get some of my pictures with 9 seconds of sound uploaded to Flickr later today. The problem with that is, it is my turn to cook tonight. Plus a lot of other things happening today. First off this morning, the USPS delivered a real surprise package which I'll give a feature in a special thread, I mean it is THAT SPECIAL. Then I set about watering the first section of the garden. It was maybe 10 am and already 100 in the shade and I was wet with sweat simply filling the bird feeder and the birdbaths. Then I took a big bag of veggies to the hardware store and saw a hanging basket which jumped in the car with me. I took it home because I had to do a trip to Lowes and needed an empty car. Yes, I got 30 bags of compost/manure, 6 bags of play sand, 3 cement pots on sale, 3 more LED solar garden lights, and 3 yellow blooming milkweeds. It was too hot to unload mid day so now I must wait until after dinner to do it. Once it is out of the car I'll be able to pick up 20 bags of cypress mulch in the morning. That should get all the materials I need to complete the reshaping of the garden floor to better use the rainfall and make the garden paths easy to walk. I know that is off-topic. I just don't want to find another spot right now. Thanks for listening to my rambling. What I meant to say is that Fragrant Dream is a beauty. Eleven yours is certainly in great shape. Please let me know when your fragrant hosta come into bloom. A good number of mine are blooming now, and it is freaking me out....especially the ones with fasciated scapes, big leaves on the scapes. I have ONE seedpod (so far) on 24 Caret Gold with more flowers still to open. Fragrant Dream in late April 2014
...See More
Colorful Mexican Kitchens Part XV11!
Q
Comments (150)
When we were kids we just wore bright colors. They didn't want the parents to be obligated for costumes. I'm talking about in school, not dance class. When I was in Mexico in college and taking dance classes, short skirts were in. That is below the knee but not floor length. And we wore them with plain peasant blouses. No embroidery. Just ribbons on the flounce. I think it was meant as anti-colonial, and to be less quaint. Even though the skirts flirt the same way as the long ones do, they could otherwise have just been stylish skirts of the time. I think I still have mine somewhere. One is turquoise with red and white ribbons and lace. The other is a black and white print with white ribbons. We did really really traditional for one show, and more interesting ones for the other, but it's the traditional ones I remember best. I knew Jesusita En Chihuahua from school but we did the bridge in Mexico. :) And we did the real version of Jarabe Tapatio instead of the one everyone everywhere learns in school. And La Culebra, which is one of my very favorites. And a showpiece to Guadalajara. I don't remember the more intricate, less trite ones though.
...See More
Planing a new hosta bed
Q
Comments (13)
Wish I could say I was an expert, but it's hit-or-miss, then fix-it, for me.... though I do spend quite a bit of time thinking/planning, as oursteelers said. And, I agree with all of the above - you have a good eye for this already. But, here's an article that has some good info about designing with hostas: https://www.finegardening.com/article/designing-with-hostas Another article I read suggested that you design a series of 'vignettes', with some unifying theme - like color. Then repeat those colors throughout the garden in differnt 'vignettes'. And, this isn't about planting multiples, but it's probably good advice from the Hallson website: "Start with a variegated plant. Place a solid on either side..1 of centre colour & 1 of margin colour. On either side of the solids can use the opposite variegated colouring e.g. if that first hosta had a yellow centre then this time choose hostas with green centre and yellow edge. (have fun...break rules...move plants if not pleasing to your eye)." Otherwise, I suggest just looking at lots of pictures online and copy the ideas that look good to you.
...See More
jel48
Original Author
15 years ago
Good one, Dave! Nope, haven't broken a single shovel on the maple tree roots yet. I live in Laurium, Michigan, in the heart of what was once prime copper mining country. There are HUGE rock piles all over the place here... two within 7 miles, easy driving distance on the 4-wheelers. One of them has these rusty old shovels all over the place. We have hauled all the rocks in the borders in from those rock piles and I bring the rusty shovels in with them. Just kind of thought they were cool... it didn't ever occur to me that I might use them as a tool to make people think I work really REALLY hard on these gardens and just wear out all my shovels :-)

Connie, it beats the heck out of boring old grass, doesn't it? Grass being my least favorite ground cover :-)
woodthrush
15 years ago
Super! I love the layout and the center bed. Watch those white tags though. I've found they don't stay in the ground through the winter and the writing fades.
Pam
jel48
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Pam, and yes, I've already run into the problem with the white tags. In the past, I have used copper tubing with a P-touch label on it and that works great. Last fall, I had all these hostas potted up and was moving. I found those plastic labels on sale at Home Depot and bought several dozen of them. I used indelible Magic Marker to mark them. This was a temporary measure to get me through the move and the winter. Over the winter, the marker disappeared from some tags, and many other tags became brittle and broke off. Some even got moved away from the original pot. As a result, that center bed that you mentioned is the "Bed of the Unknown Hosta". There are a few in there that were at the new house... unmarked of course. The rest are ones with broken, blank, or missing plastic tags. I've identified a couple of them since planting, just by process of elimination, but some might never get identified. It's really sad. I would never EVER buy those plastic tags again and would never recommend them to anyone. All of these hostas will get marked with GOOD LONG LASTING markers before snow flies!
mctavish6
15 years ago
You've done a beautiful job. How nice for your neighbors to walk by and be inspired by your garden. I'll bet in a couple years they will all be growing hostas. McT
maryann_____chgo
15 years ago
Good catch, Joyce. . . .Gary! No doubt you have the most unique garden in Laurium. I'm assuming you didn't get my e=mail response to your e-mail? Maybe Copper Country is too remote for cyber-space?
upnort
15 years ago
WOW! I go by Laurium at least twice a year! My daughter graduated from NMU in 02 and I loved the area so much that we still get up there when we can. Im about 3-4 hours away from Marquette, half an hour from Hurley. Ill have to watch for the yard with all the beautifull hostas next trip up nort eh?
upnort
15 years ago
BTW, is that one lonely hollyhock across the street from you? That would drive me crazy looking at that everyday.
Janice
15 years ago
How wonderful, Joyce!! I love your design and I can't wait to see it all in a couple of summers.
I hope you will continue to show us the progress of your new landscaping!!!! I know your neighbors
have to love having you guys in the neighborhood!!!
chevy57red
15 years ago
That is one mighty fine looking bed!!
And now I can say that I am no longer the tundra lady!!

We used to go on a street rod run to Hurley, but that was a few years ago!!
goldedger
15 years ago
You've done a wonderful job, lucky you to get all those nice free rocks. It will be gorgeous when all those hosta fill in. Looks like you live in a lovely old neighborhood.
inlimbo
15 years ago
Oooh - new beds for planting. Am starting my own and can't wait.

Keep posting as they mature!

New Michigan Hosta Bed - Part 1 - Warning 11 photos included

Comments (13)

hostasformez4

dbowemd

Related Discussions

jel48
Original Author

woodthrush

jel48
Original Author

mctavish6

maryann_____chgo

upnort

upnort

Janice

chevy57red

goldedger

inlimbo

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

New Michigan Hosta Bed - Part 1 - Warning 11 photos included

Comments (13)

Related Discussions

jel48Original Author

jel48Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

jel48
Original Author

jel48
Original Author