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New England Gardening

New Hampshire Hostas nursery - anyone been there?

17 years ago

While purusing the Net for hosta plantaginea (thanks to postings I saw elsewhere in NEG) I found this nursery.

They are located in South Hampton. Has anyone been there or ordered from them? The selection on their website is enormous and it would be nice to buy from a relatively local place for a change.

narcnh

Here is a link that might be useful: NH Hostas

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Comments (10)

arbo_retum
17 years ago
hah, i thought you were referring to mason hollow nursery in mason nh! their web sight is great and i'm looking forward to going there sometime this yr.someone posted about them last year- very positively. you might repeat this thread on the Hosta forum and get good response.
best, mindy
nottaclue2
17 years ago
I will be heading down that way later today... Not the route I usually take, but not out of the way. If I can convince DH to stop in, I will let you know what I find. Since I have virtually no knowledge of hostas, is there anything, specifically that you would like to know?
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narcnh
Original Author
17 years ago
mindy:

Yeah, I should post over on that forum, but I figured that there were more than a few 'Hosta Heads' on NEG for whom it would be a local nursery, so gave it a shot. :)

nac:

From their website it looks like they have a nice selection. I'm just curious about the quality, size, etc. Be careful, once you see all the varieties, you might end up taking a few home.

Thanks!

narcnh
nottaclue2
17 years ago
Like I said, I don't have the "hosts head syndrome", BUT... I already have my eye on one that I saw on the website!!! LOL "Krossa Regal"... It is listed for only $6.95, and it gets HUGE! I assume that is a good price?!?
narcnh
Original Author
17 years ago
That's a decent price, about what you'd pay at an on-line nursery, like Bluestone. Without the added shipping, it's a better deal.

As a point of reference, several years ago I paid over $10 at a local nursery for a single golden leaf variety, whose name I've long since forgotten. It was in a good-sized pot, and I divided it into thee clumps, so it wasn't too big of a hit. When I moved three years ago, they were among the few plants I dug up and took with me. They have survived the past three years on the south side of my house, getted fried to a crisp each summer. I just moved them to the north side of the house, where I think they will be much happier.

narcnh
borninmaine
17 years ago
I stopped there 3 weeks ago on my way from Rhode Island to Kittery, Me. - It's just a couple of miles off NH Exit 1 on Interstate 95. If you're coming up from the south, it's before the Hampton Tolls. It'a part of Merritt Nursery. They had one greenhouse full of hostas and several others with annuals, etc. Lovely people and reasonable prices.

I got 3 hostas and a collection of various annuals to go into window boxes.
nottaclue2
17 years ago
narcnh, DH and I stopped there yesterday. As borninmaine stated, they have one greenhouse dedicated to hostas, about 2/3 of that are 3-4 inch pots, and the back 1/3 are bigger (maybe 3 gallon) pots. They all looked healthy and there was a good variety. I wasn't as impressed with the shrubs and perennials. They were just OK. We didn't get a chance to look at the annuals, because it started down pouring. I will probably go back at some point, definitely if I am looking for hostas. What I didn't like, about the perennials and shrubs, was that many of them looked like last year's leftovers. I didn't speak with anyone there, besides a friendly hello from the owner (I am assuming).

They seem to have a pretty good rating on Garden Watchdog, as far as orders arriving well packaged and healthy. I am not sure where in NH you are located, but if the shipping cost is close to what you would be spending in gas, I would probably go the online route. If you are going to be in the area, it is worth stopping by for a look. I hope this is helpful.
gregory2327
17 years ago
I bought a bunch from them last year. I think they were just beginning to specialize in mail order hosta and the owner talked to me at legnth about their desire to grow that side of the business.

They had a nice selection at the time and have added many more since then. Some of the plants are small but definitely not Tissue Culture size. They won't even let you take the smallest ones even if you want them. I think it is a matter of being responsible for the product they send to homes which is a good thing.

Greg
User
17 years ago
I just discovered this nursery about four weeks ago. It is only about 15 minutes from my house. It has many of the hosta on my "wants" list and the owner said he is adding another 100 varieties this fall. I have found the plants to be good quality and the prices better than most. Great for Hosta!
lahtay
17 years ago
I went there a couple of years ago and the hostas were
in rough shape. It sounds like things might be better, so perhaps I'll go back
I visited Mason Hollow for the first time about a week ago.
I was about 1 1/2 hrs for me, but a nice drive through the country. When I first drove in, I thought I couldn't be in the right place--a dirt driveway with a small "shack" off a dirt road. The plants are all in the back and they are very nice. Lots & Lots of hostas! Really nice owners!
They have a great selection of other shade perennials as well.
I got 2 hostas--'Blue Mouse Ears' & 'El Nino'
2 pulmonaria--'silver shimmers'
1 polemonium reptans--'Stairway to Heaven'
3 brunnera--'Langtrees'
I could have bought lots more, but I managed to control my CHAD somewhat!

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