Ok.. wow. I just looked them up a bit more and I have to say I have NEVER seen anything like this. They seem to be quite happy where they are so maybe I'll experiment next year too! One thread said that everything is edible. Do you have to cook the stalks or do you just chop them thin?

Okay--reporting back the results, so far, of my extreme measures taken in eradicating 'Southern Blight' on several of my hosta! The one-eyed crown I removed from the 'Golden Sculpture', unearthed and removed all leaves, cutting the crown back severely, and soaked in a bleach solution for an hour and then changed off the water every two days--is doing great! The remaining eyes, in the original pot show no evidence of the 'blight', with that eye removed! I did spritz full-strength bleach on the soil surface of those left in the pot, as well. So far, the one-eyed crown is producing 5 additional eyes and three of them are already sending up leaves. So far there is no sign of the 'blight' on this one, (these eyes) either! Now--the 'American Icon' that I also dealt with severely, and did not unpot, but in this case I just sprayed straight bleach on the base of the petioles, and surrounding soil, and left it on for a couple of mins. before pouring on a good amount of water--so far, so good! I've also sprinkled corn meal on the soil surface and watered it in well! The 'S&S' and 'Titanic' I treated in the same way and also have added corn-meal fairly heavily and watered in--so far, so good! Lost almost all the petioles and eyes on those, but one eye (that was decimated) is sending up a small leaf! They did get repeated straight bleach sprayings after pouring on the 10% solution seemed to not be working! The 'Alex Summers' planted in a raised bed--I removed on Thursday and also removed all the soil and soaked over-night in a 10% bleach solution--I have rinsed and soaked a couple of hours in plain water and potted them up, divided with cornmeal also heavily applied. Every leaf is turning a bright orange! On the one pot of 3 eyes I have just, today, cut the petioles back severely. I've left them planted to see what comes of it! The other two eyes are potted and I'm letting them play out the dying off of the leaves, in hopes they will also reflush! I started out with one eye of this one, from Hosta Direct, and had 5 eyes this year--3 summers later!!! I really am not very hopeful about those two! The roots looked so fragile when I removed them from the bleach water!! I've also done the same thing with another hosta that has shown the nematodes--my 'Maui Buttercups'!!!! I'm just sick about that one, especially! I started out with one eye two summers ago, and now I had three this year! It was looking so good! I also dug it up yesterday--removed all the soil, all leaves (cut them to the crown) and separated all three eyes and soaked them overnight in bleach water! They, too, looked fragile this morning! I've potted them up--set them apart from all other planting areas and will keep a close eye on them for a couple of years. I did test a leaf in the water, (that was also soaked in bleach last night) as I do with any nematode infestation and there seemed to be no 'nematode' life evident, today! How far reaching was the bleach in effectiveness on the nematodes, remains to be seen. And, will the hosta in both situations, having been soaked overnight in bleach 8-10%, survive and thrive--will also remain to be seen! Oh, I got the idea to bleach for nematodes from 'Pietre'! :o) I'll keep you posted--whether you want to know or not! ;o/

Congrats! Doesn't it feel good and comfortable when thoughts and imagined images finally fall into place? That range corner looks primed for some real drama. We await the ideas for it. It's not too late to insert either side of the range in your plan... a carved wooden oversized salad spoon and fork set, ...or a macrame plant hanger, ...or a gingham check teddy bear and white goose wallpaper border. But then, I suppose you will be impertinent enough to come up with your own idea.

Well, 'Catalonia' is certainly handsome -- congratulations -- as is 'Condesa de Santiago'. I am a total sucker for gold/yellow reverses on orange petals. There is something to be said for vigor on own roots with this group. I loved the flowers of 'Duquesa de Penaranda', but the plant just would not get going for me (4 years of staying virtually the same tiny size), and was eventually killed by ants, of all things. 'Gruss an Coburg' is pretty vigorous -- bush in photo below, taken today, is 6' tall, own-root, and I cut it back regularly. Another great one is 'Etoile de Feu' (about 3' after 3 years) but it is quite susceptible to blackspot -- photos below from later in a previous season, as it is currently "indisposed" due to rampant blackspot (though blooming, as always, like a champ). I have a found rose, apparently a Pernetiana, "Lundy's Lane Yellow", that is very vigorous on its own roots (goes to 7' in a season) and hardly susceptible to blackspot at all, it seems. Sadly out of commerce and not quite in bloom yet -- I am planning to do a "study" of it on HMF when it is ready -- a very worthy rose. P.S. Pernetiana fever is a good thing -- they deserve some attention! 'Gruss an Coburg', today: 'Etoile de Feu', June 2014: Now deceased, 'Duquesa de Penaranda' 2013 (the flowers were large, 5.5"-- ridiculous on such a small bush)