Billbergia vittata cv I believe. HTH Chris

I have several Hostas in my gardens and the only mature one that produces seeds is the Yellow River. One of the younger ones I grew from seed in 2006 produces a white flower and seeds. I don't know the parents but all those babies have blue foliage. I would think it would be quite difficult for Hostas to re-seed. The seed would fall on all of that dense foliage and it probably would not come into contact with soil to germinate. It would probably rot in between all those wet leaves over the winter. I sowed Hosta in my first year of winter sowing. My records show I sowed them on April 5, and that year I used those berry containers, not realizing they were not deep enough and I had to water every day. I did not keep records of germination dates in those days, but I do not remember them coming up that late. But then maybe some are easier than others to germinate. You may want to collect the mature seeds and throw them under the leaves in the fall. Maybe that would be the way to get volunteers.

Also read Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening"; it's basic common sense for home veg gardens and excellent for beginners. Search in this forum for 'lasagna' since soil is the first and most important component of any garden. Also search for 'new beds'; there has been quite a lot of information already posted. Read the FAQs (click the tab at the top of this page). Believe the tip that says "start small." Gardening can be like walking into a Chef's Expo - you won't get overstuffed (or overwhelmed) if you take your gardening in very small bites. Plan. You don't have to follow the plan, but the act of thinking out what you want and what steps will be required to get what you want, will help prepare you for the reality of accomplishing those steps. If you like formality, you probably won't like cottage gardens [and vice versa], so think about what you are comfortable with when you plan. Don't fib to yourself. If you can't comfortably lift a 25 pound bag of groceries, don't try to lift a 30 lb rock. If you only have Saturday mornings free to play in the garden, don't attempt to do a full day's work in that one morning -- first, it can't be done; and second, it's frustrating to fail. Gardens provide lots of other opportunities for frustration, you don't need to invent any. You will find almost everything takes two to ten times longer than you expect; and until you've built up the appropriate muscles, most gardening activities are going to be physically tiring, so go easy on yourself. Dream. We all do, and some of us actually manage to make our dreams reality. Most of us don't, and that's okay because sometimes the dream is just a guideline, and the detours we take make the result even more interesting. Enjoy. Make a point of walking your area every day or two; just to look (altho as you age, jotting notes in a small notebook is darned helpful to remember what you saw; in fact it's helpful even to young'uns -- it's shocking how fast you will forget just which plant looked good when). Make another point to sit back and do nothing but look around for at least a half-hour every week. You'll find those weeds or mis-placed plants which irritate you when viewed up close often blend in very nicely when viewed from a distance - and if they don't, you'll be rested and ready to move them. Sitting time is also a good time to dream, maybe about putting in paths, or a birdbath, or a shrub that blooms in a particular season, or a way to use vegs in the floral border. Whatever, gardening is meant to be enjoyed.

Pilea pumila, aka Clearweed or Richweed. Synonymous with Adicea pumila.