Thanks, Jo. It seems a spring fever has come upon me, and I spent almost the entire weekend browsing hosta catalogs and reading posts and doing some research about hostahostahosta. So....what else is new with the rest of the forum? Don keeps his garden so perfect, my first impulse is to ask him, "How many gardeners do you employ full time to keep it that nice?" Mine will never be so lovely. Somewhere I seem to remember pictures of the massive construction of curbed bed borders and paved pathways of this garden. THAT is total dedication, and also self-knowledge....Don knows his interest in hosta is a life long affair. I have to admire the garden on all points.

Beautiful, Tim. I especially love your Party Favor x Grey Piecrust hybrids. The Big Mama x OP seedlings you gave me are doing just fine, btw. I'll make sure to get pics of 'em the next time I'm out with the camera. Thanks again for sharing. Don B.

Paul, They are beauties! Here are some from the past two weeks when my southwest hosta bed was in full bloom. I think that they look pretty good considering early emergence, late frost, hail (twice), and lots of bugs this summer. Gold Regal in bloom. L to R: Carnival, Jester, Golden Tiara, Emerald Tiara, Janet, another Golden Tiara, and Shade Fanfare. Turning the corner, same bed from another angle, with Shade Fanfare at center, and in the background (right) a big ventricosa, a fotunei Hyacinthina, and a couple of August Moons. Emerald Tiara in bloom Montana Macrophylla bloom. Golden Tiara blooms. Blue Cadet blooming. Jester blooms. The cardinal is keeping watch over this baby hosta bed with First Frost, Liberty, Deja Blu, and Captain Kirk peeking from behind the impatiens.

I didn't even know about this place and I live just a few miles away over the border in MA. I will be checking this out today. That camellia is impressive! And it is a good reminder of how diverse New England is in terms of climate and zones and how gardeners here navigate and exploit those differences which often change a lot over fairly small distances.