Hosta Choice - Second Season Stars
Comments (51)
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoFruit Punch
From my second order (mid season). This one really stands
out like a bright beacon in the spring and the soft, wavy edges ... well you
get the picture!2015
2016
I could easily get drunk taking in this one!
BC
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoSky Dancer
2015
This one came with my final order in August. I considered purchasing it a few years ago,
but eventually opted for Flemish Sky (another fabulous mid-sized blue). The leaves on
this plant displayed great character as they unfurled.2016
BC
Related Discussions
My Red Bed - Second Year ( *9 photos*)
Comments (97)My thanks to both the creator of this bed and the person who brought the thread back up. I am so inspired that I immediately thought of a place in our yard for a red bed, and we'll be starting it tomorrow! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wish you the best gardening year ever. One note about the castor bean, for people who are just learning about it--it's not just sort of poisonous, it's very poisonous. So take care where you put it, to keep children and pets safe. Off to make an inventory of all my red plants and seeds! Jennifer...See MoreSecond Year For My Bare Roots
Comments (22)I didn't mean to write an "article" - but I guess I have. If you aren't interested in how marketing of hostas happens - and how it has changed - just skip this entry. It got kind of long. I used to get a lot of bare root in wholesale... sometimes they were independent crowns grown out in fields to 2 or 3 eye sizes. Occasionally they were divisions from larger plants. The sources for these bare root were two... the wholesalers were growing some of them here in North America. Others they were getting from the very efficient growers in Europe, particularly in Holland. Holland is so far north that you can line hostas out like corn and grow them in full sun... fast growth, if not particularly handsome growth... perfect to dig in fall, wash to bare root, then package in 25s or 100s in plastic bags and pop into a cooler for shipment later. I remember one year in the late 90s getting 25 Gold Standards for $.95 a crown - and what they were was very large crowns cut into pie wedges, each with about 6 eyes. I crammed them into gallon pots and grew them a while and priced them at $5 - and got stuck with over half of them. I planted a big ring around our coffee deck and sold divisions of them for years afterwards as I cleared them out for more select plants. I still use them as a source for HVX free Gold Standards. In the past decade or two, this older model of hosta marketing has largely faded out. Big wholesalers like Walters have continued to offer some common varieties as field-grown divisions that will be shipped bare root, but far more common are tc, or tc that are grown one season and potted into 3" or 4" pots and shipped that way. Almost all the more sought-after hostas are coming that way. It is one of the ways they are controlling HVX... tc moved directly into sterile soil-replacement material and then moved up to larger small pots and grown for shipping. This approach moved the production from outdoor growing, with all the iffyness of farming... to an indoor laboratory/greenhouse production chain - much easy to control and preditc and monetize. Again, many of the gallon pots with one or two eyes you are buying, though not bare root, were bought by your retailer in early spring in a small pot, repotted and grown a month or three in a gallon pot, and put out on the rack to sell to you. I've seen a great decline in the size of plants you can expect from mail order retailers... and even many of the potted plants in greenhouses. The plants are often younger and may have never been outdoors in their lives. This is a result of the newer production method, concentrating on cloning them in tissue-culture. If you want to do mail order from established nurseries, I'd encourage you to support the ones who take a lot of the risk upon themselves. For example, many folks here say good things about Hallsons. (Full disclosure - I consider Chris and Brian friends and did visit their nursery and home in 2009.) I was impressed at Chris' commitment to not sell young plants. He puts them out in rows in real dirt and grows them. If they are not true to type, he roughs those out. Sometimes this means throwing away a lot of hostas. From his listings, his first alphabetically is Abba Dabba Do at $8.50. You might find some cheaper... and you will certainly find more expensive ones... but he also adds: "Plant Size: 3rd year, uncut field grown plant shipped bare root " That is very important information. You know those plants survived two Michigan winters in the ground. I'm not trying to market Hallsons. Many smaller nurseries do the same and some other national retailers also grow plants in the ground. An alternative approach... Q&Z (Mark Zillis and family) is a major hosta wholesaler, and they tc many hostas. They sell a lot of tc 'liners' but they also sell something they call a "Retail Ready" hostas... plants about a year old in 4" pots that can be repotted into half gallon or gallon pots and sold the same season. Nothing wrong with a retailer using these - but the prices should reflect the youth of the plants. I won't even get into the people marketing tc plants in retail on eBay and such. You have to know if your expertise makes it worth growing tc plants that are cheaper, but far more vulnerable. I think a lot of people are seduced by the low price - and a lot of baby hostas die each winter. My sales each year (I don't hold sales any more, so I'm not marketing myself, either!) were a mix of divisions from my plants, plants I'd lined out a year or three before, and then some younger plants and recently potted tc for people really looking for something special. Often when I could get a few tcs of the brand new stuff the first year, I'd sell those to collectors. So you can find field grown plants, occasionally, in local nurseries and by mailorder. More commonly, the nursery plants that are over a year old were wintered over in their pots in unheated greenhouses or outdoors or in refrigerated units. Very few folks have the time to plant them out for the winter, then dig and repot in the spring. If I had a choice, I'd always go for a filed-grown division... in person or from a mailorder place. Minnesota winters are tough... not the ideal place to find out if a greenhouse-grown plant can adapt to an outdoor environment. You can ask retailers how they handle their plants before ordering. Don't expect them to be very forthcoming about their wholesale sources (though you can tell a lot from the tags... each wholesaler sells different kinds of tags if the retailer wants to purchase them.) But they should be willing to tell you they grew it from tc, or bought a 1 yer old plant from some source... and how they grew it on after that. My fingers are tired... I'll quit here......See MoreDo you Second-Guess/Regret Your Rose Choices?
Comments (42)Ingrid, I second guess myself all the time. If I have room in my garden and choose a plant on-line (I rarely go to nurseries--they are known for their lack of variety and hardly any roses), I wonder, before and after I order, did I do the right thing, should I have bought this one instead, will it do well in my garden under harsh circumstances, will it look and grow the same, etc., etc., etc. I also tend to push the envelope a bit as well. Who else, where it is hotter than Hades in the summertime, grows raspberries and has great flushes of them (in a drought stricken area as well!). So at least I am adventurous when it comes to the plant world. It is probably a good thing I don't have a bigger yard. Lord only know what you would find me growing in there. One lesson I learned early on, the definition of a weed. A weed is ANY plant that grows where you don't want it to. That has helped me get rid of plants and not think too much afterwards. Each plant and whether or not it does well, is taken as another of life's lessons....See MoreWhat is your second obsession?
Comments (33)Wow, what beautiful pics everyone! I too love daylilies and lurk over on the daylily forum. Don't post there much because I don't have that many (comparatively speaking lol) and folks there seem to propagate and crossbreed daylilies as well. I'm not that advanced yet. I just like to look at the pictures and google to see if I can buy any lol. Speaking of which, sherrygirl (or anyone) if you can tell me where I can get Upgrade or Banshee Whispers I think I must have them! Lindalana your lilies are spectacular. Am I right in assuming you do not have the dreaded red lily leaf beetle out there? I used to grow lilies when I sold flowers at the farmers market, and the last year I sold I got hit with them. They devastated most of my lilies, and the remaining ones in my garden are still being hit by them. Just cut some lilies this evening to bring in and had to remove all the leaves and have to live with holes in the blooms. Luckily they're just for me and not for sale! Also, did I see Orania in one of your pictures? It looks like my Orania, my favorite lily. :) Dee P.S. I also love sedums, especially the groundcover, low-growing types. Adore the swirly little foliage on them! P.P.S. I also once had a rose obsession, but killed more roses than I now own, and finally realized that roses just won't be happy on an acre lot with 50 +/- oak trees. So I have my two or three roses in the precious sun there is and content myself with them. Get my rose thrills over on the rose forum instead....See Morebchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoAs you can see, I did heed my own advice - pressing the shutter on numerous occasions over the past few weeks! I'll close, for now, with a couple of shots showing the three solids above posed together.
BC
Hopefully, others will now jump in with some of their "Second Season Stars."
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada thanked josephines167 z5 ON Canada
stephanie_h12
7 years agoOh beautiful!!
Celtic Dancer and Sky Dancer are simply stunning. Fruit Punch is no slouch either :) Your photos are gorgeous and your hostas are too. :)
April 2015 - this was when I started my garden and I had Sum and Substance planted on this side of the bed.
As you can see, it shrank and I moved it to the front bed along with a new Stained Glass.April 2016 - moved it when it pipped out to it's permanent location. (hopefully)
May 2016
bchosta 8b west coast canada thanked stephanie_h12stephanie_h12
7 years agoFrancee - I know it's dead common but she's so pretty this year and grew so much - I was amazed!
July 2015
May 2016
Blue Mammoth - not looking so mammothy. lol August 2015
April 2016
sherrygirl zone5 N il
7 years agoI added a Sagae spring of 2015 and actually took a picture, something I don't tend to do with new additions. So, here is 2015 and spring 2016.
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoThe Minnesota Mafia - a Hosta Choice, lovely viridescent gold hosta with good substance, elliptical leaves so far and nice clean lines. Glenn happens to love this one and it was his enthusiasm that sold it....besides, I love golds. :D it takes a lot of sun well without scorching and is a bright spot out front.
May 14, 2015 - new and reminded me of a dragonfly with that "tail", lol.
Last October 10th... One of the last to go down but looking great right to the end. That is a piece of Big Daddy to the right in the throes of dormancy.
This spring...don't you just love it when birds photobomb your plants?..literally bomb them? Lol
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada thanked newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
mountainy man z8 Ireland
7 years agoI didn't buy all that many in "15" here are a few then and nows.
Clear Fork River Valley
George Smith
Crispula
Hollywood Lights
Green Acres
Ok thats all that'll fit in one post.
mountainy man z8 Ireland
7 years agoA few more.
Niagara Falls
Some other notables, not all bought last year.
Brother Stefan
Cup of Grace
Frosted Jade
Raspberry Sundae
Paul's Glory
Patriot
don_in_colorado
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAdded on behalf of:
mybrownthumb6b
I purchased this last year. It's only 2 ft wide and about 18" tall, but it is growing at an alarming rate (to me).
H. Sum and Substance
don_in_colorado
7 years agoMoonlight Sonata was the only one I purchased last year. It came up with six eyes as opposed to one when I bought it, so I'm happy : ) I guess I didn't take a pic of it yesterday; this is from May 15th.
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAdded on behalf of:
dgregory_so.cntrl.IL_zone6a
1st full year for Dancing Queen (in holding pot), 5-21-15:
Dancing Queen (spring planted), 5-26-16:
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAdded on behalf of:
Barb Ure Drouillard 6b Canada
Dream Queen May 2015
Today
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoAdded on behalf of:
Barb Ure Drouillard 6b Canada
Stiletto had a good year. As he came from from our Hort Society plant market.
A couple of days ago
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoAdded on behalf of:
ConnieMay (6a - Canada)
Rascal is huge this 2nd year:
Ice Age Trail has beautiful spring colour:
Smash Hit looks a little Bizarre:
sherrygirl zone5 N il
7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agosherrygirl zone5 N il
7 years agoFound a photo of my minis in a pot from last summer. Blue Mouse Ears is taking over! Got some dividing or repotting next spring for sure.
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
mybrownthumbz6
7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoCarolina Sunshine
Also from my first order last year. It was McTavish’s recommendation
here on the forum that initially drew my attention. I wasn’t entirely convinced to
begin with, even after it arrived, but now I’m really glad it finally made the
cut! Again the leaves are somewhat shiny, and the action on the margins always
draws me in…2015
2016
BC
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agoAnother HC hosta, 'Squash Casserole' - a healthy division from HC display plant.
May 14/15
It lived in its pot in the sun...as of July 2015
Today, still in original pot.
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agoAnd another...'Lakeside Dragonfly'
May 14/15
Last July
Today...
mkpearse (MI z6a)
7 years agoTouch of Class (2015)
2016
Dancing Queen 2015
2016
Cathedral Windows (2015)
2016
Risky Business (2015)
2016
mkpearse (MI z6a)
7 years agoJune (2015)
2016
Halcyon (2015)
2016
L. Paisley Print (2015)
2016
Brother Stefan (2015)
2016
Fragrant Bouquet (2015)
2016
Gah, I have too many!
teuth
7 years ago
DelawareDonna Zone 7A
7 years agoIn 2015 I asked myself if I would be willing to spend $75.00 for a revolutionary new hosta from Bob Solberg whose purple (red) petioles blushed into its leaves in the Spring?? Heck, yes!!
20l5
2016 - Early Spring
Lo and behold!
June 1st
The leaves on First Blush are a lot larger then I thought they would be. I'm so happy it survived the frost in early Spring. Hoping for a great display next year!
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
mbug_gw
7 years ago
hostatakeover swMO
7 years ago
ConnieMay ON Z6a
7 years agoThanks for re-posting for me. I referred to the bizarre one as Smash Hit above but that is Forbidden Fruit. This is what it looked like last August - not sure what happened to the wide edges:
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoTequila Sunrise
Jo, here's another taken from Glenn's display garden and sent in my last order. I really like the vase shape created by this one and have seen fabulous examples on the forum promising even better days ahead.
2015
2016
BC
By the way... how is Squash Casserole's sibling?
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI really love the length of the petioles and the expanse of those leaves make a gorgeous canopy of TS, BC! Adore those last two shots! What a stunning hosta.
You are asking about Jujen! :D. I actually took a fresh pic today. The ripples are so lovely and the pale margin is becoming more pronounced. I have it growing in full sun so who the heck knows what colour is the right colour?!
Most of my hostas are nowhere near done unfurling all of their leaves so you can't get the full effect or form yet. Anyway, here is my lovely Jujen. Did I ever tell anyone that I have nieces (sisters) by those names are also Julie and Jennifer? I do! :)
This is the acquisition photo from 2015
Last summer - likes the sun, just like its mama.
I am relieved to have planted it recently. I don't have to worry about roots drying out in a hot plastic pot!
bchosta 8b west coast canada thanked josephines167 z5 ON Canadajosephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agoThe one I was waiting for to emerge was Mourning Dove. It has that muted, powdery blue that is so soft ...and if that isn't enough, the margins on the pointy leaves are a lovely, pale yellow.
May 2015
Recent photo
bchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agosherrygirl zone5 N il
7 years agoDelawareDonna Zone 7A
7 years agoJo, Mourning Dove is a second season knockout for sure!
2015
Delona's smile - makes me smile. This is a lovely small to medium, sun-tolerant hosta with ruffled edges..
Hosta 'Delona's Smile' was named after Delona Shockey and was the gift plant at the 2012 AHS Convention. Delona was vital in helping bring the convention to Nashville. Sadly Delona lost her battle with cancer before the 2012 convention.
2016
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agoSeveral years ago, I read the discussion about the merits of Neptune v Restless Sea v Cutting Edge.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2058796/neptune-restless-sea-cutting-edge?n=13
At that time I decided to purchase the first two in the hope that the latter would one day show up locally and I could make a decision then. Hasn't happened - so last year I added the missing link to my second order from HC.
Cutting Edge
2015
2016
BC
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
7 years agobchosta 8b west coast canada thanked josephines167 z5 ON Canadabchosta 8b west coast canada
7 years agomountainy man z8 Ireland
7 years ago
mkpearse (MI z6a)