Wow Karin, what a cheery sight for you. I will not see pips for over 2 months. Sigh...

The other pots are still frozen. Minuteman has a more protected place and got not so wet in winter. I was outside for two hours and did some rearranging of the pots and it was cold, but nice :-)

Wow, it's nice to see pips. I think I have to wait my pips almost 3 months. I just must enjoy your pictures meanwhile spring finally comes to Finland.

Saija

Karin, congrats! Holy Hostas! Lucky you to welcome those bright purple pips so early.

I'm a pip-counter and I can hardly wait. I have to sit at my desktop first (maybe twice a year), update my list with new 2016 acquisitions and add a 2017 column. Print off my alpha-pip-counting-list and I'm ready to go!

Hurrah for Minuteman! It's so exciting to see the first hosta emerging. That means there is more to come soon!

Pip-counting, Jo? Maybe I will do that one day when I'm retired. It's interesting to keep track of the growth of the 'Sorgenkinder'. At the moment I'm only happy about those first signs of spring and covered minuteman's pips with a bit of grounded coffee, because cold is announced for next week.

Josephine: I also count pips :) And my list is already waiting (I have already printed it) . I use Google drive sheets. I'm really excited and maybe little bit crazy. So many days until I can count anything.

Saija

Saija, that's a great idea with Google Drive! I use Google photos already, but never thought about checking out all other Google apps. So I can spend this rainy Sunday with a little bit of organising:-)

I have in Google many different hosta lists: ABC list, hostas in age order, pips list ........ I just like to keep track of my hostas :)

This year I must take much more pictures. I thought I had enough pictures taken last year, but I really didn't have. Many hostas were not photographed at all. I must organize better this year.

When I started with some unknown hostas from a friends garden, I was unorganized...Now that I'm really addicted I'm also keeping track of my new ones. It was too hard to get names for all that NOIDs. That will not happen again:-) I have lists in excel on my computer and pics are in different files. But with Google I can take the tablet outside and organize directly. Thanks again, this is opening a new perspective of track keeping for me :-)

Saija, thank you for the tip - I am curious about the Google drive. I just created my own tables which is quick and easy for me but like you, I have varied lists. It's nice to look back to when you first purchase a hosta, then compare its pip growth from year to year. It affords me time to plan relocation of other surrounding plants when a hosta is reaching maturity and I don't want to move it. Because of lack of gardening space, I tend to crowd my plants and inevitably have to move some.

Karin, even though Minuteman was in a more sheltered area, is this the earliest you have had pips come up in pots?

Jo, last year I started to take pictures beginning of April and the pips were already out a little bit. I haven't checked as often as I will do this year :-) I think the first started around mid/end of March. But then I did not have so many in pots...

No other pots show signs of life, some are still frozen. I don't know why Minuteman was so early. It was a total surprise and I only looked because Bruce and Denis mentioned that MA has pips. So I went to check mine...

The garden still looks so empty, but I sat in the midday sun for 10 precious minutes, then it started to get a little bit cold :-)

Aaah, mid day sun can be so soothing outdoors in winter... Your gardens are certainly nicely organized. C'MON SPRING!!!

Saija - I also use Google Drive Sheets. I love Google Drive for organizing all kinds of documents. I have a folder for recipes, gardening, and other categories. These are great because 1.) they're easy to use; and 2.) they are accessible on my iPhone app. So, I'm going to the store and wonder what's in the recipe I want to make -- I can see it with the app. I guess you could also just go through Google on the phone, and log-in. When I'm at work I can just log-in on my computer there and see everything on my Drive.

I recently started organizing my plant info in Sheets - which is a lot like Excel, but maybe a little easier and more intuitive to use. I inserted a "sum function" so it adds up the prices of the hostas I want to buy. Yikes! The list keeps getting longer... and more expensive!!!

Windymess: It's the best thing with google drive, that everything is always available what ever device you are using.

I also have lists where are my hosta orders and hosta prices. I think here in Europe and in Finland hosta prices are lower than yours. But maybe ours have less pips and are smaller.

Saija

I have about 15 started to come out. It is not big growth and some maybe just one leaf. My hostas, who hate me, are screwed up as I have had maybe 20 minutes of truly cold weather. It will be an interesting year,

Today I noticed that Blue Angel has pips, too:-) 20 minutes of cold weather? Paula, isn't that also a joke? Don't give up, maybe they adjust some day to the tropical temperatures in Florida.

Wow, Certainly not hosta weather here in BC this year. There is even snow in Victoria and Vancouver. Really nasty weather . I might be in May this year. ha ha

70 here in Colorado the next two days. No snow!

Here in Finland is now very cold, nights are -20celsius (- 4F ) and days -15celsius ( 5F ), but we have very little snow. It gets little warmer few days, but then again cold. Usually we have lots of snow, maybe we get snow in march or april. That would not be suprice, that's finnish weather. But luckily I can admire all your spring hostapictures then.

Faye, that is the most snow I've seen in BC! Looks like Ontario! Brrrrr

Jo, It has been a nasty year for sure but on the positive note it will replenish the water table for our fields and well and give our hosta a wonderful start in the spring.

I'd love to have this wonderful tree in my garden!

Karin,,,,Did you mean the Weeping Willow? It is a really messy tree but sure gives loads of shade. They grow very fast if they are given lots of water. Where are you located? Too bad you are not close as they root so easy from a branch stuck into a bucket of water. Corkscrew willow are also easy to start from a branch .

Yes, I love the Weeping Willow. It would grow here easily, but I have not enough room for it. Your's is so big and beautiful as the one I remember from my childhood days. The branches went down to the river and we were playing and hiding between them...The good old days, you know...But you are right, the small leaves make a total mess in fall...but during summer it is gorgeous, especially on windy days...all that movement and life...But I will at least plant a corkscrew willow this year and I hope my small Japanese maples have survived the winter, they will be fun,too.

Here's my first picture. But oh dear - Purple Heart has turned into snowdrops...

Cicely, I bought Purple Haze last year. It will be the first time that I see it in spring. Also Grey Ghost...I hope both survived the winter, it will be exciting to watch all my new ones grow...

Good news about Coconut Custard:-)...Is spring always that early in North Carolina? Here it is still freezing cold and that is quite unusual. I only found some snowdrop and crocus pips when cleaning the garden yesterday. They are late...

No, this is normal weather for New Orleans, my hometown, where hostas won't grow. In North Carolina, my current home, this is a month to six weeks early.

Of course, it was a beautiful spring day in the garden. The bugs are already out, I got bit and sunburned because of no shade. The winter bloomers are trying to catch up with the spring bloomers. I'm thrilled that it is too cold someplace. Because it is certainly too hot too soon here!

Strange weather conditions this year, I am one to believe in climate change.

But nevertheless, getting a little bit of sun is not too bad after this long winter :-)

I hope you won't get a late frost as we had it last year. Everything seemed perfect and then mid of April two freezing nights and all hostas had shrivelled leaves and brown spots, even those from the dealers. They all recovered, but it put them back a lot.

they are NOT pips … *had to renew the … discussion*