First batch of convention photos
The convention was wonderful. We had hosta growing weather; a nice steady drizzle. I did feel sorry for the tour garden owners. 5 bus loads of people plus those who drove trampling the lawns made a muddy mess. I was lucky enough (not) to be on the bus that got a mile from the hotel and stranded us for an hour.
For me, it was all about the gardens, so no leaf show shots. Most of the pictures are close-ups of individual hostas. That's because I was "shopping" with my camera and landscape shots would have been full of people. I forgot to mark which garden we visited first, second, etc. There are a few I recognize, so I'll put owner's names on those.
There were some interesting speakers. I particularly enjoyed the water features guy, who showed some affordable options as well as the ponds for lottery winners.
I found myself drawn to the old Sea series of hostas. This is Sea Frolic.
A pond at stop #1. Notice the umbrellas in the background.
Hakumuo was new to me, very pretty.
I had passed up Pinani Island Surf, but after seeing it in the garden, went back and bought one.
That happened to me a lot. Some just look better in the garden than in a pot, I guess.
This is stop #2, the garden of Audrey and Jim Temmer. They had a beautiful mass planting out front.
I'm pretty sure the front rows are Curly Fries and Halcyon, but I've forgotten the IDs of the back rows.
Pin Up - love the colors and the striking markings.
Mystic Star went on the "want" list
I was excited to see this hosta at two of the gardens. I've had it for years labeled Nakai and thought it was a bad ID. It's not in the Hosta Library, and looking for Nakai nothing turned up. Now I know its proper name is rectifolia Nakai I'll have to fix the label.
A very wet Candy Dish
I'll post more photos as I get them edited.
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Comments (16)Well, lilyfinch, I also do alfalfa tea several times per season. I usually do it after spring flush is over to jolt the roses back into flowering. Strangely enough, I do not find the smell foul or awful. It reminds me of farms and horses (and maybe stables.) Once I made the mistake of brewing a garbage can of it under our bedroom window. Still, we didn't hate it. The worst part for me is distributing it and being swarmed by house and horse flies in the process. I would never ever add the pellets to the soil because in my experience, some sort of fermentation occurs which could kill roots and plants. The hardest part for me is finding garbage cans in the yard that don't have cracks or holes. Last summer, I put a big plastic bag in one of the broken cans and it worked fine. I get two batches from each can. I do remember Pappu's thread--it is hilarious!...See MoreConvention Photos!! :)
Comments (11)Oh I just can't tell you how much I enjoyed your pictures. It was worth every ounce of time and energy you put into them. I just loved the way they were organized and with the year and name of the hyberdiser. There is the knowledge too that these were right in the growning field, so to speak and this is how they will most likely look when grown in ones own garden. So exciting to see the newest ones and what is being developed. Would love to run out and get just about all of them. Also gave me a chance to check out how the ones I grow compare in looks and color ect. OOOOOOOH how I wish I could get a dozen of the newest types. They are truly gorgous. Thank you again for all your time and generiousity for putting them out there for us all iris lovers. Janene...See MoreFirst batch of homemade ice cream... oh my!
Comments (18)Wow, Jenn thought I was Sol ! What a nice compliment to meeeee!!! Here's the Lavender Honey Ice Cream recipe, which I found on line! David Lebovitz' Honey Lavender Ice Cream 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers 1 1/2 cups whole milk (Susans note: I used half & half) 1/4 cup sugar pinch salt 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 5 large eggs (you will only use the yolks) Âroom temp Sooz's Notes: 2 T vodka (80 proof) to keep the ice cream from becoming icy A bit of gel food coloring to make it look lavender (or whatever color you want) Instructions: Pull the lavender flowers off the stems & measure out the flowers. Heat honey with ½ lavender, just until bubbles start to form in the honey (Sooz's note: I used the microwave). Remove from the heat, and let sit an hour or so to extract some of that tasty lavender flavor. It may look kinda funny, but it's okay. Put the cream in a bowl. Rewarm the honey a bit to make it runny and pour it through a sieve into the cream. Squish those lavender flowers with the back of a spoon to get out as much flavor as possible. Add 2 T vodka to this bowl. Meanwhile, warm the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve, and the milk is hot. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and beat the egg yolks into a yellow foamy looking foam. Add the warm milk to the yolks, a tiny little bit at a time, mixing constantly. You have to add the milk slooooowly especially at the beginning. Put the egg yolk mix back on the stove, and heat, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. Use a thermometer for this next part, as it will keep you from curdling the custard base. Heat to 175°F. Never stop stirring. At 175°F, the custard should have thickened nicely, shouldn't have curdled, and will be ready for the next step. Immediately pour this through a sieve (just in case there are any cooked egg bits in your custard), pour the hot custard over the lavender flowers (which are in the sieve anyway) and into the cool cream. Mix gently, and add the remainder of the lavender. Sooz's Notes: I used violet "gel" coloring and added it with the remainder of the lavender. If you add too little food coloring, it will look a sickly grayish color. Keep adding the gel coloring until you get what color you want. I used the end of a toothpick to add the color, then stirred with a spoon. Cool in the fridge overnight. Sieve out the fresh lavender, and run the mixture through your ice cream maker, using the directions for your machine (make sure you froze the freeze-y canister for at least 24 hours). Then, you slowly pour in the sieved ice cream mix into a the machine while the beater is stirring on low. If you pour in the mixture and then turn on the machine, it may cause a problem as the paddle may not be able to move. Churn for 25-ish minutes. Scoop into a cold container, and leave in the freezer overnight to finish hardening it. Enjoy! Here's the link for the recipe to the Amaretto Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. Scroll down and look for the big picture of it!...See MoreK.C. convention and photos
Comments (2)"Wu Hoo", now that sounds interesting! Thanks for the pics....See More
lindalana 5b Chicago
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Titanium is really nice blue. Ordered and received.
Fire Island in just about full sun
lindalana 5b Chicago
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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
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lindalana 5b Chicago