Houzz is still new to me.

Chodai ginyo

And albomarginata just won't post, but looks really nice next to the Japanese holly that lives under the hose. AM leaves out super-early here in NC, but that is my fault because I have kept in in a pot. I cannot decide where it should live; it looks ragged so much of the year.

newhostalady..oh those purple pips 💕
undertheoaksgardener..that is how Houzz "works"..sometimes it doesn't 😂

this is off topic..some of my favorite pictures..I made the decision to use solids in front..ALL of the neighbors have variegated and I wanted my own look..there's just a few left to move..I'm happy with this decision..reality and filtered shots..

Nicholsworth, the combos of solids look wonderful, very fluid and soothing. Is the tall, blue, upright, wavy one Krossa Regal?

undertheoaksgardener..yes!..KR might be my very favorite hosta..I'm so glad that we can have a lot more than just one..

Well, it seems like I have some KR shopping to do. Poor me.

undertheoaksgardener..go for it! 😄everyone needs a KR..there are several I'm missing..Liberty..Sugar Plum (love yours!)..Cupatini..I could go on but I'll stop..

My city has proclaimed a "stay in place" order . . . and it is rainyish. But I have taken mental health walks in my yard. I have some pips! However, the last frost free date is May 3 here. but it is a welcomed sight to see spring.I am hoping that I will get out and clean up leaves and such.

My personal goal is to come out of this ordeal with a better yard and a more organized home. So far I am doing well! Household files and dresser drawers are clean! Bathroom cabinets are coming along!

Stay healthy and safe!

Nicholsworth, your solids look lovely! Who would have thought you could find that many shades of green hosta. Illinois has had total distancing for over a week now. There is a good chance my son won’t be working till this pandemic is over. This is the first time in ages I can say I love our governor, we finally got a good one.

Sherry

The Hosta photos will continue until morale improves, or just continue.

Crumbcake, waiting for its sleeping companion LS Paisley Print

My minis, Cameo, Miniskirt, and Picasso

Hans

And Virginia Reel on,left, Dinner Mint on right

The Empire...Houz strikes back.

Hans

And Virginia Reel on left, Dinner Mint on right--sorry, but picture will not post. Tried 6 times.

Sherry..thank you!..🙂..it feels wonderful when you get a compliment on your garden..I was out today picking up debris..it was chilly and wet but I loved it..

Nicholsworth, I was out finishing yard cleanup today too! It makes things feel somewhat normal! Checked my hosta pots, nothing going on there yet.

Sherry

Sherry..you made me realize that for over 2 hours when I was out today I didn't think about anything serious..and it was great!..is this true for you? - when I'm gardening my mind's relaxed and just kind of daydreaming..

I finished repotting all the hosta this afternoon. I didn't have plans to do that, but the soil I found was dense. I decided to make my own potting soil a few years ago and continued to use it along the way. I won't do that again!

I finished this afternoon. The early ones are So Sweet 1 and 2, Irish luck and Blue Angel. Almost all the others are pipping.

These are the ones that are close to fully unfurled.

So Sweet #1 and Irish Luck

So Sweet #2

Blue Angel

bk

Bkay, those SoSweets, Irish Luck, an Blue angel look so lush. Thank you for sharing. :)

Nicholsworth, yes, the gardens work like that for me, a mood enhancer and overwhelming anticipation. I also have a newly redone patio and fence I’m waiting to use!

Sherry

Sherry..a new gardening season is a joy every year 🙂

Virginia Reel, which everyone should buy, on left, and Dinner Mint, which we all have, on right.

Happy gardening, Hosta friends. ;)

This was Virginia Reel on 10/26/19, in case you were on the fence about buying it. Pictures do not do it justice. It is a great little Hosta.

And the Japanese holly fern with f. Albomarginata yesterday.

Spring is certainly springing for all of you and it is good to see. Like Beth it will be about a month or more before I get to enjoy my garden waking up. Mine is still covered in snow and not just the couple of inches that fell on Monday....

Peren.all, Beth, and Ken, you have so much to look forward to. And your hostas achieve a magnificence that seems to elude mine here in 7b. Your blues are so blue, and your tall hostas get so tall. Just lovely!

I have the best luck with anything Bob Solberg creates (he is 30 minutes north, an oh-so-easy drive away) and most of what Tony Avent creates (he is 30 minutes south, also a too-easy drive away). If the hosta is fragrant or has Halcyon/tardiana lineage, it does OK for me. The Striptease lineage also does well. If the hosta is mostly sieboldiana, especially with any white, it looks awful within 6 weeks of coming up.

It seems there are always trade offs no matter where we live.

You are so lucky to live between those two, they have both introduced outstanding plants. Not proud of it but I admit it, I am so envious lol!

"Regalia comes up like tulips". That's cool, undertheoaksgardener! Unruly Child and the ruffles are nice! My undulata albomarginata always looked nice in a pot, but you say yours looks ragged most of the year. I have to wonder where you keep your pot and whether slugs are able to reach it or have laid eggs in the pot. Hans looks cool as it unfurls.

Nicholsworth, glad you did your own thing when placing your hosta in the garden. Those blues really stand out amongst the other colors along with the yellow/chartreuse. Peaceful and calming.

bkay, you finished repotting? I haven't even started. Why won't you mix your own soil and use it up? Can you clarify? Your hostas are so far along and looking great!

Undertheoaksgardener, yes I do need Virginia Reel, along with Dinner Mint. Am I the only one that doesn't have it? And you are so close to Bob Solberg and Tony Avent's place!!!!! So envious!!!! And I've been dreaming of getting to Bob's place in the future!

NHL, I am ashamed to admit that my albomarginata looks ragged because I...gulp...became a hosta snob. I know. After all that albomarginata has done for genus Hosta, how could I be so disrespectful and ungrateful! I leave it on the side of the house, in a pot, in full sun, and seldom water it. Of course it looks bad. Slugs don't even want to have anything to do with it after the way I abuse it.

I might lie and say that I will so better this year. Maybe I will do better by old AM. Maybe I will leave it there in the pot, next to the Japanese holly fern and the hose, in the mostly shade of the house. I bow my head now and whisper to myself, "Yes, maybe I will do that, as really that means I have already done enough if I do nothing more."

My credit card gets a little burnt each year, too, due to my location (and proximity to Hosta temptation). I run around Tony Avent's Juniper Level Botanical Gardens like a kid in a candy shop. They have a waterfall! Tony gives garden tours and lectures. I even rescued a hosta that he pulled out of the ground, cut into as part of the lecture, and then stepped on after he discarded it on the ground. Tony even accepted the new sport I found in my yard last year to see how it performs and propagates (my "Sportsball").

Bob Solberg is super-nice, loves to talk hostas. He grills hot-dogs for his visitors, as provides cookies, chips, and soda-pop. He likes to show his upcoming projects, future releases. Golly, he has some really fantastic plants that he will release one day, even blues that stay blue in the South and have purple petioles! He gave me that Lemon Kiss hosta 2 years ago, the year he released Lemon Snap. I try not go crazy and buy too much, but I usually fail. I drive a small car, and usually the carrying capacity of my car is what limits me, not my actual self-control or pre-trip budget.

Well, undertheoaks, welcome to the hosta forum! We love new people who share their hostas and wealth of information with us. We are a wealth of information too! Also, take time to check out all the library has to offer. The alphabet of course is most useful, but the comparison feature and Rawson’s lists are awesome! Just take time to investigate. Now, I have no pips whatsoever, but have a few other things peaking out:

Crocus

Hellebore Ivory Prince Lenten Rose

Nice pictures, djacob! The crocus is mesmerizing! That pussy willow is growing well, too! My hellebore have been fabulous this year, so I am excited to see that your hellebore season is starting. Penny's Pick and Pink Frost were too beautiful to leave at the garden center last month. One of the best things about growing hellebore is that the voles leave them alone.

My yard had lots of hellebore and ventricosa volunteers in it when I first started gardening. The two species of plant have been growing together and naturalizing my yard. Although the voles eat some of the Hosta ventricosa, the hellebore seem to deter them from eating all of the ventricosa. It is like my garden told me what to grow and how to grow it. :)

I saw pips today! I noticed some at one of my minis. Small Parts has pips. Then I started seeing more and more! It's so exciting.

utog, that would be exciting, living in such proximity to Plant Delights and Bob S. I think I would be at every open garden day they have.

Looks like 'Change of Tradition' in this pot will be my first to leaf out.

Love the blue blossoms of this plain green leafed pulmonaria someone gave me.

popmama, is your trillium still going?

This tight clump at the corner of my shed always looks great.

I'm seeing March showers bringing April flowers, this year.

StevePA..I love your pulmonaria..I love the blooms and the plain green leaves..

When it comes to undulata albomarginata, it's understandable that there are a lot of different views on the value of it. After beginning my journey into hosta madness, I felt that U. albomarginata was too "old" and thin leaved for me. I did keep a clump of it though. But after several years, I feel that (even though thin leaved), it has beauty of its own and is a workhorse. It was when I decided to plant two pots of it from the garden, that I really admired it.

With all the hosta choices we have, the good thing is we can all choose the type of hosta that excites us. If U. albomarginata is not for you, then that's OK!

Undertheoaksgardener, I think it would be wise for us to switch places. No need for your credit card to get burned! Temptation is way too close for you! LOL All kidding aside, you are lucky to be so close to both hosta locations!

djacobz, those crocuses are awesome! Your picture captures the detailed beauty of each flower!

Steve, beautiful plants!

Nice look in those pots, I may steal this look! I am using my time "stay home" wisely. Painted front gate and lamp post. Rake and seed front lawn ( I fear I will dig up this lawn for more hosta space but it makes sweetie happy today!)

I am glad you're getting a lot accomplished n2hostas!

I like the color on my garlic chive:

I bought Hush Puppie last year after it was leaved out. No way I could count the number of shoots on it. It has now awakened from being stored in my garage. The pips haven't colored up yet, but I've counted 54 eyes and more coming. Very satisfying! (I didn't even repot it since purchasing.)

Hush puppie galore in that pot, NHL. Pretty garlic chives. Today, I am seeing some color patterns appear, or not.

Mourning Dove

Beyond Glory

Elegans turning blue

Warwick Comet

June Fever reverting to Devon Green

Vulcan reverting to Captain Kirk

First Love reverting to Montana

And random garden picures

Azaleas.

Very pretty and large azaleas! Wow, undertheoaksgardener!

I especially like Beyond Glory. I like the shape of the leaves and the shape of the overall plant. Yes, your plants are coloring up nicely!

As for June Fever reverting to Devon Green? Not sure about that. Wouldn't it be reverting to Halycon?

Beyond Glory is superb. First year at purchase from PDN 7/2018, for a mere $24, boxer dog for perspective. Second photo is last year. It is robust, vigorous, and beautiful.

Beyond glory last spring. It lives in a big plastic pot that sits on the surface of the ground.

More azaleas.

undertheoaksgardener..pretty plants but I want to mention your dog's expression..it's so funny..😄

Nicholsworth, yes, the dog is so funny. She is also the great vole hunter. She eats the voles in one big slurp. :)

Too many things and most will be over very soon or already.

Saucer magnolia

Wisteria for first time since putting it in the ground 14 years ago

Scarlet Storm flowering quince

Mildred azalea (purple) and Pink Ruffles just starting

Japanese Painted Ferns (dug as tiny seedlings from my mother's yard a couple of years ago.

Yoshino Cherries

I don't remember what Hosta this is - Solar Flare?

Wisteria is thick this year - behind a small church on our way to a state park

Yoshino close up

Flying Dragon Orange tree in state park (never knew they were hardy). Sure is thorny.

Gorgeous flowers, MC. The wisteria and cherry blossoms are delicate and lovely. And Flying Dragon is super thorny. Thanks for sharing!

undertheoaksgardener..what a hilarious description of how your dog eats voles!..what a blessing to have a vole killer..

Wow, all great pics so far. We're behind that curve here in zone 6. Dawes Arboretum closed their gates, so I won't be getting that early spring fix on many Magnolias, Azaleas etc. I guess that's just a reason to plant more in my yard. Some Hostas are pipping, so crossing my fingers we don't get any frosts from here on out. Last year, our last frost was around April 9th if I remember correctly. Way earlier than our average of April 29th.

Good to hear about Beyond Glory. This will be my first spring with it and it doesn't get much light, so hopefully it will grow well enough for me there. My dogs are good at digging up moles, which is hopefully training for any adventurous voles. But so far they've been afraid to show their faces around here.

I have 3 Empress Wu.

This is Wu on the Bank

Going to be huge this year!

Dave

Wow, Tiddisolo! Please post pictures as it leafs out.

Good heavens, what beautiful pictures you all have! I wish I had some LAND to plant hostas in, but for the time being (especially with the real estate HALT due to coronavirus), I'm up here on the second floor of my apartment complex, with my "garden" on my balcony. Appletini is leading the 38 plants presently there in development:

Here is the view from my balcony window today (sorry for the spots on the glass):

The big red heuchie in the middle is my darlin' Georgia Peach. The bright green heuchie 2 to its left is Sweet Tart. I'll try to take some more closeup pics tomorrow.

And here is the view to the left of the above, with the 4-tier wire shelving unit's plants. Paisley Print is pipping big time on the top right, heuchie Sugar Berry is bursting forth on the top left, and Ripple Effect is starting to unfurl in the middle. Paradise Island is unfurling on the left of the middle shelf, Gypsy Rose is pipping in the middle, and Yellow Polka Dot Bikini has yet to make an appearance to its right. On the bottom shelf is Rainbow's End, unfurling.

I am going to hang a bungee-cord divided net, meant to string across the back of your hatchback car to hold your groceries from falling down, across that opening between the shelves. It's about 3 1/2 feet wide. I will use big S-hooks across the length of the bungee-cord net, and place some spare 1-gallon black fabric grow bags in each pocket (one per pocket). That will make a novel way to hang annuals on the balcony railing. The flowers will be able to poke through the bungee-cord netting, it should look cool. And I love being able to re-purpose the bungee-cord net. If it looks good, I might get another one for the other narrow side of the balcony railing, not viewable in this pic.

The green hardware cloth you see is the anti-Zizu conservation measure. That little cat just about stopped my heart a couple weeks ago when she casually slipped right between the balcony railing and began to stroll up and down the portion of the balcony outside the railing. I ran inside and went right to Amazon to order the vinyl covered hardware cloth, which I put up with black nylon cable ties. Now Zizu is restricted to watching the birds from inside the railing, and I don't have to worry. She's only allowed there when I'm out on the balcony as well, so there will be no climbing over.

Everything is looking good, Esther. I love how you are always 2-steps ahead in your planning for the hostas. Also, well-done "kitty-proofing" the balcony for Zizu! I have 3 kitties, but they would eat the hosta if they had any hosta-access.

I missed this thread and started a hosta pips thread. Sorry about that! So I'm coming over here to continue to document my pips as they arise. I'm technically zone 6, but I think of it as 5 when I purchase new stuff. Anyway, it's in the 40s outside and I have pips but no chlorophyll showing yet. As things change, I'll post here not in that hosta pips thread.