I promised myself that I would absolutely *NOT* order any more plants this year! Well, that has lasted a very long time.......I received an email from Gardenimport about what they are calling their "Rock Garden Peonies" (url - http://www.gardenimport.com/spblvl2.php?lvl=Rock_Garden_Peony&items=5§ion=PP ). It took me all of 3 minutes to order 3 of them, aaaaand........while I was out there of course I had to take another look at their other offerings, and found a nice Astrantia (Tickled Pink) that will look fabulous next to my Rose "Ballerina" :-)
Sighhhhhh - absolutely no backbone at all. Anyone else feel a need to 'fess up?
--Ginny
I am sooooo weak :-)
LOL Ginny. I have received my Hosta orders from 3 suppliers this year and have had to give away some of the huge ones I ordered to a good friend due to lack of space to grow them all. These in addition to the Hostas I have picked up here and there at garden centers. What was I thinking? There's really only a small portion of my yard that is suitable for growing Hostas and I only have a small city lot, not an acreage. Serves me right for lurking on the Hosta forum.
And I was actually contemplating buying MORE at a local nursery this past weekend but luckily came to my senses in time and left them alone!
Joanne
LOL What a hoot! We're such poor, sick souls, aren't we Joanne?
--Ginny
Yes, and we enable each other by doing stuff like posting websites for cool little websites like Garden Import! :)
Not looking, not looking, not look....ok, must take a peek
Joanne
:-)
Well I'm not biting this time. All my land is going to Hostas, hostas, hostas. I'm slated to dig up more of the lawn this year. But unlike Jo, I'll grow the surplus Hostas in pots until I have space. LOL
Ann
PS Jo - where did your Hostas come from and were they nice ones?
Oooooooooh, you're strong! LOL Wouldn't your hostas love some company to help show off and set off their beauty even more? Think lacy foliage, maybe chartreuse, black and red, with sprays of dainty flowers nodding gently in the breeze. Hee hee......sorry Ann, I can't resist :-)
--Ginny
They HAVE company! Astilbe, Heucheras and a few annuals. I've got about a zillion snapdragon seedlings from last year - wonder if they will come true to colour.
BTW, are your peonies early this year? Mine are about ready to bloom.
Ann
Oh yes. My peonies are definitely early this year. Even one that I thought was on its last legs is back with two healthy stems and big buds - and it hasn't bloomed in 3 years since I moved and it was put in a less than optimal spot!
I really like the picture I can "see" in my mind of your Hostas with their Astilbe, Heuchera, and Snapdragon companions. It must be lovely :-)
Last year I planted an annual ornamental grass (no idea what it is - I got the seed from a garden here at work) in a corner of one of my gardens and underplanted it with Linaria I had left over from another part of the garden (couldn't toss it out now could I?). I absolutely loved the effect of this accidental pairing.
This year I have a 1/2 whiskey barrel planted with moonvine in the back, a baby banana in the centre, I think I put some calla at the sides, and I put linaria all around the rim at the front to spill out over the edge as it grows. I'm hoping this combo works even half as well as the grass/linaria one did last year.
Which reminds me - I absolutely must get busy taking some pictures. I missed on the winter sown sprouts, then missed again on the spring blooms. Where does the time go so quickly?
--Ginny
Ginny - we want to see the whiskey barrel - sounds fabulous!
Ann - I got Hostas from Holes greenhouse in St. Albert, Shades of Green and Floral & Hardy. The Holes Hostas were potted up and fabulous; the Hostas from the other two places were bare roots. They were in very good shape and I just potted them all up until I can figure out where to put them. One of the challenges I have is that I'm putting most of them in my front garden, and since Hostas come up so late here, I'm becoming concerned that I'm going to have a very bare looking garden every year until the Hostas make their appearance. For example, the six Hostas I put in last year are only two or three inches tall at best right now. Even the companion plants are slow. I've kind of got to watch this year to see how everything grows; it's only the second season for this brand new garden and we had late spring snow falls this year (LAST WEEK!!) so maybe that's why things seem slow.
Joanne
Jo did you look at the hosta border in my back yard - the bed is fronted with a row of primroses - they green up and flower before the hostas start coming up and by the time they are finished the hostas are wll up. Other early flowering pperennials that stay nice after flowering would work too - I like the primroses because they stay in such a neat shape even after flowering.
Sorry have not got a current pic - this was taken mid summer.
Thanks Carol - I bought a bunch of primroses on the Zoo Garden Center bus trip, so they will be perfect as companions then. I will look more closely at your border next time I'm over - so much marvelous stuff to to see at your place, I get overwhelmed!
The area I'm growing my Hostas in may be somewhat environment challenged - northside of two-story house so shade much of the day and then a blast of sun in the late afternoon, exposure to prevailing west winds (thought my newly planted Captain Kirk Hosta was going to lift off to outspace earlier this week, LOL) and I think the bark mulch I have on the beds is probably keeping the ground from warming up sooner.
Joanne
I'll try to get pics sometime this weekend and post them in my diary. I'll start a new thread with the link to the new diary tab once the pics are there.
--Ginny
Jo - I have a carpet of crocuses where many of my hostas are and other spring bulbs placed through them. That provides colour and a canopy of greenery until the Hostas are up. But I'm a couple of zones warmer than you; so what works well here might not work quite as well where you are.
I've gotten my Floral & Hardy and Shades of Green Hostas in the last 2 days. I asked them to delay a bit because I was away over the weekend. Am still waiting on Hosta choice and hope Margot is coping OK since Udo died a few weeks ago. I won't bug her and have given her my travel dates; so will hope for the best.
Ann