You may have gathered from earlier
posts that I am quite fond of Hostas. The all green ones were grown from seed from my Dad's Sieboldii. I have so many in pots and not really enough room for them. The black half drum was in the way so I decided to get Mike to make another small bed. I know it won't be more than a year or so before the hostas outgrow their space but I will enjoy for now. I have Agapanthus on the left and the white
Primula Seiboldii Snowflakes ( interesting different spelling Seiboldii from the Hosta) Also Cowslips grown from seed.
Candelabra Primrose, Primula Beesiana. I have wanted to grow these for some years but haven't really a damp site for them so we will see how we get on.
These two photos should not be shown they were taken a little late in the evening towards the light but I just wanted to illustrate how nice that from the bench I am sitting on after planting the purple acer by the new little bed I noticed how nice it looked with the Prunus Persica tree also being similar in colour. I then decide to put a pot another cherry in the right hand corner and they balance out beautifully. This potted cherry was a sucker that had run under someone's fence into the common I walk the dog in. One day realising it would get chopped by the cutter I went and dug several out it was hard work but I potted them out and now have two little trees for free. Now please don't look down too much because I know I need to have a good tidy and again close investigation shows more ground elder. These beds have not been weeded in several years apart from the odd very obvious weeds that I could reach to pull without too much effort.
These next three photos are
variegated hosta names unknown that I have split and divided over many years. They look so lovely in their old wash tubs along the back terrace. I see the slugs have already had a meal though.
You may have gathered from earlier posts that I am quite fond of Hostas. The all green ones were grown from seed from my Dad's Sieboldii. I have so many in pots and not really enough room for them. The black half drum was in the way so I decided to get Mike to make another small bed. I know it won't be more than a year or so before the hostas outgrow their space but I will enjoy for now. I have Agapanthus on the left and the white Primula Seiboldii Snowflakes ( interesting different spelling Seiboldii from the Hosta) Also Cowslips grown from seed.
Candelabra Primrose, Primula Beesiana. I have wanted to grow these for some years but haven't really a damp site for them so we will see how we get on.
These two photos should not be shown they were taken a little late in the evening towards the light but I just wanted to illustrate how nice that from the bench I am sitting on after planting the purple acer by the new little bed I noticed how nice it looked with the Prunus Persica tree also being similar in colour. I then decide to put a pot another cherry in the right hand corner and they balance out beautifully. This potted cherry was a sucker that had run under someone's fence into the common I walk the dog in. One day realising it would get chopped by the cutter I went and dug several out it was hard work but I potted them out and now have two little trees for free. Now please don't look down too much because I know I need to have a good tidy and again close investigation shows more ground elder. These beds have not been weeded in several years apart from the odd very obvious weeds that I could reach to pull without too much effort.
These next three photos are variegated hosta names unknown that I have split and divided over many years. They look so lovely in their old wash tubs along the back terrace. I see the slugs have already had a meal though.
This last Siebaldii on the front doorstep looks lovely in it's pot and is doing so well but sorry about the clutter around it. Mike was so fed up of loosing tools he has sprayed them yellow good idea but looks awful. I don't mind the odd garden implement in photos but not with yellow spray.
your hostas are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot get over how big they are!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne, oh how funny that you see the tools in the last photo as somehow detracting from the scene. I disagree. A good tool is worth painting yellow to keep from losing it. :-) Your hostas are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteFrances
I am a great fan of hostas too Joanne but have to engage in a constant battle of wits with their mollusc fans :) I just grow a few now in pots in front of the house. Would love to try some of the miniature ones but I am sure that they would be munched in a jiffy.
ReplyDeleteYour hostas look amazing - how do you keep the slugs and snails off them?
ReplyDeleteThe hostas are so big and healthy looking. I love the ones with big leaves and variegation. The first picture with them around the barrel is so pretty. Is that a water lily in there?
ReplyDeleteLOVE hostas too!!! Yours look fab x
ReplyDeleteThe Hostas and Primrose look nice centered around the little water garden. How long did it take to grow the Hosta from seed to its present size?
ReplyDeleteOoh, Joanne, your hostas are beautiful! I don't see any holes on their leaves. It looks like slugs don't like your garden!
ReplyDeleteHello there, fellow hosta lover,
ReplyDeleteThe one with the white margin might be H.'Francee' or H. fortunei 'Albomarginata'. The one with the central white strip and wavy leaves might be H. undulata 'Variegata'. I also have a lot of hostas in my tiny garden.
Oooo! I love the variegated Hosta! They are all just beautiful- looks like you are enjoying your spring :)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. I just wish my storm trooper slugs would let me grow more of them.
ReplyDeleteDirt Princess the variegated ones have developed over many years. The Sieboldii offspring are likely to be large like their parent.
ReplyDeleteFrances I am probably prejudiced because he sprayed all over a pan of cuttings of pinks I had been trying to nuture. It was not easy trying to scrape the paint off the leaves but they seem to have survived.
Anna Believe you me I have a constant battle too by mid summer the battle is lost. I do use slug pellets and grow mostly in pots with grit round the top this all helps. Putting them in the ground is taking a big leap for me but as it is near where I walk every time I go out it is possible to be vigilant. Fingers crossed.
EB by far the best thing is to borrow a duck for a couple of weeks after we looked after a friends it was another 3 years before we started having problems with snails again. Unfortunately Mike refuses to have a duck. Hence the slug pellets. Probably my only non organic weakness.
Catherine yes it is a water lily I have had it years it came from my overgrown pond but it has never flowered.
Carrie Thanks
Northern Shade I think it was 4 years to this stage but each year was exciting to see them grow. I started off in the spring and germinated in the greenhouse. Years ago I did this but put them in tha e garden and the slugs/snails had them. This time I potted up in small pots and left high on my bench and a table keeping them protected from sluigs and snails. One of the seedlings is very small leafed and narrow but may have come from his other hosta. Obviously they may well not come true to the parent but it was such a fun experiment and something I was able to mange pottering at waist height whilst I was ill.
Tatyana yes there is a big one on the last variegated photo.
Helen Thanks for the suggestions that's what I like about blogging so many exchanges of ideas.
Tessa Thanks You can't immagine how good it is to be able to garden again and without pain.
Hi Hermes Yes those slugs and snails are a real menace.
Joanne, I've just posted a post which was inspired by the comment you left on Victoria's post about the Chelsea Flower Show. It is about how I define a cottage garden (which may be different from your but that's not the point of the article - which is about how I use the term and how I describe other kinds of informal-looking gardens).
ReplyDeleteI hope this is ok with you. If it isn't, let me know and I'll change it.
Esther Montgomery
LOVELY!! I am a hosta lover too;-) I have a variety myself. I still need to put them in a post! Your whole garden is gorgeous...I just want to take a stroll thru it!!
ReplyDeleteJan Thanks It really is a very weedy jungle but lots of interesting bits here and there.
ReplyDeleteEsther Thanks for your post you had me very amused by some of your comments. I also stopped by Jaco's site http://serious-grouching.blogspot.com/ and have been in stitches reading some of his comments. I also enjoyed his beautiful photography and flowers.
http://serious-grouching.blogspot.com/2009/05/to-whom-it-may-concern.html
ReplyDeleteThis is the post of Joco's that amused me so.
Like Anna, I have to defend my one and only Hosta virtually round the clock.
ReplyDeleteYou have one leaf with a hole, I usually have one leaf without a hole.
You might get a smile from last year's efforts
here.
This year the pot in the same fortress is on stilts, 3 feet above the ground. From all that you can gather that the grouping in your top picture looks positively reckless to me.
Joco I loved your acrobatic Hosta. I do hope you keep it without holes longer this year. You may have read before but the very best way of getting rid of slugs or snails is to get a duck. We looked after one for a fortnight for a friend and had no problems with slugs snails for three years after that.
ReplyDeleteYour Hosta is a truely beautiful colouring.
Himself won't have a duck so I do resort to masses of slug pellets it is my only non organic vice.Even so as the year goes on the holes get worse.
It seems you are growing things very well without a damp spot, wow do we sure have damp spots at our place. Would love to trade for dry sometimes. We have lots of springs, swampy land, pond and creek. Hostas do really well here too. Would love to try those candlelabra primroses. They are not the same as dentulata are they? I do have some of those.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics Joanne, thanks for sharing again.
Pauline
What a planting opportunity to have damp ground and springs. No Denticularta primulas are different. i have some of those I grew from seed but did not have success with Candalabra although hope to try again when this one sets seed.
ReplyDelete