The easy answer to this question is that they are the most popular, bestselling perennial in the world. That being said, let me give my two cents into why this is true. Hostas are shade tolerant perennials that are extremely hardy and require very little maintenance. They are shade tolerant, not shade loving. Most hostas Read More
Planting in Summer is a No-No?? Not So! The rule of thumb has always been to never plant in summer, but rather plant in spring and fall when the weather is cooler. As this is a good rule, it is not set in stone. We do the majority of our planting in the summer months Read More
The American Hosta Growers Association defines giant hosta as those that exceed 30 inches in height. There are several cultivars now that are in the 48 inch range. The size GIANT Hostas can achieve in your garden is determined by the light exposure, the available water and the depth and quality of the soil. All Read More
I would like to share a refined strategy on how to protect your hosta garden from deer. This is an accumulated strategy, built from research and experience. Using deer deterrents successfully can be somewhat of a challenge, but I have applied this strategy within my own hosta gardens with great results. You have to understand Read More
Where And How Do You Use GIANT Hostas? There are so many giant hosta cultivars today that the ways to use them is endless, limited only by your imagination. Giant hostas make tremendous focal points whether planted alone as a specimen or planted in a mass for large area coverage. Hosta ‘Key West’ or Hosta Read More
Empress Wu Hosta (40″T x 70″W) and Gentle Giant Hosta (46″ T x 70″W) have been two of our biggest sellers of the giant hosta varieties that we grow over the last two growing seasons. Hosta gardeners are clearly obsessed with size and I can understand this from my own gardening experience. A four foot Read More
We are often asked, “What is the bluest or best blue hosta plant?” It is best to answer this question by first understanding why a hosta is blue. The top layer of a blue hosta leaf is covered with a glaucous coating that provides a blue appearance to the leaf. This coating is often written Read More
We have made it to the New Year and, for most of us, the cold and snow have taken over. The chilly winter months are a great time to plan your spring and summer garden. Gardening may be the last thing on our minds because of the weather but there are plenty of things we Read More
Container gardening is used for many reasons with the two most popular reasons being space limitations and decorative appeal. People grow all sorts of plants in containers from vegetables to trees. For this article I will focus on why and how to grow hostas in decorative containers. Let’s start off with why you can and Read More
White Centered Hostas Let’s face it, most of us are gravitated to white-centered hostas as the leaf contrast in usually very striking. We all think of hostas as the indestructible, easy, no care plant. The problem with the white-centered hostas is that there is no chlorophyll in the white tissue. The white part of the Read More
Most ferns are not going to add a lot of color to your garden. So why grow them, you ask? For texture, form and contrast. I know I have a soft spot for ferns because there were everywhere in the woods and swamps I loved spending time in as a child. But my love of Read More
What is a Hellebore? Hellebore’s are still fairly unknown and underutilized by the home gardener but they are gaining in popularity and for good reason. Hellebore’s are evergreen perennials that bloom in late winter or early spring depending on where you live. In the southern states, Helleborus niger starts blooming around Christmas and in northern Read More