Hosta for Kelly

Shipping tomorrow (regular mail); ‘Carol’, ‘June’, bonus dark, ‘Dream Weaver’, ‘Christmas Candy’, ‘Wolverine’, aberdeen solid and aberdeen variegated. Total 8 hosta.

Shipping next season because they are too small to divide; ‘Thunderbolt’ and ‘Guacamole’.

Never shipping because they are lost; ‘Fire & Ice’, 'Kabitan' and ‘Stained Glass’.

Note: I discovered aberdeen solid and danielle’s tall were the same hosta so danielle’s tall does not exist anymore. My flickr is updated for all of the above.

Lone Agastache

When we moved here, there were several Golden Agastache planted in the lower level boardwalk. This spot was mostly shade with very little sun shining through to it. After the first season, all that came back was this lone plant growing out from the crack between two rocks. I have tried to move it to a happier place several times but it never comes back where I move it to and it always comes back in this spot. Again this year, he has appeared here. Apparently this is his favorite spot in the garden and if he is going to stay, this is where he wants to stay. So now I have resigned myself to accepting that and all I do is wish him luck each spring when he starts to poke through. At least his flowers fit in here.

Another Perfect Weather Day

I was digging all day. Dividing Daylily which is now all the way through the Sun Gardens. I have a little bit left to put in along the Front House Garden. I am really enjoying the orange out the front windows so I am going to add the Orange Daylily there tomorrow. I have a plan for finishing the Front House Garden this year but it doesn't quite include the pink Peony in the middle of it all. Somehow I will have to work that in with yellow but I have not exactly figured out how. I am sure it will come to me by the time I have planted out that far. I am so excited to be getting things done outside finally. The weather has really taken a turn for the better for me here. Tomorrow, I will be planting all the new Iris and dividing some as well. I also got the 'Kabitan' moved into the concrete block and the wilted division beside it is the Lamium from Calgary. It is already standing up and looking great now as is the white blooming I put next to the block with 'Fire & Ice' planted in it. The last garden chore on my list for tomorrow is to spread more of the groundcovers through the Sun Gardens and Front House Garden. I am spreading the less invasive ones into spots throughout now that all of the patches I have are big enough to divide. I decided to leave the Orange Daylily in the Combine Garden and am only moving the patches out of the Nursery. The Combine Garden Daylily are in full bloom and since I waited so long to see that, I don't want to dig it up. I was moving it from there into more sun so it would bloom, seems like I don't need to move it now. I will plan the other plants in that garden around the two patches of Daylily.

The Gravel Strip

The Boardwalk Garden was given its' name because it runs along the wood walkway from the drive to the house. It is a two level garden to the house side of the walk that leads up into Benedict's Garden if you follow the weeding path. To the drive side of the walk there is a gravel strip that runs along the top of a retaining wall leading down to the deck drive. Although the wall was not designed to be a stairway, all of the animals use it like it was so there is no fighting their constant movement through the strip. An added problem for plants is that nutrient stealing mature trees run all the way down the strip providing only very dappled shade. In my desire to add colour, texture or both to this space, I have tried many strategies. The strategy that has worked the best to date is planting climbing plants on the deck drive below that will grow up the wall and over the gravel. At the front of the Boardwalk Garden, I have 'William Baffin' rose and Red Virginia Creeper that are doing this nicely. Further back, it becomes harder for this to be successful because the same trees begin to shade the deck drive edge heavily. Only Goutweed will grow there. When cleaning out the garden tool shed, we found three of these hollow centre concrete blocks and they have become my latest strategy for the gravel strip. I have planted 'Fire and Ice' at the base of one tree and am going to plant 'Kabitan' under another in the second block. The soil in the blocks keeps the Hosta roots out of the same ground as the tree roots and makes it as easy as a container to look after while still protecting the Hosta root from the winter cold. The concrete block is more than thick enough to do that and keep the dogs from stepping on the Hosta. Dogs always take the easiest route. Next, I am going to root various low but spreading groundcovers along the bottom edge to soften all the grey. Probably sedums of different varieties since they grow well in gravel and shade. Things that will spread slowly and stay low enough for the dogs to step on without doing too much damage. Not pink Lamium. 

Hosta Catalogue Complete

The Hosta Catalogue is complete and posted here. There are 34 varieties of Hosta growing in my garden today with the following notes: Mom's Green and Danielle's Tall may be the same plant. Currently the difference seems to be the size of the leaf but I think that could have something to do with one growing here this year and one growing in Nova Scotia. I will have to watch that for next year. 'So Sweet' and Aberdeen Variegated are the same situation. Leaf size and overall plant size seems to be the difference. Finally, it is also possible, but I don't think probable, that Mom's Green is the same as Aberdeen Solid if it is not Danielle's Tall. The differences in these three plants are minimal. Aberdeen Solid seems to have smaller leaves than either of the other two. Danielle's Tall grows up taller before the leaves fall than Aberdeen Solid. The leaves do not sit just above the ground on the Tall, they sit well above it. Mom's Green, because it is a transplant this year, looks very similar to both. On another note, I came across my tiny white lily blooming today in the Orange Lily Garden. This is the third year it has taken me by surprise. Don't know why I keep forgetting it but I have it recorded now. I knew the plant spreadsheet would come in handy even if it did sound crazy.