Karen,

Beautiful view out your windows! It's supposed to rain here today, too. Hopefully it will drown some mosquitoes! Wow, are they terrible! I'm sure glad that bitterly cold winter we had helped with the bug population this year...If anything, I think it helped them multiply!

That really is so very beautiful.

It's wonderful Karen. I hope someday to have a border like that.

Thank you both. I wish I was a better photographer because I really can't capture it. I will never forget the year we did the digging all by hand. It took a week to do it all around the house because the tree roots were so bad. My favorite time to look at it all is just after a rain when the colors just pop.

I posted an album of my hosta photos to Facebook last week. Using this link, you can see them even if you aren't a FB member. https://www.facebook.com/media...

Very beautiful hosta album! So many wonderful hostas.

What a lovely, lovely collection of hostas. Just beautiful.

Apologies for slow responses. We've been in Haida Gwaii and with only slow satellite Internet for the last week. Now in Vancouver airport on the way home.

Cookies4kids said:Here is one of my mystery Hostas. Everyone comments on the streaks, and some think it's a disease of some kind. It is perfectly healthy and looks like this each year, but I don't think it's named correctly. It was sold to me as Blue Edger, but when I look that up, I don't see my plant.
Anyone have any ideas?

http://www.hostalibrary.org/fi...

The 'Pacific Blue Edger' above most certainly has HVX. That's one of the issues of HVX, it doesn't kill the plant. It simply becomes unsightly and some people think the marks are "interesting". I'm sorry, but I don't agree. Cookies4kids, you should get rid of the plant. Better yet, take it back to the vendor and tell them it's diseased.

Got all of my Hosta this year from Lowes, hope none of them have a virus.
Fragarant Blue, smells just like honeysuckle!


Question:
I have a seed pod on Patroit X Whirlwind, and have been wondering when I should pick it.
Right before it cracks?

I have never harvested hosta seeds but I have some at Moms on Sagae and I LOVE that plant. So I am waiting to someone tells us also.

I let mine turn brown, often they will split a little, but often they are not all split when I harvest them.

Thanks, Larry! I have a memorial bed of some of my sister's hosta at Mom's. Do you have hosta seedlings? I don't have a lot of shade, so I may need to start on more of the mini in troughs.

We were on a trip to N.C. several years ago and I collected Hosta seeds from the camper park. I came home and planted them, and now have hostas as a result. They have all be just plain green ones, but they are probably the strongest performers in my garden, and they take the sun pretty well, but will burn quickly in direct sun. Now the plants I grew from seeds are once again loaded with pods. So I will get hundreds of seeds again this year if nothing interferes with them before harvest time. I have very good luck germinating them, no problem there. But, they are very slow (for me) to grow, and so many things can go wrong with little seedlings that by the time they are a decent transplant size most of them have met their demise in one way or another. I should try to keep them inside I guess, but I have been just letting them fend for themselves in the garden (well with protection ) but not as safe and secure as being inside.
Just went out and snapped a few photos. I got a close up of one of the stems to show that some of the seed pods are missing. I blame the squirrels, but I have never actually seen them stealing them.(Sorry didn't realize how out of focus that was) but you can still see it looks like a daylily scape where the buds were.

Well, I went to a out in the country nursery yesterday looking for Japanese maples but ended up coming back with a huge pot of Sum and Substance and a nice Stained Glass. Also a red hardy hibiscus.

I was about 30 mil from home and they were working on these back road and I must have picked up something because I had a flat as soon as I went thru the area Good news was that I was only 5 mi from where my son works. So I called him and he came out to change my tire and then the spare was flat We drove back into town for a tire and he got me going again thankfully.

It was so hot I stood under a tree lol. What we do for new plants!

A neighbor of mine has a red hardy hib, it is just beautiful.

Usually hosta seed pods are ripe about 6 weeks after blooming finishes. Do get them before they crack open or, if you really want the seeds and aren't sure how long to wait, you could tie a little net bag around the pods to catch the seeds. Don't use plastic.

Thanks Ann,
Anyone know an article about starting Hosta Seeds?
I only have 1 pod, but I am exited about having my own hybrids!

Kidfishing - don't get TOO excited. The reality is that over 90% of hosta seedlings will be unexciting green plants. BUT, you can get surprises. And if you like a seedling, keep it and assess it for at least 5 years. I have a few that I wavered back and forth on whether to keep for several years. If you grow enough, the chances of getting plants you want to keep increases too.

These are some of the seedlings I've kept and/or am watching. All are OP.

'Amy's Choice' - a 2007 seedling of 'Korean Snow'. It actually looks like several later seedlings I've had from KS, but this one was the first and initially it seemed a bit misty. It's nothing really special though. Named after one of my granddaughters.


'Dancing With Leila' - a 2008 seedling of 'Last Dance' that is a rare variegated seedling from a non-streaked plant. It is reverse variegation from its parent and looks nearly identical to 'Dance With Me', hence its name in honour of one of my granddaughters.


'Lovely Leila' - a 2006 seedling of unknown origin - the squirrels moved its marker the first winter. It emerges quite light in the leaf centre and gradually gets a dark misty colour. Named after one of my granddaughters.


A 2006 seedling of 'September Sun'. It's obviously not going to be a large plant, but it keeps its yellow colour well. I think I'm going to call it 'Golden Nolan' in honour of my grandson.


A very tiny 2012 seedling from 'Lemon Frost' that I rather like.


A 2013 seedling from 'Fire Island'


A 2013 seedling from 'Neat Splash'. A friend shared the seeds with me. I think there are several degrees of streakiness going on here and I think I will dig the plant and separate the various eyes so that I can watch them better. So far, it's interesting and I may name one of them after my other granddaughter Heidi - maybe something like 'Happy Heidi' (unless someone has a better idea). BTW, best not to name a seedling after a family member until you are sure you like the seedling.


A 2013 seedling from 'Spilt Milk' which has a narrow margin. This could eventually be a fairly large plant, I think.


A 2013 seedling from 'Touch of Class' that has nice red legs.


A nice blue seedling - 2010 from 'Déjà Blu'.