Starting New

If you follow this blog you probably noticed the long absence.  Well we've moved!  So I have been very busy starting an all new Cheesehead Garden.
First, let's rewind to the selling process.  So many people people tried to tell me that I would not be able to take any of my plants with me.  It's simply not true, at least here in Wisconsin.  However, you do have to let your sellers know before you even put your house for sale.  I stated that I would be taking 25% of the perennials with me.  In the end my buyer wanted no plants, so I was able to take 100% of my plants with me.
I had to dig up all my plants in April and May when most weren't even up yet.  So as much as I had things labeled, I still have some that were mislabeled and some I have no clue about.  I put them in pots, pails, cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and fabric plant pots.  Basically anything that would hold a plant.  We had a great realtor who let me keep my 600+ plants at their house until we were ready to move.
So we moved at the very end of May.  It took me until a week or two ago to put all my plants in the ground.  I did have a little set back in July when my gallbladder decided it absolutely, positively must come out.  So now I just have to weed and mulch and I'll be done for this year.
It's a work in progress right now, but I am very excited about what it will look like in a few years.

Planting Hosta Seeds

It's that time of year when I finally have time to plant my hosta seeds.  I collecting them in fall, and kept them in paper envelopes until now.  Just a note that hosta seeds do not come true from seed.  So they will not look like the parent plant (unless it's ventricosa).

I then prepare my planters.  It's best to use a soil less potting mixture, as soil can contain fungus and bacteria.  I like the planters at Menards like come with the coir mixture you add water to.  It's been successful for me for a few years.

I then sprinkle the hosta seeds on top of potting mixture and gently push them into the soil or add a very small amount of soil on top of the seeds.  

I then cover them with the plastic dome (you can also use plastic wrap or bags when getting the seeds started).  

The seeds do not need light to germinate, so I just make sure to put them somewhere warm until they start to germinate.  I make sure they are damp (not wet) during this time.  Once they start to germinate I put them under grow lights (you can just use fluorescent bulbs).

These three trays are ready to be put somewhere warm in the house.

If you go to the Facebook page you can enter to win hosta seeds, so you can try this on your own! https://www.facebook.com/cheeseheadgardening

Optional Gardens from the Hosta Convention

Today, those of us who were optional gardens for the Midwest Hosta Society Convention toured each others gardens.  Since we had to host in our own gardens we never had the opportunity to see the other gardens.  It was a beautiful day with great gardens and great company.  Here are some highlights from the day. (If you double click on the first picture it's easier to move from one picture to the other.)