Hostas in Fall

Fall is not the time to move hostas around in the yard.  They need time to grow roots, and the ground freezes too soon in fall.  Spring is the best time to move them, especially when they are first sticking their hosta "noses" out of the ground.

However fall is a great time to collect seeds from all your various hostas.  Always make sure that the pods are dry and not green when collecting seeds.  Usually the seed pods on the bottom will dry out and open first and then you know it's safe to collect the seed pods.  I put them in envelopes and mark them with what the name of the parent hosta.  Hostas do not come true from seed.  So you never know what you will get when you plant the seeds.  More than likely you will get a plain green hosta, but every once and a while you might get a yellow, variegated, or even a streaker (if you are lucky).

Fall is also a great time of the year to take notes for next year's garden.  Are some hostas too close together?  Do some hostas need to be divided?  etc.  Even better, take a picture with your digital camera and write notes on that picture.

Suprising Fall Color

I was looking at my gardens this afternoon and was surprised to see bright blue color poking out of my gardens.  Then I remembered that I planted fall blooming crocus last year.  They are beautiful just about the time everything else is started to fade away!

Fall Color

Right now is when you look at your yard or garden and realize that everything is starting to look a little dead. That's why it's important to always remember to have some plants that will add fall color to your yard. When building a flower bed I almost always try to put in something for spring, late spring, summer, and fall. Right now I have mums and asters that look beautiful in my garden beds. You could also add shrubs that has folliage that changes color in fall. Burning bush, beauty bush, and dogwood are great for their bright autumn colors, or you could choose shrubs that never loose their color such as a smoke bush. I have both the Royal Purple and the Gold Spirit smoke bush and love them both.

Why I went missing?

This summer we were hit with two really big hail storms. The first was sometime in either late June or early July, and the second was in early August. The first storm brought hail so thick it looked like it snowed outside. Some still had not melted away completely until late the next morning. It shredded all my hostas, and needless to say I almost cried when I saw all the damage. I will post picture of all the damage sometime soon!

Water Your Trees in Fall

It's very important to water your trees in fall. Right now they are getting themselves ready for the long winter and some trees even start the create their buds for spring. A good thing to remember (that I always forget) is to rabbit proof all your small trees and shrubs. Last year we had so much snow that the rabbits even ate the tops of my bushes and trees off!

Hostas need water

During the hot summer months it is very important to water your hostas. I have a lot of people ask me why at the end of the season my hostas still look good while their hostas look all ratty and brown. One of the big reasons is that I keep my hostas watered well during the summer. Hostas don't always act that other perennials which will droop and tell you when they want to be watered. However you will see the effects of the dry spell eventually, usually late summer. Hostas alway develop a second flush of leaves in July, so by keeping them watered you will have a much better looking plant.

There are two other reasons why my hostas (not all) don't look all ratty at the end of the year.
1. Slug are attracted to hostas and will eat the leaves. You usually will not see them, because slugs come out at night to do their damage. I lay down slug bait, such as Sluggo, to keep slugs off my hostas.
2. I am also picky about where I buy my hostas from. Don't buy from the big hardware stores! A lot of their hostas have hosta virus X. I have even been to some local garden stores and seen the virus. Last year I even asked for the manager and pointed out the virus to them. I stopped by a week later and the plants were still for sale. Buy from people who have a true passion for hostas and are concerned about the spread of the virus and another hosta enemy, nematodes. Nematodes will cause your hostas to develop wholes and brown streaks in the leaves late in the summer and spread by water.

Here is more information:
Hosta Virus X: http://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/articles/hosta_virus_x.php
Nematodes: http://www.ohio4h.org/~news/story.php?id=2223
Pictures of nematode damage: http://www.hostalibrary.org/diseases/nematodes.html

Tips for a Successful Plant Sale

I started my yearly plant sale yesterday, and it's grown so popular that almost all of my plants sold out the first day. There are going to be some disappointed people the next two days, but I do still have some plants that I will dig fresh for people.

Here are some tips for success:
1. Figure out what plants you need to divide already in early spring, and dig and pot them as they are first emerging. I usually start in late May and my plant sale is mid-June, so my plants look very full and healthy in their pots. Some people dig in fall for the next year's sale, but it's too cold here to leave things in pots over winter.
2. When I transplant into pots I always use rooting hormone to help the plants establish strong roots. You can buy this anywhere, even Walmart. A little goes a long way.
3. When I sell in mid-June a lot of my plants are blooming, so I allow people to walk around the yard and see what my plants look like.
4. I also keep a photo album with picture of plants in bloom that are currently not blooming. So people know what the flower will look like.
5. I make up card ahead of time with plant information and give them to people as they buy plants. I keep these saved on my computer, since a lot of my plants I divide every year.
6. Advertise and spread the word.

All of these things make for a successful plant sale.