The often overlooked hosta flower

Hostas are not known for their flowers.  In fact there are a high percentage of people who will cut the scapes off hostas before they even bloom.  As a hosta fanatic, I will be the first to admit that most hosta flowers are not very interesting.  Hostas are bought mainly for their foliage not their flower, but there are a few hostas that are bought for their flowers.  The hosta 'Guacamole' is often purchased for it's highly scented flower.  If you walk in my garden around twilight the entire yard is enveloped with it's sweet scent, which is kinda a mixture of lilac and lily of the valley.  Hostas with scented flowers bloom later in the season.  Here is a list of hosta with fragrant flowers.  Every once and while I will be walking through the garden and I will happen to notice just how beautiful some of the hosta flowers can be.  I think if the flowers were at eye level they would be appreciated more, but since you usually have to kneel down to admire them most people never really notice them.  I was also just reminded by a Twitter friend that the hosta flower attracts hummingbirds, bees, and at my house the hummingbird moth, who always shows up when I do not have a camera anywhere near.

h. 'Guacamole'

The giant, sweet smelling flowers of h. 'Guacamole'

The highly purply blue flowers of h. 'Indy Parade Lap'

Beautiful striped flowers on h. 'Gosan Gold Mist'

Closer look of stripes on hosta flower.

Large flower getting ready to bloom on h. 'plantaginea' which is also large flowered and fragrant.

Fragrant and pretty, the flower of h. 'Nightlife'

Red stem and purple flowers of h. 'Fire Island'

Another striped flower on one of my hosta sports.

The purply buds on h. 'Sea Octopus' 

Succulent Picture Frames

This weekend I decided to try making a succulent picture frame.  I have seen them in greenhouses I have visited, and always thought it was something I would like to try.  I found a frame on clearance (under $4- score!).  Then I purchased some 1"x2" lumber, a sheet of plywood, and hardware cloth.  My husband used a mitre saw to cut the 1"x2" lumber and formed a smaller frame that would fit on the back of the frame to hold soil.  Then I cut plywood and nailed it to the back of the 1"x2" frame.  Next I cut hardware cloth to fit on the back of the frame and used a staple gun to attach it.  Last step before filling it with succulents was attaching the 1"x2" frame onto the frame I purchased.  Here were the results:

Next add soil to the frame, shaking it to make sure it's filled evenly throughout.

Gather your succulents for cuttings.

Take succulent cuttings and dip them in rooting hormone.

Place them inside the frame.

Filling the frame with different sizes, colors, and textures.

Here is the finished project.  It now must sit for about 2-3 weeks in a dark area with no water to allow for the succulents to root.

Wordless Wednesday - two new miniature gardens today

How to make the miniature gardens (fairy gardens)

Yesterday I blogged pictures of some of the miniature gardens I have.  I promised that I would show how they are made today.  The first step for me is to find basket and containers.  I have very good luck finding baskets Goodwill or at Stein's (a local garden store) for less then $4 a piece.

Supplies you will need:
basket/container
cardboard or newspaper to line baskets
soil (I use cactus soil since I use succulents)
pea gravel or small stones
plants (I use hardy succulents since mine stay outside year round)
Miniature items or other items to decorate gardens.  If looking for miniature items to decorate your gardens there are two great sources that I trust: Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center, LLC out of Seattle and Miniature-Gardening.com which is out of the Winter Greenhouse in Winter, WI.  Both have online stores and retail stores.

1. Line the inside of the basket with cardboard or thick sheets of cardboard.  If basket comes lined with plastic make sure to puncture holes in bottom to allow water to drain.  Any standing water in the basket will cause succulents to rot and in winter it will cause freezing.

2. Fill the basket with soil.


3. I usually add the miniature which will be the main focus of the garden now, so I can build my garden around it.

4. Then I add my plants, remembering to add different colors, heights, and textures.

5. I then add my pea gravel or make my paths (see below) using mosaic tiles that can be found near stepping stone or stained glass supplies in craft stores.

It's really 5 steps to make these cute little miniature gardens.  The most expensive part of the whole project are the miniatures used to decorate, but you can make them as cheap or expensive as you want.  You might be surprised what you find in Goodwill or in the dollhouse section of a craft store.

Miniature Container Gardens / Fairy Gardens

Here are pictures of some of the miniature containers I have in my yard.  Since I have pretty much run out of garden space I have turned instead to miniature gardening.  It's great for people with little space, and everyone who visits my garden from young to young at heart love them.  I use hardy succulents in my containers, and they overwintered for me, though they did not look great this spring before they bounced back.  I just moved them to a location up against my house and covered with leaves in fall.  I have also learned that you can cover them with a styrofoam cooler for fall.  Tomorrow I will show how to make these containers.

What's Blooming

Ligularia japonica flowers.

Stoke's Aster

Early blooming rudebeckia and coneflower

Crocosmia

Conflower 'virgin'

Blackberry Lily

Morning Glory 'Grandpa Ott'

Parade of Peacocks daylily with brown-eyed susans in background.

Candy Lily

Hibiscus 'Kopper King'

Cameroon Twist daylily

Coneflower 'Green Envy' just starting to bloom.