You know you're a hostaholic when your wish list is longer than your have list.
You know you are a hostaholic when a neighbor comes over and finds you with a clipboard and tape measure recording mound and leaf sizes, taking vein counts, and noting the first sign of scapes.
You know you're a hostaholic when planning a vacation includes finding hosta growers and open gardens to tour and only vacationing during the growing season!
You know you're a hostaholic when you turn down a gift of hostas from someone who calls them "the green and white one and the all-green one".
You obsess with remembering every name of each hosta you have.
You know you're a hostaholic when you tear out all of your grass to have more room to plant more hostas.
You know you're a hostaholic when you tell the family you're taking them out to eat someplace new and it just happens to have a Hosta Nursery nearby you've wanted to check out.
You know you're a hostaholic when a criteria for buying a new home is what the potential hosta gardens could look like or how much shade is available.
You wage war on slugs and hunt them ferociously at night with a flashlight and sprayer bottle.
You know you're a hostaholic when you read all of the above and think to yourself, 'well, that's normal.'
I admit I can relate to a few of those, (not saying which ones) but I've definitely got the hosta fever! I don't know how many I have, but this summer I'm going to start a journal and keep record of each one.
Other than the deer and slugs loving them too, they are some of the easiest plants to grow and require very little care.
This is my haul from a recent trip to Wade and Gatton. I try to get a variety of sizes, colors, textures, and shapes. Some hostas may look similar when they are still small, but their color can change greatly as they mature.
'Fat Cat'
Big, fat, round, yellow leaves with nice puckering and texture.
'Olive Bailey Langdon'
Rounded, very corrugated blue leaves with a wide irregular gold margin.
'Marilyn Monroe'
A very nice hosta with soft, ruffled edges, and reddish-purple stems.
'Dawns Early Light'
Yellow hosta's as a rule are more sun tolerant than other hosta's. I lost some shade in this area last year and had to move a hosta that couldn't take the sun so I'll see how this yellow one does in this spot. Yellow hosta's add a lot of color and contrast to the garden.
'Avocado'
Where did I plant Avocado? Next to Guacamole of course!!!
'Rainforest Sunrise'
2013 Hosta of the Year.
'El Nino'
Thick leaves are powdery blue with a pure white edge. This one has been on my want list for a few years. This one came from a local greenhouse.
'Kiwi Full Monty'
A beautiful hosta with dusty blue leaves and a chartreuse center, with a thin white line between the center and margin. Actually looks a lot like 'Striptease'.
'Stiletto'
This small, fast growing hosta has long, thin, green leaves, with a rippled white margin. Great as an edger or in containers. I put this in one of my hypertufa planters I made last year.
'Lacy Belle'
I had success with keeping a hosta overwinter in a container so I'll try another one.
'Twist of Lime'
A small fast-growing hosta that works well as an edger.
'Teaspoon'
This cute little hosta has teaspoon-shaped, cupped solid green leaves. Must be an early bloomer. It had flower scapes when I bought it.
'Toy Soldier'
A small hosta with blue heart-shaped leaves and bi-colored cream and green margins.
