Hostapedia is a BIG Must-have

I need a book stand for my new book, the Hostapedia. I knew the book was big – just not this heavy – 9.8  pounds.

Hosta collectors will find the Hostapedia much more than just a compilation of hosta facts. When you combine author Mark Zilis’ education and real life experiences with his attention to details, you can be assured that he is more than qualified to assemble an 1100 page reference book about hostas.

The Hostapedia is all about the actual plants, so don’t expect to find information on hosta disease and pests, or how to propagate plants. What you will find is lots of information on over 7000 hostas, including origin, history, description, and performance. The author’s reports on plant performance are based on his own observations of mature plants.  His information can be more accurate than some of the information recorded when some plants are registered as many plants are not really mature when registered. You will also find information on hybridizing, naming, registration and plant form.

The book features more than 1800 color photos of mature hostas. Many of the photos are of less common or not readily available varieties, like H. Oze, H. Intrigue, H. Orange Crush and H. Geneva. Serious collectors will find it interesting to browse these pictures.

With many of the hosta descriptions Zilis included a list of similar types; plants that have similar traits. I really like this feature as I am always on the hunt for unique varieties and do not want to build a collection of look-a-likes. However, I would recommend that readers use this information in conjunction with other sources as I did not always agree with the listed plants, for example, it was suggested that Delta Dawn was similar to Gin and Tonic.  I find the color and leaf shape of these two plants to be quite different.

The author also included personal photos of some of the prominent people in the hosta world – yes there is a whole world built around hosta. I enjoyed these photos and would have liked some stories to go along with them. Perhaps that is a topic for another book.

I have spent numerous hours enjoyed my Hostapedia and have not made a dent in all the great information featured. I would recommend that every hosta collector own the Hostapedia.

Sleeping Rooftop Garden

Can you visit a garden any season of the year and appreciate its beauty? I know many people that only focus on the flowers. However a die-hard gardener like myself can see beyond the bloom to the structure and bones of the garden. This weekend I found an unexpected surprise in New Hampshire - a sleeping rooftop garden at the Mount Washington Resort.

The Mount Washington, a beautiful hotel built in 1902, has a very storied history. Over the last decade the current owners have given the hotel new life.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the original character and atmosphere of the hotel in tack after they added a huge addition to house a spa and conference center.

Upon arrival at the hotel, there was little snow on the ground due to a recent warm spell. The weather was just right to venture out and check out the views from the roof of the new addition. As I climbed the long staircase, I was surprised to find a whole series of raised gardens - think massive troughs.  And even though it is winter, I could see the signs of alpine plants – no surprise considering this is a mountain resort with a cool climate, short growing season and probably fairly harsh growing conditions.

These gardens have piqued my interest. I am looking forward to making another visit to the hotel next summer to see the plants in the rooftop gardens in all their growing glory.

Here are a few more pictures of the beautiful Mount Washington Resort.  A snow fall the second evening of my visit enhanced the festive holiday air of the weekend.

Garden Inspiration

Garden tours can be very inspirational. They can fuel your passion for gardening and they are a great way to get new design ideas.

Have you ever gone on a tour and compared and contrasted the tour gardens against your own? You might find this exercise helpful if you have some specific objectives for your gardens. For example, perhaps you are working to build the bones of your garden; shrubs and trees that can add definition, diversity and winter interest.  Or, you are looking for ideas to help construct walls or paths.  If you have a focus, you will more successfully see what you are looking for in the gardens you visit.

This summer the Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County Maine hosted a wonderful tour – Private Gardens of the Kennebunks. There were some beautifully landscaped properties on this tour. I was surprised to see how extensively hosta was used in most of the landscapes (a personal interest of mine).

The gardens selected clearly had an appreciation for hardscaping.  There were many fine examples of stonewalls, walkways and even a beautiful outdoor fireplace. Here are some examples:

I probably noticed the hardscaping because I was looking to see how others used it in their garden designs.  If you would like to see more photo's of this garden tour, check out the video 2009 Private Gardens of the Kennebunks' on the Child Abuse Prevention Council website.