tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40505644736101278602010-08-25T08:03:09.932-04:00a journey in light, texture, and color beyond my front doorHostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-80762630893369403602010-08-24T21:17:00.005-04:002010-08-24T21:32:06.725-04:00

I visited a beautiful garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota this summer - truly amazing.   The Blair Filister garden was small, yet it felt so big. The garden was planted with beautiful hostas, alpine plants and so much more.  Water was a significant element in this garden.   In addition to unusual plantings, the owners had a very artistic eyeand have a lovely collection of garden sculpures. 

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-61249888269931761072010-08-08T16:43:00.005-04:002010-08-12T20:32:50.065-04:00

I recently made a trip to Minnesota to tour the American Hosta Society Convention gardens. I visited 12 fantastic gardens in varying parts of the state; all very different in style and taste.  I loved every one of them and will share some of the photos in future posts. Whenever I visit a garden I look for inspiration; design elements that might enhance my own gardens. My big takeaway after

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-34467689798414169222010-06-19T18:27:00.000-04:002010-06-19T18:27:00.183-04:00

I have, or is it had, the Magnolia Tree, 'Butterfies', a beautiful spring bloomer that is supposed to be hardy in zone 5-9.  I am in zone 6.  This spring only a few flowers appeared on half of the tree and now it only as a few limbs with leaves.  Most of the tree is just a bunch of twigs.  This past winter in the northeast was very cold with little to no snow cover for insulation.  Combine that

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-65151688116953822592010-06-06T11:36:00.009-04:002010-06-13T06:58:44.331-04:00

Have you seen the little hostas that sometimes rise only a wee 6” above the soil? They are cute miniature hostas - tiny versions of the big leafy plants most of you know and hopefully love. These little hostas are just too adorable to pass up when I’m hosta shopping and I now have about 33 of these petite hostas in my collection. However, they may not all be minis. Many a hosta has been

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-27252852946666401642010-05-30T11:45:00.002-04:002010-05-30T11:48:01.254-04:00

This is a great year for the Peony. Larger plants - probably from all the water last year, and more blooms than I have ever experienced in the past. The blooms are running about three weeks ahead of schedule here in my northeast corner of Massachusetts. I will let the following pictures speak for themselves.

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-48398839735718704732009-12-27T17:59:00.011-05:002010-01-09T20:22:40.998-05:00

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 

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-5031728033010950582009-12-13T12:29:00.010-05:002009-12-13T15:03:56.599-05:00

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

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-55915666639758154022009-11-28T21:10:00.007-05:002009-12-12T06:43:12.807-05:00

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

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-86943407819199710602009-11-22T11:12:00.014-05:002009-12-12T06:29:58.386-05:00

Today I woke up to a beautiful frosty morn. As I viewed my gardens from the window, I felt like I was in a black and white dream.  The scene looked liked a lot like photos taken with infrared film. Only this was not a dream, it was real and all the color in the garden was an eerie dream-like hazy white. I picked up my camera and tried to capture the effect. I had to work fast because like a

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-22496127938294827992009-11-22T15:42:00.007-05:002009-11-22T15:51:18.880-05:00

Here's my entry for the November "Picture This" photo contest hosted by Gardening Gone Wild.  I was inspired by last night's frost which made for some great early morning photography today.  Check out Gardening Gone Wild to see some of the creative contest entries and view all my frosted pictures here.

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-64012577004748792802009-11-15T13:51:00.024-05:002009-11-15T15:54:07.512-05:00

Just when I thought my only remaining garden pleasures were about fondling the dirt and removing dead foliage as I prepare for next spring...I found a number of blooming surprises as I worked in my northeast gardens this morning. I usually consider Allium Thunbergii the last to bloom each fall... As you will see in the following pictures, that is not so this November. Echinacea Coconut Lime

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-71695941763098785342009-10-21T21:05:00.014-04:002009-11-14T17:42:09.902-05:00

Don’t be horrified - I threw out some hosta this week. The plants had no names, were unhealthy, not attractive or were not performing well. None of the plants are featured in these photos. Collecting hostas should be about quality not quantity - right? I’m collecting big, beautiful, luscious leafy plants. It’s all about the foliage and not about collecting names. When I began collecting, I

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-21579112997301543762009-11-01T19:50:00.013-05:002009-11-05T18:54:29.694-05:00

Last summer I added my first Daphne to my garden – and this summer I fell in love. I selected Daphne x transatlantica Summer Ice for the white rimmed gray-green leaves and the long blooming period, early spring to frost. All the photographs here were taken just today, November 1st. When I decided to add a Daphne to the garden, many people suggested Carol Mackie; a beautiful spring blooming

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-56414453558373885622009-10-05T21:11:00.012-04:002009-10-05T21:36:00.538-04:00

This has been quite the year for slugs and snails – yes snails. I don’t remember ever seeing a snail any place other than the beach – until this year. I have slugs and snails galore – and of course they love Hosta. You might think that I grow a slug smorgasbord; after all – 300 hostas provide a lot of big luscious leaves to chew on and plenty of dark, damp places to hide under. One slug can

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-67016845136687764632009-06-21T21:12:00.009-04:002009-06-21T21:46:12.505-04:00

I was in hosta heaven last weekend – attending the American Hosta Society's First Look event – which included some wonderful garden tours and a large number of vendors selling the latest and greatest hosta. However the real reason I attended was for the main event – the First Look competition – an opportunity for hosta aficionados to showcase potential new introductions and gauge audience

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-23386465374035285972009-05-31T06:40:00.028-04:002009-05-31T13:38:29.769-04:00

Each weekend at least one stranger pulls into my driveway to tell me how much they like my gardens. Normally they are looking for an opportunity to take a closer look. I like the attention and love chatting with other passionate gardeners. However, this weekend was different. It was a beautiful morning and I was weeding and rearranging my out-of-control sunny border. Dirty from head to toe

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-29239280450045802992009-05-18T22:29:00.022-04:002009-05-19T21:22:44.644-04:00

Some people count hosta eyes. Hosta eyes you ask? Yes, the little nubs that poke through the ground in the spring. These little pointy darlings house the leaves that unfurl to create a beautiful hosta. A serious Canadian hosta collector, Ghislain Seguin, frequently wrote on the online hosta forums about his hostas eyes. Each spring he counts and records the number of eyes each plant has to track

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-27258463414056051112009-04-27T21:43:00.011-04:002009-04-27T22:09:12.064-04:00

I wander'd lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the Milky Way,They stretch'd in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-75676505109230789072009-04-24T20:32:00.008-04:002009-04-24T20:42:59.207-04:00

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-30598673829894096222009-04-12T19:47:00.016-04:002009-04-12T20:35:25.545-04:00

I love spring. I love the little surprises that pop out of the ground – signs of life in the brown landscape. Spring offers hope; new beginnings in the garden. However spring also brings a mixed bag when it comes to the weather in the northeast. While others in warmer zones post about growing gardens, it has been cold here and my plants are slow to emerge. Strong winds this spring have made it

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-36469330061846953252009-03-18T20:12:00.009-04:002009-03-18T20:19:22.776-04:00

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-27563748808584625952009-03-09T21:38:00.017-04:002009-03-12T19:05:41.142-04:00

Witch Hazel is one of the earliest blooming shrubs in the Northeast. This winter flowering plant has been used for hundreds of years for tea and tinctures to treat insect bites, swelling, sore muscles and more. However this weekend, the blooming Witch Hazels at Tower Hill Botanic Garden were an effective treatment for the winter blues.Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' Hamamelis x intermedia 'Ruby

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-10781159083343651742009-02-28T15:23:00.020-05:002009-03-01T08:05:12.933-05:00

The information center guide leaned over like he had a secret to share. I had just inquired about the Key West Botanical Garden and he asked, “Do you really like gardens?” When I shook my head vigorously in the affirmative he said, “You’ll have to check out the Secret Garden.” I was all ears. What gardener can resist visiting a “secret garden”? Nancy Forester’s Secret Garden is a gem in the

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-34787934790270156212009-02-21T12:59:00.018-05:002009-02-21T14:49:15.028-05:00

Gardeners face interesting and often frustrating challenges every day. Many of those challenges are unique to the region they live in. Visiting and talking with gardeners in other regions of the United States have helped to put my own garden challenges in perspective. The Florida Keys’ tropical, balmy weather supports lush, rapid growth much of the year. Rapid growth has its own problem –

Hostabuff, Zone 6ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13501772087500285210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050564473610127860.post-76863066998584850912009-02-01T11:54:00.016-05:002009-02-01T12:56:51.072-05:00

There is a virus in the “hosta world” that is at epidemic proportions. The virus is known as Hosta Virus X (HVX). And unlike the common cold, hostas that catch this virus will not get better with time.A number of years ago it was discovered that the unusual mottling and markings on a few newly registered hosta varieties were not new varieties with interesting leaves, they were actually hostas

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