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hostasmith

Some luck for me, now come on Spring!

hostasmith
10 years ago

I am not sure how many people here are on Facebook, but In The Country Garden & Gifts was having a drawing and I ended up being the lucky winner. I did not have any of these before.

I usually do not enter drawings, but I am glad I did this one!

Comments (28)

  • hostanista
    10 years ago

    You won ALL OF THEM????!!!! Freakin' lucky you!!!!

  • User
    10 years ago

    Those are NEW HOSTA!
    Royal Wedding is the fragrant sport of Diana Remembered.
    Cool As A Cucumber is generally not available until late May, how lucky can you get!

    In The Country Garden is "paying it forward." What a great thing for them to do. Bravo!

  • hostasmith
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I couldn't believe it! It really made this terrible winter a lot better!

    It has been a good winter for hostas for me, though. I bought some used 1 1/2" PVC hoops cheap, enough to make a 12' x 80' shade house, I have a good number of streaked seedlings growing, then I won these great new hostas. I also may be becoming more involved with the AHS.

    Wow! Now that I think about it, I have really been sucked in!

  • don_in_colorado
    10 years ago

    Nice work, Devon! Congratulations!!

    Don B.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    10 years ago

    WhoooooooHooooooo!

    -Babka

  • ninamarie
    10 years ago

    Congratulations. Now that's a way to brighten up the last days of winter.

  • beverlymnz4
    10 years ago

    We will expect pictures. Congratulations
    Beverly

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    that would be josh .... what a guy ...

    now.. you still needing that streaker...??

    call him and ask him if he has any for sale ... and buy one...

    obviously you wont be needing to order anymore this spring ... lol .... cancel all other orders... [unless its with him.. lol] ..... and get that streaker you need ...

    kinda of a quid pro quo there.. for his generosity.. you can send him some money for your true dream ....

    wonder how his dream in the corn field auction went .. i lost track of it ... check it out at his website .... [where i could answer my own question.. but shut up about that.. lol]

    anyone else ordering from josh???? .. we ought to pay him back for this .....

    ken

  • jan_on zone 5b
    10 years ago

    You're on a roll. Buy lottery tickets lol.
    Jan

  • beverlymnz4
    10 years ago

    I put an order in to ITC during the early order- free shipping thing.
    Lakeside Paisley Print, Frisian Waving Steel, Red Stilts, Megan's Angel, Bridal Falls , Heuchera 'Glitter' and Sedum 'Dazzleberry'
    Besides the great guy thing, I like the online catalog and they carry heuchera's, sedum and other plants to go with your hosta. I enjoy looking through the caltalog, even when I don't order. I grow a mixed garden so the other plants he offers make ITC a good choice for me.

    This post was edited by BeverlyMN on Mon, Feb 17, 14 at 9:57

  • bkay2000
    10 years ago

    Congrats! Tha'ts quite a haul.

    bk

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Congrats! That is so much fun for you and cheered this February evening for me-I love hearing such happy stories.

    Off to check them out. Two nights in a row that you guys have given me new sources. Yikes. I am doomed. In a good way, of course. ;)

    Cynthia

  • gardens1
    10 years ago

    Congrats, you have made us all drool! And I'm sure Mocc is smiling 'yes, we'll get another hooked on fragrant hosta!'

  • newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
    10 years ago

    Lucky you! Would love to see some pictures when you have some. They look like winners to me.

  • User
    10 years ago

    Gardens1, you are so intuitive....how did you know that I was just at this moment thinking about the number of folks on the fragrant bandwagon. A hosta is a lot more than the leaves.
    Looking at the evolution of many garden plants, many began as a wild thang with a small bloom, totally ho-hum color, and because of the dedication of hybridizers or regular gardeners paying attention to natural evolution, outstanding garden plants are now growing in gardens around the world.

    One day there will be a red leafed hosta. Or purple leafed. Maybe pink flowers? Blue flowers are running around out there somewhere and will one day be common. I personally like the current flower colors, perhaps someone with perfumery knowledge can find a way to increase the scent index....wouldn't it be great to have a Hosta 'Chanel #5'......whoaaaaaa!! (or H. 'My Sin') hehehehe

  • gardens1
    10 years ago

    Mocc, fragrance is an important element in a garden. Important advances can come through selective breeding, however sometimes these advancements can be at a cost. Such is the case with many modern roses, more is the pity. I grow many varieties of hemerocallis as well, and some of those are advertised as being fragrant. That being said, you have to bury your nose in there, preferably in the evening, to notice much. So I thought it much the same story with hostas until last summer. My hosta are all young, so I hadn't made an effort to 'sniff' them. Last summer there was a grouping of several pots of good ole 'Guacamole' at a local garden centre, and I couldn't believe where the fragrance was coming from!

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    10 years ago

    Gardens1...ahhh, a fellow sniffer! I started sniffing around last summer, thanks to a gentle push by Mocc and her fragrance-hunting side-kick/enabling partner, Guacamole Don. - these two are my fragrance gurus. I can't think of one without thinking of the other! :-) :-)

    Until that time I was ignorant to the fact that there were more scented hostas out there besides the gorgeous Plantagenea! Who knew??? I now own several.

    I discovered last year scent on hosta that are not known for being scented. I am anxiously waiting for the growing season to start to see if indeed these scents are detectable again. If they are that will open once again the discussion relating to the origin of hosta scent and offer some new possibilities.

    So keep sniffing...you may also have sharp receptors and discover more scented hosta!

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    10 years ago

    Smith...congratulations! 10.....not one, not two, but 10????? AND, how many of us can even hope to get one of those???

    Lucky, lucky, lucky you! Enjoy your wonderful windfall and yes, please post pics of your newbies when you get them. We are thrilled for you.

    Joy Ride ... The name reminds me of the Wheee! hosta, as do the ruffles. Stunning hosta.

  • ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
    10 years ago

    Teaches me to start opening their e-mail. Great have fun with them. Real lookers all of them. Paula

  • User
    10 years ago

    Jo, thanks for the compliment....I like being a MUSE, never thought to achieve GURU status......but I guess you could call Don and me the GUAC-MOCC CO-OP.

  • User
    10 years ago

    Agree with you there, Gardens1. After reading BOTANY OF DESIRE, I realized that the hosta also had a strategy for procreation when competing for pollinators. Where they grew in China, they bloomed late in the day, say more nightfall, when flower color of white showed up in the dim light. And, they then added fragrance to their bag of tricks, because the pollinators out relied more on that characteristic. The species has these huge white super fragrant blooms, and any sports or hybrids developed in the wild focused on carrying on the species. Presumably there were not many other hosta blooming late in the season like they were, so that might tend to keep the strain pure. And therefore, the fragrance stronger than if diluted with non-fragrant species.

    In trying to "think like Mama plantaginea," I have a working theory about the difficulty of cross pollinating. By remaining totally species, the fragrance will also remain stronger, thus not diluted to the point that night hunting insects or bats or even small animals can detect the fragrance and find it. When the climate is fine, procreation is not as urgent as it would be when drought or loss of shade might create unfavorable conditions, threatening survival of the species. Then I betcha it becomes very fertile and the stress makes it set more seeds. Just like in time of war, humans seem preoccupied with
    "eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die." Not that hosta can put it into words, but I imagine even plants have survival hard wired into their makeup.

    So that might be why plantaginea pollinated by non fragrant pairings (perhaps with p. pollen not seedpods) can wind up with little or NO fragrance. It's my story and I'm sticking to it....for the time being. I never let facts get in the way of ideas. :)
    It is a fascinating concept, to me at least.

  • hostasmith
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Update!!!

    Josh at In The Country Garden & Gifts sent me the hostas that I won to me this week. Here they are fresh out of the box! I will post more after getting them potted.

    Joy Ride, Ivory Queen, Island Breeze, Flash Forward, Happy Dayz

    Wishing Well, Virginia Reel, Cool as a Cucumber, Pocketful of Sunshine, Royal Wedding

    Here is a link that might be useful: In The Country Garden & Gifts

  • jadie88
    9 years ago

    How exciting! What a way to kick off the season. Congrats again!

  • hostasmith
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here they are potted up!

  • Linda's Garden z6 Utah
    9 years ago

    Wow! That is awesome! I think I will "like" them on FB too. Maybe they will do it again next year.

    Enjoy your new plants!

    Linda

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    9 years ago

    Devon, seeing these finally arrive and already potted to be viewed up close is such a treat! ( whoa, what a tongue twister!) they are quite stunning. Lucky winner! ;-)
    Thanks for sharing with us.

    Jo

  • rosie742001
    9 years ago

    Wow! What a great haul!!! I have two orders in to Josh. Can't wait.I won 3 packets of seeds at the auction for Josh!! I have several orders I am waiting for now and the posts here keep my 'want' list growing.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    Very nice, Devon. Are you up to 300 hostas yet? :)

    Don B.