Terri - either the Aussies don't garden much, or they don't talk about it much! There are Australian forums at Garden Web and in a search for hosta on the annual and perennial forum I found only one post, dated 2003. Several of the first page posts are years old, and there are only 11 pages archived. I did see an amusing post not too long ago on the perennial forum here asking if kangaroos eat strawberries. The poster immediately responded with an apology for getting the wrong forum. At least he was reading an American forum!
Like you, I love to hear from far away people who add a whole new perspective to this obsession of ours.
Now - who is in Alaska?
Jan

I'm also in Nova Scotia. I'm further north than robotropolis (Whom I'm familiar with from another local music forum). I have 180 varities of hostas, 9 different weigelas and 43 Asiatic lilies and scads of other perennials and shrubs and trees. We are blessed here with almost the perfect climate for growing hostas. One day when I get around to it I'll post garden pics, but I'm too busy diggin' holes at the moment....

OH mikgag - we are certainly anxious to hear lots more from you. Get those photos taken so you can join in the fun of the hosta alphabet posts here in January - cure for the winter doldrums.
Jan

Sadly I think BK has both mocc and I beat as the most south. BK is 29.8 deg where mocc is 30.5 deg and I am 30.8 deg. Bk you are the most Southern. Authority: Google Earth

Then, Mary is the southern most. She is south of me. I think she said she was 50 miles south of Dallas. She doesn't post very often. She grows hosta hydroponically, kinda, sorta.

bk

BK, how is it you are zone 8 and I'm zone 9 and you are further south at 29.8 deg? I know that Houston and the lady who lives there prompted me to check out that fine huge city's latitude and it was at least 20+ miles further south than Mobile. Is Mary the Houstonite? If she is further south, and is 50 miles south of Dallas, how she be further south than you and you be at 29.8? I am very confused by all this. I thought I knew a bit about navigation, but guess I forgot what I once knew.

One degree of latitude is 60 nautical miles, so Mary is 50 miles south of Dallas......just where are you in relation to Dallas or Houston, BK?

Paula, don't tell me you are north of I-10? Of course, I-10 is not a straight line between two points, but I so wanted someone else to live south of it.

Theresa, you threw a rock into our placid little pond, sweetie.
:) The boat is rocking.

I-10 and Latitude and Longitude are 3 different things. I-10 goes all over not in a straight line. I took these off of Google earth and was surprised at how close we are. Zones also do not stay in a straight line. They wave with the map so it is easy to be on the same road and different addresses. I believe I winter in 8 and summer in 9. Paula

Actually I'm north of I-20. Dallas is at 32 degrees N, and some odd minutes, according to Wikipedia.

bk

I'm falling off my chair laughing here, because what Paula said is hilarious. Yes, indeed 3 different things. Because what I was talking about was where is the logic of being both north and south of something--that was not the same LOGICALLY. It did not compute.

In the process of looking for the TX garden zone maps, I ran across some very interesting things at a website. It says the zones in TX are not yet permanently revealed, but my heaven all the other stuff available for TX gardeners is wonderful. I'll give the link below.

The thing that I discovered, trying to place where BKay would be on that map, still in zone 8a, yet this Mary lady was further south that she was, and BK was near Dallas, I thought but did not know. Puzzled about navigation, about logic, it did not add up.

BUT, I discovered something while browsing the USDA maps.
There is a VanZandt County in Texas, somewhat east and a bit south of east from Dallas/FtWorth. Van Zandt......boy, as an old Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, I'd give anything to have a hosta grown in a county named Van Zant! Close enough to be a match.

Here is a link that might be useful: TX zone map

Hi mikgag! 180 hostas, wow. I need to step up my game! And start crunching lily beetles.

I don't know exactly where she is. I think she said once, but I've forgotten. Her screen name is Mary52 (or 57?). She has about 350 hosta, all in pots. She's only posted once or twice this year, that I've seen. She used to be a lot more active on this list.

bk

Moc-I am not a good rock thrower but am good at skipping stones.

Unless my memory fails me, picking up the stones to skip it seems we have uncovered at least one lurker. MMM-Ah! (that is me blowing a hosta-lovers kiss to mikgag!) I think I will make that Theresa's standard welcome to newbies.

Jan-I don't think a hostaholic could stand living in Alaska. Imagine the dormant period. phew-I can hardly bear it in Northern Illinois. I've learned this past winter only the hungry squirrels spend more time than I do sniffing out dormant hostas looking for a treat.

I am surprised we never hear much from Japan or Korea. Wouldn't it be nice if North Koreans grew hostas instead of new nuclear capable missiles?

Theresa