mbug-Ican't help you with pics, but am waiting for follow-ups from others to your post. It is almost ironic that just yesterday, B4 seeing this post, I had bought 3 hostas: Dream Weaver and Niagara Falls, along with Empress Wu.

I think it was Herman Wouk, in his novel about the crew of an Australian nuclear submarine underwater since a world-wide allout nuclear war seemed to have wiped out civilization, spoke of a sign of life in San Francisco in the form of a morse-code message. He wrote something to the effect "if you give "n" number of chimps each a typewriter, given enough time one will type a Shakespeare novel". So when it comes to both of us buying Niagara falls and Dream Weaver on virtuallly the same day, I will accept the role of the chimpanzee.

Tell you what! I am really impressed with Niagara Falls piecrust margins. Really nice. But my experience (all without success) with Great Expectations and Dream Queen makes me wonder if this little bluegill (me) just got suckered into biting another hook by someone dangling Dream Weaver, another of the GE clan, in front of my face.

I also picked up Summer Breeze, with an interesting all yellow hanger-on, and Abiqua Drinking Gourd within the last 4 weeks. Weeded 80% of my garden under the walnut yesterday too. Don't you just LOVE growing hosta!

Les

Les...Amazing how quickly it can become a passion. I retired last June and it has given me a great deal of satisfaction to try to create something that is so pleasing to look at. So far I've tried to buy big....I guess I need to still develop patience. I'm in NJ and am finding it difficult to find the more interesting plants. Thanks for your comments.

You did pick very good hostas. My H.'Dream Weaver' is a slow grower, after planting it in 2009 it has now 2 eyes, and the leaves are beautiful. The lookalikes H.'Dream Queen' and 'Thunderbolt' are growing faster and are also beautiful. My H. Niagara Falls' also was probably very young when planted in 2010 and has a single eye, but large leaves.
Bernd

I have been surprised how slowly Niagra Falls has grown for me... I've had it for four years, and it has 2 eyes. It's in my nicest bed, nicest dirt.. only morning sun. Maybe it needs more sun? It's a beautiful hosta, just wish it would get a crackin and grow up!

Here's my Dream Weaver, planted April 2011:

And here's Niagra Falls, planted just this spring. Lovin' it already:

I'll be so glad when I'm finally able to share a picture that halfway competes with the others here!!
Karen

HostaLes, it was Neville Shute's book, ON THE BEACH. And, it was I think Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner who starred in the apocalyptic movie version.

These are a couple of my long-time favorites. I think maybe Dream Queen does better than Dream Weaver, but I love both. And NF should be in everyone's garden.

Dream Weaver on right

Niagara Falls

Steve

evermore...two great looking plants!

ML-I just KNEW Wouk didn't feel right (you have it right). I'd racked my brain trying to remember "On The Beach" but my brain remained submerged 30 fathoms deep; not even up to periscope depth. Loved the book, and even enjoyed the movie when I normally prefer book versions over glitzy screenplays.

Steve-while it is a "green banana" Niagara Falls is a beautiful hosta for a greenie, and as usual your photo sets a standard for . My nursery plant looks good even now and has multiple eyes. Now I can have a race between Queen of the Seas and Niagara Falls. I just wish either would take a hint from Blue Angel about growing up.

I ran out of daylight weeding my garden yesterday and didn't get pics of my new plants. But I will be making a trip home today so by tonight should be able to post my new babys. I'll be moving home Friday with mobility in my knee to almost 120 degrees bend. Like Farragut said down near where ML lives, "damned the torpedos--full speed ahead!" And if I am lucky I don't have that quote accredited to the wrong Admiral.

One of the first things I am going to do is dig up my Dream Queen and try to save her in a pot for a while. All you pot-headed hostaholics out there; I might be calling for your help on a different post.

Les

I think both of these plants need a half day of sun. Dream Weaver is a monster in my sisters garden in the pacific northwest. It is grown against the house facing east. It keeps blue right until it dies back for winter.

Niagara Falls has similar exposure in my garden and has steadly grown to be huge. Last year the leaves measured 16.5 by 11. It is listed as 14 x 10 so it must like where it is. My zone is 4/5 in the interior of BC.

Below are pictures of both plants.

mctavish....Holy Cow!! I'm speechless!

My Niagara Falls is on the right hand side of the pic. Another awesome Split Personality seedling!!

Dave

After all these beautiful hostas posted here, do I dare post my yesterday purchases. Of course, in hopes they will some day shine so brightly.

Both are multi-eyed young-uns. I have great expectations, or at least great hopes.

Les

Nice additions Les...did you order on line? Expect mine by Friday....hope they are as nice.

Just noticed your Niagara Falls, Les. I got a tiny one in my last round of orders in September. It is in a large pot, but sharing it with Aqua Velva (a fragrant-flowered) for the winter. Next year I expect to try some of the fragrant ones in the ground.

Les, your NF is very mature looking. Did it get cut off a mature clump? I like going that route whenever I can.

moc; I'd bought both DW and NF at a local nursery in Joliet and my guess is they were both field grown before hitting the sale table. It does, by the pie-crusting, look pretty mature. I'll be able to tell more in the spring. I had repotted both in larger pots back in June and they have done well over the summer. We will be cold-framing them over winter. The wind blew down the makeshift steel structure I was hoping to convert to a greenhouse so I removed all the damaged panels and saved the roof frame. I now have it sitting 24" above grade on 3 tiers of concrete block walls. The "ROOF" is two tempered glass panels from scraped patio tables. That will be our "cold-Frame". I've given Theresa the responsibility of the potted hostas that will be going into it. She needs something to do, since the gardens are mine! LOL

Looking at the success that you, babka and bkay have with your potted hostas it seems like a good decision! I've noticed that a lot of Myrle's are potted also. I like the odds!

Les

Les, sounds like a plan to me.

Reusing glass panels....hmmmm, well, I will have a couple of them before long. Only no really cold winter months, but the vertical use of a 1/2 inch thick 6 foot long 20 inch wide sheet of glass, guess I could find a way to use it, maybe.

It is covering my desk at the moment, and I have visions of two separate desks each 5 feet long and 24 inches wide. One for me, one for DH. We share the study.

As for the container success, I also like to raise the pots up and feature one plant higher than the rest, maybe one which can take more sun, and then it can shade the ones at its base. The foundation doesn't have to be pretty if it is surrounded by other leafed-out hosta. It helps squeeze in MORE plants where you thought you could not have them.

You can also allow the garden to ebb and flow, moving things around as they wax and wane, feature a hosta that is really showing off nicely, and moving the problem child into the TLC area. I'm very pleased with container gardening. It sure gives me a lot of exercise and that's a good thing.

My Niagara Falls is so small, it is sharing a large pot with Aqua Velva. Next year, I'm hoping it shows its nature. I would love to feature it like I have Krossa Regal. I think that is another hosta you have which I admired, Les, and scooped it up when I saw that WadeGatton had it. Field grown, and ready to grow.

Niagara Falls was 4 feet tall and over 5 feet wide in four years - sorry I don't know how to do pics. I ordered Bridal Falls this spring which has Niagara Falls parentage -same deeply veined leaves on upright vase shaped plant, perhaps a bit smaller but with a wide white edge. Can't wait to see this mature - Hard to find, I think I ordered it from Naylor Creek. -I'll work on the pics.

Here's my Niagara Falls.
This is now my favourite hosta. It is situated across the yard from my driveway and I notice it every time I arrive home. It is a vigorous grower in spite of having to be moved when the brick wall behind it was being built.

LOVELY looking Niagara Falls, North53.

Just a question.....is your screen name an indicator of the LATITUDE at which you live? Oh boy, that's a far piece from us at North 30.5.........

Yes, North of the 53rd parallel.

Dream Weaver here slow but steady. No where near as slow as Thunderbolt, though.

NF fast here, even i heavy shade.

fwiw,

hh

I planted a smaller size 'Niagara Falls' 2 years ago, is still only one eye, but could leap next year. I am really looking forward to that.
This year I also planted H.'War Paint' which is a sport of NF. Independent of that I have 2 well growing 'War Paint' seedlings, which will probably stay green, might become NF then. Bernd