Thank you for your warm welcome,

Don : thanks for the link, will read when I've finished typing this. I am in county Sligo and Ballyshannon is about thirty miles up the road, I know it well as for the arran islands I have not been out there yet but they are on the list. Our pots are measured in litres since the 70's when we joined the nasty EEC now EU and were forced to use the metric system and really hasn't been embraced by the people so you go to the builders yard and ask for a 4x2 and get charged for a 100mm x 50mm or whatever it is lol , I learnt metric in school but when released into real life had to teach myself imperial to survive!

Ken : Yes no sign of the responsible adult yet, ye enablers ye! will try to post a pic from the computer, the earliest record of the cottage is in 1837 on the first ordnance survey map drawn up under British rule although it could be a hundred years older than that. Its a typical three roomed cottage which originally was thatched, it was abandoned in the early 1980's when the owner moved lower down the mountain to a new bungalow.

Paula : Not much enabling needed I am week lol

Phil : Thanks , I knew a chiropractor from North Carolina who lived here for a while.

Jo : lol I don't have Irish luck YET , will try with the pics is it correct that I can only put one in each post from my computer?

Hopefully the pic will upload , this how it looked when I bought it in 2006.

A view of the naked garden when it had been strimmed or weed whacked as you guys say I think.

Before I forget where this pic is this is where the new hosta bed will be going, just behind here is the sunken laneway to the cottage, the Gunnera will be relocated to a wetter place as it has never really grown to the size it should.

The cottage as it is now , the horrible cement render that was keeping the walls wet removed and walls repointed with lime and whitewashed, new roof it was riddled with woodworm and rot and leaked like a sieve. new double glazed windows. The bed with the tulips has Inula hookerii in it and is full of yellow daisies from june till now, glorious!
I have my pots of hostas along the front of the house as it is north facing and are perfect for that, I didn't take any pics of them unfortunately but will be all over them next spring!

This post was edited by mountainy_man on Thu, Oct 17, 13 at 16:41

MM....here is a useful tip from one of our members which I have saved but not practiced on yet.....hopefully it will help you post multiple pics...

....."I use Photo Bucket. You need to set up a free account. Once you have moved your pics over there, select the ones you want to post. Then just click on the HTML Code, open GW where you want to put it and then paste it. It will first come up as script but when you preview it you will see the picture. I haven't done it for a while but I hope this makes some sense"

You have beautiful real estate there, our Irish friend!!

Can't wait to see the hosta planted in their new home. The cottage was a labour of love, from vision to reality...one can appreciate....if walls could talk...the history. Now-a-days old homes are bulldozed and replaced by modern buildings - which take a long time in which to build memories...how fortunate you are to live there, not to mention the unlimited space for gardens. :-)

Thank you for sharing your pictures!

Jo

You've done a lovely job on your cottage and your gardens. Good luck on your Hosta endeavor. That looks like a choice location.
CHer

Denis, regarding your question about keeping your smaller plants in pots a couple more years...Your multiple-eyed hosta should certainly be fine in the earth, as opposed to keeping 'em potted. I'm less sure about your single-eyed plants. If the roots are really small, and if your winters are relatively mild and are prone to a lot of freeze-and-thaw, freeze-and-thaw cycles, that will make them prone to 'heaving', the process where roots-and-all, the changing temps literally work the small roots right out of the ground. Not desired, of course. I had some small hosta that I planted in-ground last winter, and in late winter here in my area of Colorado, we sometimes have heaving issues, and I did lose a few smalls. Other smalls did NOT heave and survived. Thinking back on it, the small plants that lived had superior root systems, even though, above soil level, they were about the same size.

As a wise man on this forum has stated; Cold/freezing is not the issue. Hosta love a good, cold, long winter. It's that issue with repeated freezing and thawing that'll get 'em in a bad way.

Denis, if you have multiple questions, it's totally OK to create multiple threads with separate questions on each thread. One thread is perfectly fine, of course, but it's been my experience that you'll get more information the other way. Sometimes we'll tend to focus on a certain question, while (not intentionally) maybe not focus so much on question #2 or #3, if that makes sense. Almost all of us here really enjoy helping/enabling our fellow hosta gardener, and the more threads we have to respond to, the more we will respond. : )

Cheers, buddy!
Don B.

P.S.: Thank you for the pics of your home area. Very green and beautiful, just as I remember it 36 years ago.

Thanks Don, its the first year for me to buy these small bare rooted plants so one worries for ones brood, they were small up top but have pretty good roots so I might plant them out in the spring when I have the area prepared. I have a lot of planning to do regards arranging them so I am scouring the web for every scrap of info on each of them and making a file for each hosta (see I'm getting it bad lol)

Our winters generally are mild and very wet due to the gulf stream ect. but we have had a run of fairly harsh ones over the last five years with temps going down to -17 on occasion and a good bit of snow so with this in mind I think I'll keep all in their pots till spring under my outdoor potting bench so they stay relatively dry .

I understand what you say about multiple questions in one thread some questions may get lost in the enthusiasm here , will take it on board,

thanks again
Denis

This post was edited by mountainy_man on Thu, Oct 17, 13 at 20:53

Jo, thanks will try photobucket,

yes if only the walls could talk, In 1901 there were 11 houses here like a hamlet now there is only mine left, it must have been a really tough existence here in the old days, a lot of the people from here went to the States and Canada, I have relations in Saskatchewan and BC, their ancestors left here in the 1890's.

Cher, thanks, loved the place the first time I set eyes on it, knew it was the one.

This post was edited by mountainy_man on Thu, Oct 17, 13 at 21:18

Hey mountain man - welcome to the forum and to a really fun and well informed group of people who love to share their enthusiasm and knowledge.
You have obviously taken on a huge project to transform a derelict shack into a little piece of paradise, and you have made an epic beginning. Please stick around and keep us up-to-date with your progress!
Jan (who is a tiny bit Irish!)

Was it for this the Wild Geese spread its wing upon every tide,
For this that all that blood was shed for this Frances Williams died,
And Herb Benedict and Alex Summers.
All that delirium of the brave. Oh,
Our lovely Hostas are up and gone,
There with Denis in County Sligo.

Apologies to WB Yeats.

Steve

This post was edited by steve_mass on Thu, Oct 17, 13 at 21:55

Thanks Jan, this seem to be the best place on the net for hosta knowledge that I have found and such a friendly bunch of people.

yes its been a huge job but a wonderful time I'm having, I intend to stick around, ye won't get rid of me easily lol.

Tiny bit Irish well I'm only half Irish my mother is Dutch so we will let ya claim it.

Very good Steve, never been much of a yeats fan but you have improved it , he was such a misery guts and living here it's hard to avoid his work. I have two of the hostas you mention here in the bee loud glade............ lol

I see I am late to the Welcome Party, but I'll chime in anyway! Your cottage is absolutely charming, and any hosta will be quite happy to call it home, I'm sure. I look forward to seeing more photos in the future as the hostas "move in." It will be lovely!

I will echo Kens warning...no responsible adults on the premises...your credit card is NOT safe here! :) But it is a fantastic group of good, smart folks who really know how to grow a hosta or two (or two thousand).

Welcome, welcome!

Thank you jadie88, yes I think it's dangerous to my financial health being in here lol.

There will be many many photos posted come spring, now is the time to learn all I can from you lovely people.

MD that's Maryland right?

Welcome from another newbie.This is my first year and the people here have educated,entertained,and enabled me I now have 44 hostas and I live in an apt. building in Sweden!So watch out!

A great source for Hostas in Europe is Hosta world,(Van den top) don't know if you have heard of them.They have great hostas at good prices and the shipping is not that expensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta world

This post was edited by stoc on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 12:37

Thanks stoc, 44 ! you must have a very large balcony! You got it bad lol.

Thanks for the link, that's a new one for me, do they supply bare root or potted? (it's not specified)

I have been using Bali-Hai in Northern Ireland so far and the shipping is free , not bad value.

44 now, James?? You've been busy, young man!! That's GOOD LOL : )

Cheers,

Don B.

Welcome (albeit late), Denis! I am new to the forum as well. I had to chuckle to myself, reading the descriptions of your place and seeing the pics, as we moved to our present location 4 years ago in May. It is a 100+ year old farmhouse we have, and it had been unlived in for 10-15 years. The first time or two cutting the grass, my hubby used tractor and haybine! You have a great start already, and your collection will grow by leaps and bounds (or perhaps I should say Zounds, lol).Two years ago, I had 12 or 14, by last year, 40, now over 100... and that's just the hostas... Addicted? Not me, just extremely enabled! Welcome!
Anne

No balcony but a nice garden in the back of the building.
I put pics of an order from Van den top on the other thread.
From Baliha's description and pics VDT's looked bigger to me,and cheaper--if you order the oldies but goodies.

They are sent out bare root.I have been very happy with them.

MM welcome. I like what Ken said. Its like virtual travel. Its great to see your cottage and what your doing with it. I do plan on visiting Europe some day and Ireland is on my list but it will be years from now.

Beverly

Looks lovely stoc, nice to have a space like that in a built up area.
I will have a look at your VDT order. I was going through their site until the early hours this morning, its like a sweet shop!.

Thanks for the welcome Anne, addicted no? lol you're in denial.

Hi Beverly, Do stop by if you're in the neighbourhood. Do visit Ireland and see the real thing not just the tourist traps, I include a view from the peak of my mountain westwards towards the atlantic .

Welcome, Denis! And also, to everyone else that's fairly new :-)

That's a beautiful view you have from the top of your mountain!

Thanks jel48, yes I have, I am a bit too lazy to go up there very often but when I do its glorious, I can see 5 counties from up there.

James, that looks great, man! I don't even recognize that property from your pics of a few months ago. Beautiful work.

Again, I hope you don't inadvertantly get the rent raised on yourself. ; )

Don B.

Wow, Denis. Is that Ben Bulben?

Steve

Sure is Steve, Its about 25 miles as the crow flies from here, the lake is Lough Gill where Inishfree island is and Dooney rock is along the shore.

Have you been here before or just very well read?

I was there. It was almost 40 years ago. Yes, I'm old.

Steve

It's so wonderful to have a new international member active here, woo hoo !

Along that line of thought, I often wish we could have more Alaska active members - holy moley, their USDA growing zones cover the gamut + . . .

Denis, I hope you like it here enough to stay around.

I also noticed from the first few pics that you fixed up the ol cottage a lot, phew, work n money, eh?

I also much appreciated the long view pic. Here on 'Hillbilly Ridge' we enjoy a ~25 MI view south, when clear atmosphere.

Although I have some appreciation for peat as regards Talisker, mmmmm, I don't know it's soil properties , but imagining it's an acid soil, and within reason, is Hosta-friendly.

Finally, for now, can you folk still buy nemicides? We're banned here, and it's a real 'beech'.

happy trails,

hh

It's so wonderful to have a new international member active here, woo hoo !

Along that line of thought, I often wish we could have more Alaska active members - holy moley, their USDA growing zones cover the gamut + . . .

Denis, I hope you like it here enough to stay around.

I also noticed from the first few pics that you fixed up the ol cottage a lot, phew, work n money, eh?

I also much appreciated the long view pic. Here on 'Hillbilly Ridge' we enjoy a ~25 MI view south, when clear atmosphere.

Although I have some appreciation for peat as regards Talisker, mmmmm, I don't know it's soil properties , but imagining it's an acid soil, and within reason, is Hosta-friendly.

Finally, for now, can you folk still buy nemicides? We're banned here, and it's a real 'beech'.

happy trails,

hh

Steve, I hope you have happy memories of the trip just before I was born!

Guess that means you aren't well read then lol !

Hostahillbilly, and it's wonderfull to be here I am learning lots, still trawling through the threads, great resource and so many pictures.

As regards Alaska speaking for the international group (lol) does Sarah Palin grow hostas?, possibly hosta "Russian view" hosta "soccer mom" hosta "tea bagger", sorry I mean no offence only she is the only person from Alaska that the world has heard of .

As for the peat yes its an acid soil, a great moisture retentive soil but very low in minerals and trace elements and I would like to know what to add to it when I till it. like you would add organic matter to a clay soil to open and improve it I need to add something to the compacted organic matter as that's all peat is.

Nemicides, short answer, I don't know, sorry. will try and find out. we use certain nematodes to treat for vine weevil and also for slugs, although I have not used them myself.

Yes the house was a bit of a struggle, physically and financially but worth it, some one else would have demolished it and built a concrete box bungalow, yuk!

What a view! I'd never go indoors! Lucky, lucky, lucky You! I could gaze at this picture till the cows come home, lol

Denis, It's so nice of you to allow us a peek into your corner of the world. Your screen name is perfect.

I hope you don't mind my copying the pic? I'm going to make a puzzle out of it on my tablet.

Jo

It's OK Denis, I don't think Sarah Palin is a hostaholic, so she'll never know. : )

Don B.

No problem Jo work away. glad you like it.

What I remember, Denis, is that it seemed to me a magical place, especially at twilight. And twilight seemed to last such a long time. We were there in April and it was still light enough to see at 9:30 p.m. I remember a hike we had at twilight up a small mountain to one of those enormous stone cairns. It was easy to understand the stories of the Sidhe coming thundering down the mountain in that setting. The west of Ireland is spectacularly beautiful. I'm sure your garden will compliment it nicely.

OK, now for your soil. Hostas like climates with lots of rainfall, so you are in a good place for that. And since you are at a highter latitude than most of us, you can probably grow them in a lot more sun than we can. Although Hostas like it wet, the soil does have to drain properly. I've linked you to a page from Cornell University on Soil Basics. It contains a simple drainage test that you can do to determine how well your soil drains.

My guess is that you are going to have to fight against compaction in a peat based soil. That means when you create a bed, till it deeply and then avoid walking in it. Create small pathways that allow you to work in the bed without stepping in it. One of the things that people with clay based soils do is to create air spaces by tilling in bark mulch. I don't know if that is available to you, but here we can get it in bulk, delivered by the cubic yard. I suspect compost will also work. Remember in a soil like yours, you don't have to add organic matter, you have to create air spaces. So whatever local product is available that will do that, should work. What do the farmers amend their fields with?

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Basics

Thanks for the compliment Don!

MM wanted to add that I managed to get 13 hostas in the first order without going up on shipping. Mr.Van den Torp let me know how many more I could add to the shipment without going up in shipping cost.He packs them really well too.
He has introduced many new hostas as well. Here's a pic of the roots on a shovel. Something for you to look forward to.Yes it is like Christmas when you get the box.

Steve, Yes it is magical and the weather makes it even more atmospheric, the garden is often in the clouds and can be a little un-nerving, the sidhe are about !. could your hike have been up Knocknarea to Maebh's cairn?

Yes we have a high rainfall and drainage is an issue I need to deal with as the peat is very retentive but my new bed is not low lying so shouldn't be too bad to deal with. I will do the drainage test and see what happens, thanks for the link. Yes I can get bark mulch here , not cheap though, not much is here! I will give it a go, it should keep the soil open with air spaces.
You mention my latitude and sun exposure, that's interesting, I have been planting trees to shade the area but they won't be up to much for a few years. At the moment I a m depending on a large Lodgepole pine due south of the area and what you have said gives me more confidence.

You asked what the farmers amend their fields with, this is not an arable area so its all livestock on grass, on acidic ground they spread lime like a coarse limestone flour as well as cattle slurry from tanks under the slatted sheds that the cattle over winter in. Cattle will be indoors from November until march/april as the land will be to wet and no grass growth. my immediate area is mostly mountain sheep who stay out all winter unless weather gets too bad with snow.

stoc, that's one hell of a starter plant and I can see a lot of those coming my way in the spring, Mr. VDT sounds like a good guy. Its nice to get a first hand recommendation. thanks.

One great thing about being a newbie, Denis, is all the inexpensive 'oldie' hostas you can get, and since they're older varieties, they are often large-sized plants.

The great part is, being newbies, they aren't 'old' varieities. To us, they're ALL new! : )

This is the plant that started it for me. I knew nothing at all about hostas, and bought this at a local garden center in spring of 2009. I just wanted a plant that would fill a blank spot on the Southeast side of my backyard. It was a tiny little one-eyed thing, but I liked the look of the mature plant in the pic on the plant-tag, and the mature size listed on the tag seemed to fit the bill. So I paid my 3.99 or whatever it was, brought it home, planted it and really, didn't give it much thought after that. Three years went by, it's now 2012 and I was doing some yardwork in my backyard, walked over to that area and noticed WOW look at all these leaves coming up (pips), what's going on here?? I pretty much looked at it every day after that, and when it fully leafed out, it looked SO DIFFERENT than in previous seasons! I loved the way it looked, so I jumped online to read about hostas, and then, as you know, it was all over at that point! I found out there are thousands of varieties, found this forum shortly after that, started interacting with all these great people on here, learning, learning, learning, and now I have about 170 varieties, and got a long list for new ones to get next season!

This pic was taken this summer, the variety is 'Fortunei Aureomarginata', and I was surprised to learn it's been around for decades. New or old, a great plant is a great plant, and lots of 'em are cheap as dirt! : )

Enough of my rambling, sir! Enjoy accumulating them, and the people here will enjoy assisting you in growing your 'collection' so to speak.

Regards,
Don B.

Denis,

Yes the hike up Knocknarea to Maebh's cairn at twilight was quite an experience. Since I remember it from 39 years ago, you can tell it left an impression.

I saw the price of bark mulch in the UK. 65 ã per cubic meter is pretty steep. Look for something that is locally available and cheap. Well rotted manure would be good. Wood chips are OK as mulch, but should not be used as a soil amendment. If drainage is a severe problem consider planting in raised beds. Sometimes it's easier to go up than down.

Steve

Yes Don I have noticed that on the various retail sites That I've been looking at, its great. I've never been the kind of person who has to have the latest thing and I have never been fashionable lol. so the older varieties will suit me fine, In researching some of the hostas I own, I too was surprised how long some have been around,Royal standard introduced in 1965, Frances Williams 1986.

My first hosta is a NOID originally from my mothers garden which she got from a friend of hers, a division was given to a another friend who gave a division to my sister who then gave me a division lol. Its not really anything outstanding but links my garden to my mothers garden where I grew up , it was always there beside the path under the huge fushia bush, memories eh. It will be the subject of a id please thread in the spring.
Your FA is a lovely looking plant and not a slug hole in sight I hope I can keep on top of them when I put mine in the ground , I have some huge ones here, black ones over 4" long but I find its the little snotty coloured ones who do the most damage.

I can see my little collection exploding next year with my wish list growing by the day, I love a blue I am weak gotta have em lol, I worry that I will end up with too many of the one colour. I have six solid blues so far and a few variegated blues. I need to think about placing them so they are not competing with each other.

Added to my wish list today are : Sagae, Pauls Glory and Irish luck.

Steve, Its a special place for sure, and an amazing view on a clear day, the cairn is vast it looks big from a distance but when you get there its something else, I can see it from the back of the house, legend has it that she is buried upright facing the ocean.

I enquired recently about bark mulch and was quoted 80 euro for the cubic metre plus 19 euro delivery lol how I lolled! I am going to visit a nearby sawmill soon to see what they have. I doubt that the drainage would be too bad after the peat is tilled and some bark tilled through, the area is 3 feet above the edge of my lane way retained by a dry stone wall, I think it was spread out on the side when the lane was dug out down to the bedrock back in the mists of time so its kinda like a raised bed!

Thanks, Denis. I'd love to take credit for the lack of slug damage on my plants, but truth is, my area's climate is very arid, and as a result, slugs and snails are relatively rare. They seem to hate the high desert that is Northern Colorado. I'm not complaining. : )

Don B.

Sagae, Paul's Glory and Irish Luck are all great. Just curious, Denis, do you have any idea what the names of your blue hosta are?

As if the hosta library isn't enough, here's another website with thousands of images to drool over.

Don B.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'The Hosta Helper'

wow .... thx for the pix ...

if there is anyway i can help... just give us a post ...

ken

Under bare Ben Bulben's head
In Drumcliff churchyard, Yeats is laid...

On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut,
Cast a cold eye on Liberty, on Sagae
Horseman pass by.

Steve

Don, It must be nice to not have to deal with the slimy fellas, you must have to do a lot of watering, swings and roundabouts I suppose.

My blues so far are : Fragrant blue, Drinking gourd, Sieboldiana elegans, Blue mouse ears, Krossa regal, Halcyon, and a NOID from a friend in Scotland. Elegans was my first blue and has grown really well with little to no damage, I divided it last autumn and both bits are happy. I want to get Love pat and Canadian blue too!

Thanks for the new link I'm sure it'll add more to the wish list lol.

Ken, no probs, will do thanks.

Steve, Quite the poet you are, You are improving the auld fella's work, the churchyard at Drumcliff would make a fabulous hosta garden, under the shade of those huge sycamores lovely carpets of bluebells in the spring and all the fertiliser down there lol! I have some relations a few yards away from him.

Denis, I found a couple of new ones you might wish to add to your wish list as per Don B's link. Blarney Stone may be appropriate, but the one that really got me was the cultivar named 'Mountain Man'. We had Guac Don a couple of weeks ago, who's next, everybody? Fragrant Moccasin?? Hillbilly Ridge?? lol!

Oh, Denis, one which is growing nicely is Celtic Uplands. That is sure where you are, right? Plus, it is in the fragrant family.

How cold exactly does it get when those gales come blowing in from the wicked wintertime Atlantic? Some of our more northerly people say the plantaginea (fragrant species) does not do as well--because they don't have a long enough growing season to bloom and set seed. I have a feeling that in your garden, there will be volunteer seedlings soon to come! And that could get really exciting.

Here is my Celtic Uplands this growing year.

gardens1, Ha I found mountain man already lol Its on the ever growing list, must look again at Blarney stone.

moccasinlanding, Celtic Uplands is a nice looking plant and shiny and fragrant, will do research!
The temperatures of the atlantic storms depends on the direction the low pressure takes as it approaches us and the sea temps, a deep low skirting the northwest of Ireland will drag down the cold from the cold north atlantic areas of Greenland/Iceland, where as a low approaching the south west will bring mild air from the usually mild mid north atlantic. These storms can be hurricane force sometimes, there may be the first storm of the season coming at the weekend and models suggest it might be a strong one with 90mph gusts, the track of it is uncertain yet.
Out coldest temps come from weather systems blocking the mild weather from the atlantic which usually keep us mild and wet in winter, this has happened a few times in recent years notably during the winter of 10/11 which caused chaos with temps as low as -15 to -19, I had -17 here with snow on the ground for 32 days.

This is relatively unusual and as a result the country does not have the infrastructure to deal with these extremes, for example water mains not buried deep enough to avoid freezing, only enough salt/grit to treat main routes, few snow ploughs. Where I live is VERY rural and we were left to fend for ourselves or die, such is our inept and uncaring government system. It pays to be a bit of a Prepper (not one of the weird ones lol)

FYI we love to talk/moan/prattle on about the weather lol