The first step is admitting that you have a problem

I know I said that this next post would go back to spring of this year, but today a package from my favorite hosta nursery arrived. Bridgewood Gardens, in Strasburg VA, sells some of the nicest plants I've ever received through mail order.


This box is the bane of GeekBoy's existence, and one of my most favorite sights to see on our front stoop:






Let's open the box, shall we?





Look at them all tucked away in there! Bridgewood does such a great job of packing their plants that the box could be thrown around and stored upside down on the truck and the plants would still look like this when you opened it. They use a straw-like material to secure the soil in the pots, held down with a couple of rubber bands. Then they stick a thin piece of bamboo (as tall as the box) in the corner of each pot; this keeps the pots upright and stable in the box. In addition to these measures, they also hot glue in a couple of empty pots (if your order doesn't quite fill the box) to make sure that no sliding around occurs during shipment.


I ordered some of their single-eye hostas. This is a good way to get some of the more expensive plants at much lower prices. The growing point of a hosta is called an 'eye'. Sometimes people call them stalks, sprouts or shoots; they're all the same thing. When hostas multiply, they grow more eyes - these are what you separate when you divide bigger plants to get lots of smaller ones. Anyway, Bridgewood sells single-eye hostas in addition to their normal plants, which are usually 2 or 3 eyes. The single-eye plants are just a little smaller, because they are younger. They'll eventually catch up to the multiple eye plants. This is also why (if you aren't trying for instant impact) you may as well buy the cheaper, smaller greenies at your garden center. They'll grow to the size of the larger, more expensive plants in a month or so. Why pay Home Depot to do the growing for you?


Back to my new babies.....





This here is 'Sweet Tater Pie' - I love some of the names that the folks breeding these come up with. In my head, I say it with a thick, sugary southern accent. Like one of the ladies on 'Designing Women'. (remember that show? or is it just me?)






This is 'Christmas Tree'. When it blooms, the shape of the flower stalks, combined with the color and shape of the leaves are supposed to give it a 'christmas tree' effect. We'll see. I'm not the most abstract of people. It'll probably look like a normal hosta to me.






This handsome fella is 'Rebel Rouser'. He's a Bridgewood introduction, which means that they developed the plant. They bred together a couple of hostas that had characteristics they liked and came up with one that possessed the best of both.






Here we have 'Crowned Imperial'. He's, hopefully, going to get real big.






I'm really excited to see this one when it establishes itself. He's 'Kiwi Black Magic'. His scapes (the flower stems) will be black, with purple flowers and black seed pods. I love that sort of contrast.




'Blue Diamond' - I have a thing for the blue hostas. The leaf color of a mature blue hosta is so different than anything else out there in the plant world. Since we're in nearly full shade, any color is better than none at all. I'll take it any way I can get it. And the blue ones like the shade a lot - it keeps the coating that makes them blue from melting off.





And finally, may I introduce 'Jimmy Crack Corn'. I pretty much bought him just for the name. There is seldom any rhyme or reason to my selections, and here is a perfect example of that. According to Chick over at Bridgewood, this one will get big, and his leaves will be a gold color. Sounds good to me. Now I have the annoying song in my head.


Here they are all together:





They don't all 'look the same' right? Please say they don't.


I haven't decided where they're all going to go yet. According to GeekBoy, I was supposed to wait until he dug the next hosta bed before ordering more plants. Huh. Oh well. It's like anything else; if you love it, you'll find a home for it. I don't tell him when it's time to buy new computer stuff.

Next time, I'll go back to the spring. I have all the pictures ready to go. It'll be interesting to see how my gardens grow. (at least I think it will be)