Why I Oughta...

In the backyard on both sides, there are beds that are full of ordinary, run-of-the-mill hostas.  They are just green ones.  There are also, some more interesting ones.  Waterslide, Island Breeze, Forbidden Fruit and Guacamole - amongst others.  Below is a peek at a section where these "ordinary" hostas are eating up space.  They served a purpose - and filled in the bed.   But, there are others, like these two Forbidden Fruit ones with bright centers that are 'hidden'.   Something I'm putting on m Fall to-do list is to take-on a section of these hostas and replace them/move some of the more interesting ones up front.  

With the month coming to an end, there are a number of things that happened this month that I didn't get around to posting about in my garden diary.  Here, below are a series of photos showing some of the things that are moving, growing, blooming and....showing-off in our garden. The dahlias that I planted earlier this month - and pinched back - are showing some good growth.  Below is one of the Pooh dahlias that is showing top-growth at the pinch-site: I applied a coat of Neem Oil to the Disneyland Roses.  Combination fungicide + pest control: These weird Allium are in bloom. It is called Sicilian Honey Garlic Allium. This Island Breeze hosta is doing just fine in the shade garden.  Planted in 2023 and mostly forgotten about.  It deserves a better, more-high-profile spot in the garden.  I should transplant it this Fall.   So, too, are the Forbidden Fruit Hostas that I planted in the Fall of 2022 .  They're stars, but buried under more comm...

Last Fall, I couldn't help but come home from Lowe's with these two white-centered hostas during their 50% off sale.  I mean...they are real standouts on the nursery bench and they basically sell themselves.   I planted them in October of 2022 amongst some other hostas - like Guacamole .   They're full of that crinkled hosta foliage this time of year.  And, the white centers really brighten up this part of the understory bed.   Below is what they look like after one growing season.  Are they ready to divide?  No.  Not yet.  Maybe next Fall they'll have put on enough size to warrant division.  For now, I'm just enjoying them and thinking about why anyone would want a plain-jane hosta when they can have something like this around?

The past two days, I've posted photos of plants that I picked up at the Lowes 50% off Fall sale starting with the Proven Winners Dolce Silver Heucheras .  And just yesterday I posted details of five small quart containers of Ajuga Chocolate Chip groundcover .  But, I also grabbed a few other things including a pair of these handsome hostas that have large white centers that sure made me pay attention to them mixed-in amongst other hostas.  Look at the photo below to see the why I had to buy them: The color was striking.  I pulled one of them off the rack and turned it around to figure out what the variety is named.  Below is the plant tag that shows off the Monrovia tag and the name:  Forbidden Fruit Plantain Lily.   I whipped out my phone and did a quick search to figure the story of the Forbidden Fruit hosta out and came across this listing from NH Hostas .  They called me out as one of those nursery suckers,  lol.  From their lis...