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How long have you been growing and caring for Hosta? Please name your top 5 favorite plants to grow in Wisconsin.

I have been growing and caring for the hostas I currently have for 7 years, but I have been around plants and gardens all my life.

As for my top 5 plants to grow in Wisconsin:
1. Hosta (big surprise there)
2. Oriental/Asiatic lilies--these love Wisconsin weather. We have cold winters and hot, humid summers.
3. Echinacea (Coneflowers)-An easy to grow perennial that is now starting to come out in more and more colors.
4. Daylilies -again, they are easy to grow. There is a very nice daylily farm called Solaris in Wisconsin.
5. Clematis -A wonderful perennial vine that belongs in everyone's garden!

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My seeds have arrived for the GROW project!

How exciting! Today my Nasturtium 'Spitfire' seeds from Renee's Garden arrived for the GROW project. The GROW project is a group of garden bloggers who will be growing the same seeds, and in the mean time growing as a community. While I can't plant my seeds for a while, it certainly makes spring feel just a little bit closer.

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."

H. 'Elegans' the monster hosta

H. 'Elegans' is the largest hosta I have in my garden right now (I have an h. 'Frances Williams' that comes in a close 2nd). Pictures really don't show the size of the hosta until you see just my hand in front of just one of the leaves. h. 'Elegans' is a blue-green colored hosta, so it will maintain more of a blue color if kept in a low light area. When mine first emerges from the ground in spring the "noses", as I like to call them, are huge. My husband often refers to them by a phallic name. h. 'Elegans' is an early bloomer, blooming as early as June here in Wisconsin.

Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee

In the tropical dome looking up.

Miniature Alamo

Golden Barrel Cactus

I love this cactus, it looked like a snake

This past weekend my husband took me to the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee. The "Domes" were first opened in 1967 (which is before my time, by the way). There are three "domes" with each one hosting different types of plants. There is a desert, tropical, and a floral show dome. As a child my grandparents often brought me there, as they were both gardeners. I remember there being lizards, turtles, snakes, and other animals in the domes, but I only saw birds this time around. I really enjoyed the show garden dome. Right now it houses a miniature railroad garden complete with the famous Wisconsin circus train and Oscar Mayer wienermobile. I loved the railroad garden, since just last year I started to dabble in miniature gardens. Here is video of the railroad garden.

WPT Garden Expo in Madison

What would a garden expo be without at least one hosta vendor? Yes, I will admit, it's only February, but I still bought 2 hostas at the garden expo this weekend in Madison, WI.

Land of Giants Hosta Farm was at the expo, they are located in Milton, WI

The Wisconsin Hosta Society was also there selling hostas

Loved their posta, Hosta..can't have too many

Loved this garden sculpture! My husband can weld, now I just have to buy him a welder! My friend, Gina, stood by it so you could see the size of the flower.

Gina cannot live without her cacti, much like I cannot live without hosta.

h. 'Earth Angel'

I wish I had a better picture of this one, because, if I did, you would fall in love with h. 'Earth Angel'. I first saw this beauty at Woodland Gardens in Crivitz, WI (owner is now retired) and knew I had to have it. It's hard to miss, especially since I love large hostas. The colors in the leaves have a muted tone to them, almost a matte finish. It is a sport of h. 'Blue Angel'. The leaves are blue with white/yellow edging. Edging is irregular and in some places almost looked streaked. Large variegated blue hostas are impossible to come by, so that makes this hosta an awesome choice for the shade garden. Putting this hosta in a shadier location will guarantee that the leaves will keep their blue color.

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Where are the best places to buy hosta?

If you have local nurseries that are trustworthy, I would look there first. Do not go to the big box stores, as a lot of their hostas are infected with hosta virus X. If you don't have a local source these are some nurseries you can buy from online that are trustworthy: Naylor Creek, In the Country Garden and Gifts, Jim's Hostas, White Oak, Hallsons, Made in the Shade, and Avalon Acres.

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Question: What is your favorite growing tip for growing hostas?

What is your favorite growing tip for growing hostas?

The best way to grow big, healthy hostas is water....and lots of it. I even experimented once and grew a hosta in my pond all summer. It worked out great until I forgot about it, and it froze over the winter. oops. The hostas that grow the fastest in my yard receive morning sun, afternoon shade, and lots of water. They don't need heavy fertilizers. One of the reasons I love hostas so much is they don't require a whole lot of care. They are kind of like cats. I can leave and go on vacation, and my cats are fine as long as I left them food, water, and clean litter boxes. Hostas are much the same way. I water them good before I leave on vacation, and no need to worry about having someone come over and take care of them while I'm gone

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Don't miss the Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo next week

Garden Expo Page

h. 'Dream Queen'

h. 'Dream Queen' is a sport of h. 'Great Expectations'. While h. 'Great Expectations' can be a very picky growing hosta, h. 'Dream Queen' is much easier to grow. The leaves are nearly round. The are bluish green in color with a narrow white center. This hosta is very similar to h. 'Thunderbolt'.