2017 02 March Second Edition

There are Those Who Hate Realty Programs Because They Are Not ...
This Hosta Garden is Getting as REAL as it Gets.

The links for this edition are:

• 2017 Plant Basics
• 2016 - 2017 Transition Diagram
• 2017 Gardening Diagrams: Changes last made on 2/17/17; if you cannot see the arrows adjust your monitor to be lighter.

Opening Words

Gardeners are optimists. I've said it before. This March this gardener must begin to have a HUGE amount of optimism since spikes were spotted in February, and now covered with an early March  snow fall.  The only logical thing is to be optimistic about their survival.  Over March/April, and maybe even into May, you'll probably hear this theme firmly recurring within these notes.

___\|/___

Hosta are, at this stage, an international gardening phenomenon.  They generally are grown in countries that sit at, or near, the 45º North Latitude; at least according to those stats I see for this site.  I have had visitors from all habitable continents, and some of the dominate Pacific and Atlantic Island groups as well.  While I say on the front page of this blog that I write this in "casual (American) English" I work equally hard to try to keep the terms familiar, with words spelled correctly, and simple as I can so the internet technology that does the real translation of these pages for those foreign visitors to be at its best.  That goes back the style sheet for this blog!  If any of my visitors have translation issues with this site, I'ld like to know so that maybe I can alter my writing style to improve the content of this blog.

What Do the TMNT Have To Do With This Blog?

To be honest ... I don't really know!  But for the last few weeks I've been seeing visitors come from a Russian TMNT website (www.ninjaturtles.ru) over to this one.  Wait a moment ... I bet very few of you even know what TMNT stands for.  It stands for: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  The TMNT have been an international cult comic; animated series; and a live action film franchise from about 1987 to 2018.  And yes there was a musical, stage production in there somewhere as well. 

Now I've tried to leave them an e-mail at their end, and that's not working.  So ... if one of those fans could take a moment to explain what the relationship is between that website and this one I'ld be very interested to hear the answer.  All I know is, and as far as I can tell, there are no hosta in my garden, or even internationally registered with the names of:

Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, or Donatello.

I Generally Don't Buy Hosta Before They've Spiked, However ....

[Posted on Saturday. March 11]

These plants are having a hard spring - freezing and thawing one week and then early spring temperatures the next.  It would stress out any plant.  With that in mind I've gone ahead and repurchase some First Blush (3 divisions) and some more White Feather (3 divisions).  I am hoping that they will arrive the first week of May when the weather might be more seasonable.

White Feather is not a patented plant; at least not that I've noted at this point.  Dividing it would not be a problem, and over time I could produce a good zone of this plant; one of my goals for the future of this garden.  Even at that I'ld have to be patient - something I can be with plants easily.  As I've indicated above I'm not sure what plants will survive.  I had planted two divisions last your.   The larger more pronounced noted spike this spring looks like it tried to regrow, but to its center it now looks 'hollow'.  I am hoping that this is not a sign of freeze out.

First Blush IS patented.  Because of US Patent Laws no-one is supposed to divide it; because that is a form of propagation.  This also is a plant I want to develop into a zone of in this garden.  Just like White Feather I am not certain if this will survive due to the spring temperatures.  Replacement must be done by purchase, NOT division.

The other plant I purchased last year was Itsy Bitsy Spider.  If Itsy Bitsy Spider does not survive (and I've said this previously) there's a clump of Masquerade that's wants to take it's place.

AT this moment .. that's the plan for this garden.  If everything goes as conceived I am also hoping these plant purchases will be all I need to spend money on this year (~$125.00 USD)  In any other case I have five other hosta I can move around.  Keep in mind that the longer term goal here is to down size from 20 to 15 over the next few years, and that can be done very slowly over the coming years.

 Hosta Journal

March 1

5:40 am:  Roommate says there's snow out there.  Will see it later today.

10:15: Less than an inch of snow has come … and the garden has once more been covered; but what has become of those previously seen spikes?

They have been recorded and noted.  Had a 'favorable' summer come they would have survived.  I suppose they still count as a survival but count in some other way since this is the first time I've actually caught preseason spikes in action.  Over the coming months those four hosta will be watched [see the last edition for names], along with the corner plants [listed below] to see which might be the first to come up, or NOT come up as the case is now.  Historically I have had eight way ties for first spikes.

• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Gemstone
• Rainbow's End
• 'venusta'

Let's turn the table just for a moment.  Take a deep breath in, and a moment to think.  Four out of twenty represents ... 1/5 of my garden.  Did I just watch my garden diminish by 20%?  If anyone wants a reality show just point them towards a garden!

Now I watch to see what really happens next!

March 5

6:40 am:  I finally have a day with temperatures at about 55°F / 12.78°C (tomorrow will be warmer, with a spring rain storm!) and I am feeling well enough to look at the garden.  It will be interesting what I find out there.  Are the spikes still there or not?  Late week forecast says temperatures will be in the 40°F / 4.44°C range.  This is still the time of year where temperatures can dip below freezing from time to time.  So these hosta are not out of winter yet.  The inner cities could still have a very hard snow.  April seems to be 'the turning point' for winter to spring.

2:10 pm:  Ground is definitely softer which of course means the frost is receding!  The spikes sighted before still seem to be there!  That's good news.  In addition I have what I seems to be a spike on Teaspoon.  Again I can't be sure as it is so early in the season.  AT this point I have record of five (5) early plants trying to come up.  There are of course other hints that life is stirring underneath but will wait for firm evidence before saying anything.

No sign of Rainbow's End as last year it was spotted early in the season with 3 divisions.  If the rain comes tomorrow that will awaken some of these plants; although they need like 3 or 4 rains to really get going.

March 5

5:00 am:  The cities have a high wind advisory.  The plants are not up.  This means in turn that at the very most we'll have a lot of evaporation of water possibly,  Winds are to get up to 45 to 60 miles per hour.

9:00 am:  Yep there's rain out there ... falling 'slowly', and with wind too.  The rain is like classic spring rain.

March 12

8:30 am:  The forecast says:  We're supposed to get 6 in. to 9 in. / 15.24 cm. to 22.86 cm. of snow today and tomorrow.  There's no indication of rain before the snow as the temperature us already below freezing.  We'll see what this brings.  Last time we had a snow forecast it never came!

March 13

10:30 am:  The forecast again has over stated the severity.  It looks like about an inch of snow has fallen.  By the end of the week we'll be back to the  40° to 50°F / 4.44° to 10.00°C degree range again.  The temperatures keep swinging and the plants keep getting tested for their final spiking when spring really comes.