| I
would
like to
invite you to tour my hosta garden as part of the American Hosta
Convention for
2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have been involved in growing
and selling
hostas for almost twenty years. Many
of
you will recognize me from the various conventions that we have
attended and
might enjoy this tour of my personal hosta enclave. I
am a grower, seller, and hybridizer. While
I am not a display garden, I still feel
you will find my garden very interesting because of the quality and
quantity of
our favorite genus, the hosta. In addition to the hostas, I
have started
adding Japanese maples and various lilies to help complement the garden
and add
a warmer experience for my visitors.
There
are several
thousand varieties of hostas growing in my yard and flowing into my
three
neighbor’s yards. While
I only have
three quarters of an acre to grow on, the use of this additional space
without
fences contributes to the feeling of a much larger expanse. I look forward to seeing and
talking with you
during the convention.
Come
for the hostas,
but relax and enjoy the garden with some lemonade and cookies. You might even take in
historic downtown
Cedarburg just a few blocks away. This
historic city is nationally known for its historic shops and
restaurants. Check
out Historic Cedarburg.
I
know you will enjoy
your “Escape to Wisconsin.” – Your host, Jack Barta
|
 |
 |
| H. 'Blue My Mind' |
|
 |
| Jack, Pink and garden
visitors, Joan Altman and Dave Bowe |
|
Many
of us have known Jack Barta for years, because he has been a vendor of
beautiful big hostas at numerous conventions, and loves to
talk to people.
We finally had
the pleasure of seeing
his garden in the lovely, historic town of Cedarburg,
Wisconsin.
Located
on a quiet, tree-lined street, Jack has gardens landscaped for pleasing
design
closest to the house, and the rest dedicated to growing stock
plants - the best
of both worlds! As we
walked up the
driveway, passing the nicely arranged gardens of the front yard, there
were ice
cream treats waiting in a cooler. What
a
nice welcome for a sunny summer day!
Parts
of his property are designated with different functions - some for
growing plants
in the ground in rows, and some areas of potted plants organized by
cultivar,
so that he can quickly find and gather the ones he wants to take to
sell. His
neighbor has even allowed him to use his back yard to expand Jack’s
growing
area.
Jack
is quick to caution us that his is not a "show garden," but rather a
working garden where, he raises his stock.
In
the work area furthest back, we saw a huge clump of Hosta
'Yankee Blue', looking very blue in full sun, and a row of
'On Stage', with rows of 'Niagara Falls' and 'His Honor' nearby. Around the corner, huge
clumps of H.
montana ‘Aureomarginata’ and 'Reflected
Glory' awaited us.
He
has a pergola structure for potting, dividing, and sometimes displaying
plants
on shelves. Soaking in a tray of water and
waiting to be potted
were bare root divisions of 'Golden Meadows' from a
wholesaler. H. ‘El Nino’, ‘Earth
Angel’, ‘Guardian
Angel’, ‘Frosted Dimples’, and many others surround the structure.
In
the landscaped areas, along the side yard, 'Tom Schmid', 'Designer
Genes', and
'Sharp Dressed Man' had attendees drooling. H.
'Victory' and 'Sagae' have grown to gigantic proportions in
back of the
house, and one we looked at is a special hosta (for obvious
reasons), 'Jack of Diamonds'. H.
'On Stage', which Jack told me is one of
his favorites, was showing
itself off there, too. H. 'Grandma's Crinkles', a solid green
sport of 'Abba Irresistible' that Jack named, is growing at
the corner
of the garage.
|
|
Jack
took the time to talk with all of the visitors he could, often carrying
his new
rescued Chihuahua "Pink" in his arms, who enjoyed being petted by her
many admirers. We
walked around the
garden, and he showed me some of his favorites, like 'Sergeant Pepper',
'Sharp
Dressed Man', and 'Ice Age Trail'. Near the driveway, he
pointed
out the late Bob Kuk's 'Rock and
Roll'.
The obsession
started in 1998, with H. ‘Lancifolia’, propagating
this and the many cultivars to follow, to sell for the hosta society. Jim Wilkins gets
credit as being his
mentor or "Hosta Father." Jack grows some plants from seed,
but creating new varieties is not a major goal. Jack advises us to plant a
tag underground in
the base of the hostas, so that you never lose the name. He will throw out a plant if
it is not
identifiable.
As
far as vending is concerned, Jack likes to be sure that the plants he
brings to
the shows look pristine, and there are multiple divisions in the pot. This would explain why there
is such a great
reputation for his plants at the conventions.
How
was he able to pull off all this, along with being co-chair of this
year’s
national?
Our
hats are off to Jack for all he does for the AHS, and for allowing his
garden
to be one of our amazing stops at the Milwaukee convention. |
|
