the garden of Ken & Jodi Hosale |
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W
elcome
to our hosta
garden surrounding our century old farm house purchased in 1987 and
located in
Mequon, Wisconsin. In
addition to
providing space for the garden, the property also serves as the
workshop and
gallery for the family-owned carpentry, fine woodworking, and furniture
making
business. The
garden first took root in
1988 after we lined both sides of the newly laid sidewalk with
perennial beds
containing six different hosta varieties. While
initially only serving as a decorative
accent along the sidewalk, the small garden inevitably grew to engulf
about 25%
of the one-acre property, and given all of the mature trees that
already
inhabited the property, the six original varieties quickly grew to over
400. When visiting
the garden, one will find hosta
clumps ranging in age from recently planted to over 23 years old. Approximately 90% of the
beds contain clumps which
have grown in the garden for five years or more, however the garden
also has
one bed dedicated to sports and seedlings. The
garden areas consist of raised beds with
fieldstone borders and have never contained any chemicals or mulch. Jodi and I always enjoy
working in our garden
and sharing it with others, and we look forward to seeing you in 2013. Sincerely, |
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Pine
Island, MN
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Charlie
Seaver provided a very interesting guest plant, ‘My Fine Feathered
Friend’. This hosta
has a feather of gold through the
center and gold feathery margins on the large slightly wavy leaves. Close
by was an impressive ‘Earth Angel’. I
can’t wait for my own to look this good. Also,
along the bright side yard was a very
nice ‘Silk Kimono’. On
the smaller side,
there was an outstanding ‘Restless Sea’, with its riot of undulating
and
serrated leaves that occasionally show white backs reminding you of,
well, a
restless sea. Sitting in a sunny spotlight, a ‘Krugerrand’ commanded attention further along the side yard. An upright bright gold, it lit up the garden. With blue hostas in the foreground, it was very showy. There were many blue-toned hostas throughout this area, creating a calming oasis. The south and
west exposure of the back yard gets a lot more sun, but foundation
beds, with
mature trees, provide ample space for more hostas. H.
‘Atlantis’ and ‘Colossal’ were treats to behold. H.
‘Paradise Power’ jumped out of a group of green-toned hostas, with its
longish,
slightly wavy, green-margined gold leaves, and upright form. The high
filtered shade seems to be perfect for growing a striking ‘Moonstruck’,
a low
mound of white-centered leaves. H. ‘Tutu’, with
ruffled leaves and upright form, which does
indeed look like a tutu, contrasts with the straight-laced ‘Unchained
Melody’
and ‘Sum Total’. Peonies
scattered
throughout also add texture and color. Hosta beds were
used to frame and soften the parking area for the gallery, workshop,
and
business area of the home. A
large
‘Blazing Saddles’ softened the corner. A bed that wrapped from the driveway to the front yard held numerous
outstanding
hostas. In the
morning sun, an ‘American
Sweetheart’ was stunning as was ‘Touch of Class’. H.
‘Queen Josephine’ was even shinier in this sunlit area. A swath of
Ostrich fern framed the driveway and provided a pleasant contrast in
texture to
the hostas. A bed
of sports and
seedlings is also in this area. This
is
a bed to watch. Past the
entrance walk to the house, and closer to the business entrance, was a
‘Jade
Cascade’, showing off its long legs and long leaves. I
love the lines of this plant. Thank
goodness it was close to the
refreshments, or I might have missed it. It
is easy to miss something, as there is so
much too see. |
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