I couldn’t decide whether I should write about the fallen cherry tree limb and the fact that the lilacs are getting a really hard prune, or whether I should gush over the deep textures of some of my favorite hostas. So, I’ve decided to write about both. First the hard prune. I knew that sooner or later a long limb on the cherry tree would break under the weight of the cherries, and a week ago it finally came down. I’m glad it happened after I had about 50 people at the house. There was a storm that night and that’s when the limb came down. But it didn’t break clean, so the fruit has continued to ripen. That’s going to make for easy pickin’s in about three or four more days.
The lilacs, though, got attacked, not by a storm but by me. And I was not delicate. I hacked away at a James McFarlane and a Mde. LeMoine this evening. It was harder than I thought it would be, mostly because the dutchman’s pipe vines were so densely entangled amongst the branches of the bushes. There is now very little foliage on one of the bushes, but my guess is that it’s going to come back strong and beautiful throughout the summer. And my hope is that there will be lots of blooms next spring. I ended up buying a really good loper for the job, something I should have gotten a couple years ago. It’s so much easier to garden when you have good tools…
Now, about those hostas. I planted Deep Blue Sea last summer and I’m very pleased with not only the texture but the color. And it’s growing so fast! I bought Orange Crush and My Friend Nancy at the same time and they are both toddlers compared to Deep Blue Sea. I tried to find more information about this hosta and finally came up with this website.
Another hosta with lots of interesting texture is a common one, Francis Williams. This was the first hosta I planted in Garden337, and though it is a common one, it remains one of my favorites. It belongs in the “Seboldiana” group and was discovered by Francis Williams in the 1930’s. I love that some of the leaves on my plants are sporting solid green. I know a lot of hosta growers would remove those crowns, but I find the deviation rather charming.
Another favorite is Stitch in Time. This little hosta has been difficult to grow. Slugs like it, for one thing. And, it seems to be a slow grower. But I love the puckery texture and it’s bright green leaves.
Christmas Tree lives under the cherry tree and is a fairly new addition to the gardens. It is one of the Seboldianas and it has that same wonderful crinkle as Elegans.
Garden 337 