Hosta

As we come towards the end of 2023 I thought it would be nice to look back on the years show highlights and take stock of what we have achieved this year. Especially as the weather turns darker and colder.

The first thing we did was attend the RHS training course held at the beginning of May at the RHS Malvern Spring Show.

Before you are allowed to show at RHS shows you have to undertake a training day with them. This is to ensure that we conform with their show guidelines, learn techniques and gain experience from established show exhibitors and look behind the scenes as an RHS show is being built.

On the day we were there it thundered and there was torrential rain. Ironically whilst we were there it hail stoned back at our Milverton site and half our stock and larger plants which we would have used for displays for the year were shredded.

Having to clear the #hosta leaves. If I don’t then the mice burrow under the leaves and dig/eat the hosta plants. Lost a Devon Giant this way, there was nothing left.

I am aging some clay pots the old fashioned way out at our woods near Milverton. We have been doing a lot of research over the last few weeks into some previous RHS gold medal winners from the 1990s created some of their displays, and we took inspiration and have come up with some wonderful ideas for our show displays for next year. Looking forward to showing you what we have come up, next year.

We have been working on an experiential product that can be purchased either for yourself or for others. We find growing Hostas thoroughly enjoyable, but there are a few tricks to get the most out of growing them so we put our heads together and came up with the Empress Wu Experience!

What we will give you is everything you need to grow an Empress Wu Hosta from a tiny Bare Root plant all the way up to a respectable Hosta (not full grown that takes a few years).

So what do you get for the Experience?

You will receive a gift box containing all the elements required to grow your Bare Root Empress Wu for its first year. 3 pots associated compost, 12/14 month slow release fertiliser (separate bags as the fertiliser starts to work and degrade once mixed with the compost). A Slate name label for you Empress Wu and instructions on how to plant you Hosta, how to check the roots and pot up your plant.

Not only will you receive the gift box, but once you register your email with us we will give you updates on how our Empress Wus are progressing and when we think it is time to pot them up.

Your Bare Root Empress Wu will be sent separately February/March time next year.

Well finished updating the Bare Root Variety list in our Web Shop. We have over 130 varieties of all size and shapes something for everyone. There are 11 Mouse Series Hostas, some sports of Empress Wu, some blush coloured Hostas and many many more.
Order now and receive in February/March time. Many of the Hostas don’t have pictures (lots of catching up to do) so we have added links to the Hosta Library so that you can see honest pictures of what they should look like.
Shipping will be £5 for Bare Roots.
We will be doing a few experiential growing presents, but that will come in a few weeks time.
www.hostas.co.uk
Direct to the shop: mikeshostas.square.site

Its interesting what mother nature throws up for you this late in October. Here are some flowers one from a Firn Line inside a Big Daddy Leaf and the other is a Diamond Lake.

I thought I would introduce you to one of the elements on our display at Malvern. This is an enclosed #terrarium based on a Glass teapot with a Miniature #hosta Feather Boa in it. As far as I am aware no one else has done this with a Hosta and this was originally put together for our Taunton Flower Show display in August, and the terrarium was originally built in July so it has been running for 3 months now very successfully.

Finally find out what we achieved, and let the public viewing commence!