Please recommend Hosta gardens

Nov 03, 2005 6 Replies

I am about to start a motor trip from Winnipeg Manitoba to Miami, Florida then up the east coast to Richmond, then back to the 'Peg. Would readers please recommend good hosta gardens or other gardens that I would be able to visit along the way? Thank you.



Andrew


Here In S Jersey we are due for a heavy killing anytime now. My Hosta's will melt. I'd hazard a guess Virginia on south may be good but time is running out.

Bill

You will be pressed to find many gardens with hostas this time of year. There should be gardens decorated for Christmas with elaborate light displays and conservatories with holiday themes. It would be helpful to know your route so people could make appropriate recommendations. How far off your route would you be willing to travel to see a garden or conservatory?

At this time of year, Hostas will be looking pretty ragged from Virginia north. However, you still may want to visit Longwood Gardens. They have a conservatory which, when I visited, had some "season-extended" plantings, and Hosta might be among what's growing. If not, the place is still fantastic. And, route 76 will take you easily to route 80, and you're on your way home.

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Hosta Hillside in Hidden Lake Gardens Arboretum west of Tecumseh, Michigan on M-50. About 50 miles southeast of Detroit. It won't look like much at this time of year, but there are hundreds of varieties of hosta.

I was going to mention that, but as I post about 12 hours out of phase with everyone...

The hosta garden is wonderful in the spring, with the primroses blooming nearby.

This time of year the dwarf conifer collection would still be worth a look, and the greenhouses.

Right now the leaves are really coming down, so it's even getting late for fall foliage!

I find that even if the frost hasn't zapped the hostas yet, by fall they are looking pretty tired. The accumulation of damage from insects, fungus, sun burn, hail, and foraging animals takes its toll. Conversely, in the spring the foliage is remarkable when it is still pristine. Nothing says spring for me than when the hostas start to unroll.

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