if you need the biggest plants .. then i suggest that you do not shop by price ...

i would call and talk with both chick and jeff [see link] ...

and discuss size ... because.. you know.. it matters ... lol ...

perhaps with a large order ... a small increase will get you plants the size you need ...

i would not defer to the world wide web .. when it is important ..

AND I WOULD CALL THEM NOW ... because they are sitting around bored out of their minds .... do NOT try to call when they get busy ... at shipping time in spring ...

i would rather you spent 200 bucks on 10 giant plants.. for the wow factor..

than get 20 budget plants.. that will look puny ...

and when all is said and done .. your garden will play .. at best.. second fiddle to the real event.. so dont lose focus on that ... its not really about your garden ... just like a national tour... do the best you can.. then throw up your hands about a week prior.. and disclaim ... 'the hell with it' ... lol .. been there.. done that .... and then focus on the wedding ....

good luck to the bride.. and whatever for you .. lol ... i am kidding.. good luck to you and the garden ....

ken

ps: impatiens are just about the easiest thing to start from seed .. in the house.. under a fluorescent light .... one summer i had about 2500 plants in 2 months .... any experience with that kind of stuff????

Here is a link that might be useful: land of the giants

Thanks, Ken, for your thoughts and direction! I know I probably emphasized the need for the biggest plants, but since I have so many different areas to landscape, I guess I have an equal concern about quantity. I didn't want to blow my budget on a few large plants and still have lots of bare spots left.
I appreciate the link to LOTG--I have their site on my favs, but haven't ordered from them, either (are you beginning to guess what a newbie I really am?). For the majority of things on my list, they are the most pricey, but if they are also the largest plants, I really wouldn't mind going with them, because it is only a few dollars' difference. I'm wondering how they compare to Bridgewood and Avalon? I don't mind calling them, but I also don't want to insult the guy by asking him how his plants compare in size to other companies, either. KWIM?

You are absolutely right about my yard playing 2nd fiddle to the event. Especially considering it starts at 7 pm and sunset is scheduled on that date for 7:45 pm. That doesn't give our guests much time to be inspecting things too closely! But...you know how anal we can be about these things.....and we're getting NO pressure at all from our daughter for things to look PERFECT, either! NOT!! It would take 10 years for it to look like it does in her dreams!!

I guess the bottom line is that I would be willing to spend more, especially on the ones like Empress Wu, Sagae and Komodo Dragon that will be standouts eventually anyway, if I thought they would be substantially larger to start with than the other places offered. Here are the differences in prices to give you an idea:

Empress Wu @Avalon=$13.50; @LOTG=$22; @Bridgewood=$15.96
Sagae @Avalon=$10; @LOTG=$15; @Bridgewood=$11.96
Komodo Dragon @Avalon=$10; @LOTG=$16; @Bridgewood=$11.96
(Bridgewood's prices reflect 20% off a $200 order)

Maybe I'm making this way more painful than it needs to be--probably so! I am cursed with "bargain-itis"....

Finally, I do have a friend who grows impatiens from seed every year, but I have the worst luck with that! Nothing I have ever grown from seed has ever survived. EVER! I should try it this year, but I probably won't since I have so many other things on the aganda. Thanks for the suggestion though!

I will give these guys a call and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again!
Karen

i think you are doing it backwards ....

i wouldnt waste money on EW.. which will take 10 years to fully develop ...

call the guys.. and tell them the story..

and ask what they have excess of.. that is big.. that they are willing to bargain over... that you dont have already ... i mean... i doubt anyone will know EW from anything else ...

save wu for another day .... look for some large liberty that grows like a weed anyway ....... something that says wow

ken

Hi Karen,

I know this does not help with your comparison of Bridgewood vs. Avalon but I have always gotten the largest plants (on average) from Hallsons. I also realize, however, that they won't have everything you want.

Bridgewood was not impressive for me last fall. I agree with Ken that Hallson and Land of the Giants are very good. Then I like to go to my local nursery which has those $18 to 25 pots with multi-eye larger size newer-cultivar hostas; your local more upscale nursery might have those pots too.
Good Luck!
Bernd

I would agree with Ken to call them and maybe they will have some treasures for you. Otherwise, check with your local nurseries. I know ones in my area that actually carry "landscape ready" hostas. A bit more spendy and might not be the variety you want, but would help fill in bare spots, at least here and there.

You can also fill in some bare spots with some statues - maybe of angles or a nice bench that would be fitting for a wedding. Then you can fill those spots with your prize hostas later.

Is there anyplace you can shop locally? You'll be able to get the largest plants that way.... not just 1-2-3 eye plants, but possibly 5-8 or more eyes.

From what I've read on this forum, Hallsons and Northern Grown Perennials (http://www.mwt.net/~ngp/index.htm) seem to get the best feedback on plant sizes shipped. I'll be ordering from both of them, but have not as of yet.
The Hosta Patch offers a nice selection of what they call "Super Size Hosta". Does anyone have any experience with these? This is from their website-
"A word about our Super Size Hostas.
From time to time we receive request for larger size plants, than the 1-3 eye plants we normally try to ship, so we decided to provide a list of plants we have available in larger sizes. The size of these plants will be 6 to 8 eyes per plant. These are mature field grown Hostas with a garden ready impact. Some varieties are in limited supply and will be sold on a first come basis."
I'm very curious to try them.

And I agree with sharlened. Use of a bench, large rocks, your favorite "garden art", if any. You can also go crazy with lush container plantings of annuals and perennials to fill in where you'd like. Maybe some huge mums in your daughter`s wedding colors?

Here is a link that might be useful: SuperSizeHosta

Thanks, everyone, for your replies!

Ken, I WILL have EW...yes, I will! Not because of the wedding, but just because if it takes 10 years to mature, I've already waited too long!! Heck, I'll be over 60 years old by then--hope I can still see it. I already have Liberty, so I'm trying not to duplicate since I also have many NOIDS and plain ole' green ones! And I will take your advice and call the guys to see what they have for me.

Coralb--thanks for your input on the comparisons...that helps alot! I did place an order already to Hallson's and can't wait to see how they look!

Bernd & Melissa--Thanks for your suggestion to go to local nurserys. We have several here and I am also only about an hour away from Made in the Shade Gardens. I plan to go there as well.

Sharlened--great idea about the statues! We have a statuary just 2 blocks away from my house and I've gotten several things from them already. I agree that they can really add impact to the landscape.

Nutmeg--Thanks for the link for the super sized hostas! I will definitely check into that as well. I wish I could do mums, but I literally have NO sun in the back yard, so I don't think they would do well. But, I could even buy those disposable already blooming ones at the big box stores and "plant" them here and there. Great idea!

Thanks again everyone, for your help--I knew I could count on you!! As soon as this last 7 inches of snow we got yesterday melts off and spring comes, I'll try to take some pics to give you an idea of where we are starting from. It's kinda pitiful.....
Karen

First and foremost, your daughter wants to get married in your yard because she ALREADY thinks it's WONDERFUL.

Forget regular mail order; the plants will be way too small. Ken's idea of calling and asking about mature plants may be a way to go. Getting mature plants from a local nursery would probably work better. Maybe you should be schmoozing with a good local nursery now to have them order plants you want.

Impatiens & coleus are your answer. Your guests aren't going to know Blue Mouse Ears from Krossa Regal, and they sure won't care about subtle shades of green. 500 white impatiens will light up the whole garden even into 9:00 p.m.

Buy a few wonderful hosta for yourself, but don't count on them to create a magnificent scene in 3 months. Only annuals will do that. Nance

Ken, I WILL have EW...yes, I will! Not because of the wedding, but just because if it takes 10 years to mature, I've already waited too long!!

===
>>> yes .. yes.. of course you will.. BUT ITS NOT PART OF THE WEDDING ANALYSIS ... that is all i am saying ... consider it your reward.. to yourself.. for the project... so move past that one for right now ...

otherwise.. its winter .. now is the time to talk with sellers.. at their leisure ...

do not buy what you already have.. but talk to them about size ...

BTW ... are you a member of a local club????

ken

I agree that if you have some local options for picking up hosta, that's probably going to give you access to bigger plants. Not always, of course. I love Hallson's and have received great ones from there. With a couple that were newer, they were smaller divisions, so I guess it depends on what is in stock and how long he's had it. I have gotten most of my larger starter hosta from local nurseries, BUT every time I do that, I feel like I'm taking a risk of getting a plant that will have HVX, since I've seen cases of it in just about every local nursery in my area. But sometimes, when I see a gigantic "specimen" hosta sitting there in a pot in front of you, I can't resist taking the chance. I bought Tom Shchmid from Naylor Creek a few years ago and recieved one or two eyes....then I saw a huge TS at a local hardware store that sells plants and had to bring it home. Big, big difference between those two now! I'm very impatient....I like "wow", and I like it now!

Karen, by all means give Chris at Hallson's a call or an email--he might be able to supply bigger ones, never know without asking. Super nice to deal with and the nicest plants. I think there are still some hostas on sale there as well.

Thanks all!
Nance--I'm with you all the way on the white impatiens. I was telling my mom just yesterday that was what I was going to do. There is an amish nursery not far from here that sells big beautiful coleus, already 12-16+ inches tall for about $2.50 each, and I plan to get tons of those as well. I am also only about an hour from Made in the Shade Gardens in Olathe KS, so I'm going to call them to see if they have any larger hostas. I noticed their prices aren't bad at all.

Ken--You're a dear, and always there with a helpful answer--thanks! I am not yet a member of a local club, since I have just within the last year gotten the hosta bug. I'm hoping there is one, and I'll be looking closer to spring.

Coll--"I like wow, and I like it now!" ME TOO! I will be calling all my local places to see what they might have.

Shade Tolerant--I just placed an order with Hallson's, and have already been more than pleased with the customer service I have gotten from Chris! Very impressive!! I'll definitely ask him if he can supply bigger plants.

Thanks again, everyone! You are the greatest bunch of folks ever!
Karen

I've gotten wonderful, large plants from AAHostas. I've been very pleased with what he sent me. However, if I had special needs, I'd call Denny. He's a great guy. He's more than just a nursery. He's a hosta guy. Hostas are all he does, as far as I know. He's a small operation, so could be responsive to your needs.

bkay

check the link ...

find the closest ...

call the pres ... and tell them what you are doing..

and ask for local sources who might sell large plants ...

why mail order.. if there are some local options ... and the locals ought to know ...

never be afraid of MOST garden peeps ... lol ...

e.g. ... just down the road is a ginormous annual greenhouse operation ...

way in back under the 5 acres of greenhouses ... are the most extraordinary pots of somewhat rather common hosta ... [for us collectors i mean] ... for ridiculous prices ... i once got two pots of thunderbolt... at least ten eyes each.. for about $15 each ... they of course promptly dwindled and disappeared after 2 years ... but that was because it is a carp hosta ... lol ... my point ... only i know, being local .... and no.. they do not mail order ...

ken

ps: dont forget to join the club ....

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks, Bkay about the advice on AAHostas--I have my order ready for them now.

Thank you, Ken, for the link. I'll check it out!
Karen

For completeness you might want to check this site out. Hostas seem to be small in size and price :
https://countryboygardens.com/product-list.php

I found it looking into old hosta threads of 10 months ago.

Thanks, Bernd--I'll check it out!

Kskaren--

Congratulations on your daughter's wedding!

I think you have 2 issues here---one is you want lots of beautiful hostas in a shady yard, and the other is you have a garden wedding coming up.

Let the hostas go for a while -- maybe buy a few that are going to take several years to grow into maturity (at soonest) but concentrate on making the garden gorgeous for The Day. After the wedding you can work on building your hosta collection.

That is going to take annuals, mostly, for the Wow. The guests absolutely will not know or care what you plant in there as long as it is not poison ivy.

Impatiens will spend the summer getting spread out & lovely by fall, and by Sept you can also get pots of mums at your local big box place and plug them in anywhere you want a spot of color. Put them into pots, too, for height. You would view them more as wedding decorations than as part of the permanent ladnscaping. You can stick potted mums in the darkest part of the garden for a day or two, and they will not care, even though they are sun-lovers.

If you can, get loads of them and "store" them in the yard of a friend who has sun. Then pick them up a day or two before the wedding. Then you won't need to fret about whether you'll find the colors and quantities you want on short notice.

You can get them in colors that will complement the bridal party's clothes --- lavender, soft yellow, deep gold, pink, bronze -- there will be something in the colors of mums that will work with your bride's colors. You can get deep violet asters, too -- more sun lovers but who will care.

After the wedding, take them to the local nursing home, etc if your yard is so dark they will die. And give some to the friend who babysat them for you!

You can plant variegated liriope, too. They might be blooming in Sept where you live (liriope's season spreads over quite a few weeks, and there are a number of cultivars). They are very drought and shade tolerant and while they are boring in masses, they brighten up a dark spot very well when spotted here & there. I have them in my shady garden's shadier spots. They don't care much about tree roots, either.

Best wishes on the whole event, and relax! (lol) Been there, done it.

Thanks, O, for the great tips! I had planned to buy some mums, because her colors are chocolate brown, dusty coral, ivory and golds, but I hadn't thought to buy them before they get picked over. Last year while coming back from my sister's in southern MO, I found an Amish store that had big beautiful pots of hardy mums for $6 each! Literally 4X the size of the ones at the big box stores. This year, I'll head down there and load up! Great idea! My mom actually has sunny space to store them for me, and I'm sure she'd enjoy being able to plant them after the wedding.

I do plan on planting tons of impatiens, mostly white since it will be dark within 45 minutes of the start of the ceremony. We purchased every white light Walmart had left after Christmas, and plan to have those both above in the trees and strung throughout garden beds and along paths. We even bought the little stakes to keep them up off the ground--I wonder if it would be a good idea to install them before everything gets filled out????

As for the other suggestions to contact the owners of the various hosta sites, I have done that, and they have given me some great tips, as well as their assurance that they will send me their biggest plants. Made in the Shade (I think his name is Rob) gave me a lead on a place about 45 minutes away that has mature hostas in 5- & 10-gallon pots. But they are around $50 each, so I don't think I'll do that! I have ordered about 45 hostas from 3 different places, so I think that's all I'll do in regard to hostas this year (unless I find a really good sale and can't resist--hehe--I told DH I could give up buying hostas for Lent this year, if that would help!).

I was looking on SWMOgardens' newsletter last night and noticed just how many impatiens he used for a small area--for a strip 6' x 1', he planted 36 little starter plants!! No wonder mine never look that good! But I'm going to follow his lead, because I do want that WOW factor.

Again, thank you ALL for the well wishes on the wedding, and your loads of wisdom--I'll be sure to take before, during and after pics!
Karen