Phil,

If I am ever in your area I would love to tour your garden. I know you're in NC, but where? Are you close to Gatlinburg? I might be in Ashe Count, NC sometime in June or early July. How close is that? Barb

Barb,I am in Macon county,the first one when you come from Georgia from the south on 441. Gatlinburg is in Tennessee,just north of where I am in the NC mountains. If you went through Gatlinburg over the high mountains,down into Cherokee on the NC side,you would just continue down 441 south,and you would come right into Macon County. I live 20 mies north of the Georgia state line. would love to have you come visit. Phil

Phil, if you were just a little bit closer, I'd love to see your garden & find out some of your tips for growing in the south. We are in NW Tenn & have spent the last several years trying to add to our woodland garden. Constantly fighting voles, drought & heat here!! Sure enjoy your posts. You've done a great job.

Do you have a local hosta club? Ours sets up an annual day where we can tour 5-7 member's gardens. If you have a garden club in your area, they often hold garden walks as fund raisers. You might find a fellow hosta lover that way. I'd love to see your garden, but NC is a long way from Nebraska.

I know it must be frustrating. My husband's opinion of hostas is "They're all green!" Fortunately he's happy to let me plant whatever I want, even if he doesn't admire them.

I know how you feel Phil.
My 'fix' came from being on the self-guided MN Hosta Society tour a few years ago. I've also hosted get-togethers of a hosta swap group and also a book club.

I preferred the more hosta-oriented people of MN Hosta Societ and the swap group, as it was an opportunity to 'talk hosta' in a way that was more appreciative of the subject.

However, I will say that the amount of stress and preparation that went into those events were very very draining.

Be careful of what you wish for.

Madplanter,no not that I know of. I'm sure there other people around here that grow hostas,but I,personally don't know anyone who has an extensive collection that I have. Melissa,how is your garden coming along?. I just saw on TV that they're still getting snow up there in Minnesota. Down here,spring is finally in full swing. We got 3 inches of rain over a two day weekend,and now the hostas are livin' it! Phil

Sure wish I could, I would LOVE your garden from the pictures I've seen of it. It's the gorgeous woods garden I strive for myself, even tho mine is much smaller.

Sandy

Well, darn, Phil. I wish you were further north. I would trundle on down from Alexandria for sure. That is such a wonderful and hoped-for invitation for a lot of us, I am sure.

Hmmm...wonder if I could talk DH into a summer vacation-we love the NC mountains. I went to college in Winston-Salem and loved driving up to Blowing Rock and Asheville and DH and one of his friends used to do yearly canoe runs on the Nantahala with the kids. Great area.

DH is so proud that he can recognize hosta in the garden and he would think your place is perfect! Might even work to convince him to move away from here! I will work on this. :)

Phil, I would be honored to tour your beautiful garden. im in eastern ,ky . its a very doable trip from here. thanks hank

Hi Phil, you are similar to me in respect that my wife also has no interest in gardening, hates the bugs. But I have a 9 year old grandson living with us, and he loves gardening, actually Papa (me) tricked him into it. Today again he was very proud of his 30 pips size 'Blue Cadet', and he owns an 'Empress Wu'.
We have a local Hosta Society, but had only one garden tour in 3 years, though one member opened his garden to me twice, thanks. So you should continue opening your garden to that garden club and get grandkids or neighbor kids interested in your hosta garden. Today my grandson showed me the first blossom on his dwarf cherry tree, good going!

Another way to show your garden to others is to go to the internet and give there a formal tour of your garden. You could design your own web page, instructions for that supposedly are available from internet providers. Or you could post your pictures at places like Photobucket or others like some here have done.
Bernd

This post was edited by berndnyz5 on Wed, May 1, 13 at 19:04

Beam me over Scottie....err Phil.

I'd love to visit your garden and I sympathize with lack of anyone to appreciate what you do. Until recently it was the same for me. Friends that visited who were gardeners appreciated the garden but looked at individual Hostas maybe once during the week or so they were here. My sister was the exception but it was only a couple of times during the summer that she would be here because of the traveling distance between us. Next week I'm going back to Seattle with her and will see her garden for the first time when things are open. Up to now I've worked in her garden early in the spring but only seen the results in pictures. NOW however, I have Faye. Getting "AlmostHooked" "TotallyHooked" was a good move on my part. We look each others gardens all the time. It makes it really nice.

For those of us unlikely to make it to your garden just remember that we love it anyway, Myrle

...And I would love to see you here also Myrle! I would like to see your garden,too,because you have a far better garden than I. The only place I have ever been in Canada,was Ontario,and that was before you had to have a passport to go up there. My wifes family is from Michigan,so it was just short trip across the Detroit river to get there. Oh well,we can always dream of places where we want to visit. I did visit Janice,who lives in Dayton Ohio,back in 2008,but she seems to have disappeared form the scene. Phil

I'm glad someone can take you up on your generous offer Phil. I can't make it that far this summer. I here NC is beautiful, although I have only ever exchanged planes there.

Your pictures have been great. I enjoy the long distance tour. Keep posting if you can.

Beverly

Boy Phil, my job sometimes takes me to either Nashville or Raleigh but it appears you're a "fer piece" from either of those spots. Western NC is such a great part of the country that any excuse would be a valid one to go but to see a nice garden as yours just adds to it.

tj

Glad you asked, Phil.
Your garden feels familiar to me already, so it will be great to do a walkabout. I think even my DH is becoming a hosta fan, so he would appreciate it as well. When we get ready for a road trip, I'll be in touch.....somehow. :)

Mmmmm, a note....
Who was it above who suggested you make a website or a blog....whatever that is.....and it gave me an idea.

Why not go viral on YouTube?
Why not create a gardening show for public tv?

Maybe consider the first one a "special" and not consider it a series. If we are not all likely to turn up on your doorstep in one big migration, why not bring your garden to us?This is your PILOT. And record as best you know how, a tour of your garden for us to watch. Do it as part walkabout, and part slides of special views of the garden from different times. Post it on YouTube and link us there.

Then all of us, and a million of our closest friends, will all take a walkabout your hillside garden.

Please note: every garden must have a sign bearing its name....what name be it?

Please though......don't trip over a garden hose filming it? :)

Sorry mocc,I have no way of filming,or recording my garden. As for a name of my garden,I already have a name posted right on the fence going into the garden,and it's been there for years. I had a sign maker make me a sign out of a piece of cedar. The name of the garden is HOSTA VISTA. Phil

Phil, I'm so sorry I missed your gardens when I was down the road from you last summer.

I'm trying to get my summer plans finalized and will let you know. My initial plans are to take my son down to Columbus, Georgia so his sister can take his senior pictures. He has to go to Ohio after that, so stopping by your place wouldn't be that far out of the way.

We also have to go to Vermont and to Minneapolis this summer too, so I'm hoping to squeeze in the Georgia trip, even if it means bringing my laptop and printer so I can do my payroll accounts while I'm on the road!

Gesila

P.S. Do you have scorpions in your gardens too?

Thank you very much for the offer, Phil. I would love to visit and tour Hosta Vista. Unfortunately, I'm a looong way from North Carolina. I will say though, if for any reason I'm ever in that area, I'll make it a point to do so, and THAT is a promise!

Thanks Again,
Don B.

Hey everyone,here is the pic of my garden entrance,with Parhelion just coming up to par,but it still isn't full size. Take a look,and thanks for listening to my whining! Phil

Bump!

Gesila,no we don't have scorpions in the garden. I rarely even see a snake. There used to be a big blacksnake around but haven't seen it in years. I'm afraid all I have is squirrels,and birds,and I even saw a salamander once by the creek. There used to be a lot of chipmunks,but there are so many stray cats running around here that I think their population is diminished. Phil

I totally understand what you're feeling. It would be nice to share your passion with someone who can appreciate it. Mostly I say I garden for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. But last year I experienced a visit from a gardener who was visiting a relative in my town. It was fun for both of us and made me realize how much I was missing by not having more of that kind of interaction.
But Phil, even though the people on the garden tour weren't knowledgeable about hostas, I bet they are more interested now that they've seen your garden and may become hosta lovers.
I'm sorry I can only enjoy your garden through the internet. But I'm glad you share it with me.

I am glad that you were able to say what you really felt. I wish I could come to see your gardens, but it is a long way from Canada.

My husband and I sometimes talk about driving down to Florida. Well I say that I don't want to just drive and drive. My preference would be to make a couple a stops along the way. Seeing your hosta garden on the way there or back would thrill me. My garden on the other hand is not ready for viewing.

I must confess that sometimes I would just like to see a face behind the names in this forum. Perhaps that would make this sharing more real for me. And maybe its just me. I wonder.

I understand whee you're coming from. My husband could care less about my garden and I don't know anyone that shares my love of hostas. My husband would be happier if I planted sunflowers and pumpkins ( good luck with that in our shady back yard). Sometimes I wonder why I spend so much time fussing and obsessing over my garden when it's basically just for me to enjoy...I guess that's why we are drawn to boards like this- to find some kindred spirits that can appreciate our efforts.

That's a great entrance to your garden.

I wish i could tour your garden. How about a video tour? No one around me grows hosta or much of anything. Roses, azalea, and pampas grass everywhere, overgrown and not kept up. I would love to see your hostas.

Oh my goodness......my husband and I would love to come and see your gardens! How far from Spartanburg, SC are you?

Linda,the upstate of SC is not far,at all. I once visited a nursery in Seneca,which is just a hop,skip,and jump from here. We are 20 miles north of the Georgia state line. Phil

Phil - I'm thinking Asheville - the Vanderbilt estate with gardens that a friend heartily recommended - your corner of the globe? And Charleston, my very favourite city - you could be en route from Ontario to there when next we visit?? I'm coming, sometime. I'll let you know. Don't put the coffee on yet, but don't move or stop gardening or anything drastic like that! When we do a road trip it often lasts for a month or so -
Jan

Yeah,Jan, Ashville is 60 miles northeast from here.Been there many times. We have to go there when we can't get some things in the small town of Franklin. Biltmore Estate is extravagence gone to the extreme,but I guess if you got it,flaunt it! I've been to Charleston a few times,also. Phil