Lovely! They sure are trio of stunners, Ludi.
Thanks for sharing photos of your muses :-)

Deb

Yes, Ludisia, we have been waiting! Those look terrific. I love your desktop pic! Thanks for the update. :)

Beautiful, Ludi. You are practically a present-day Antonio Canova :)

Don B.

Three Graces for sure! And muses as well, they turned you into a hosta-loving garden designer.

I thank you for the update, and the eloquent poetic ode of joy.
I was more familiar with the Botticelli art than Canova's, and in fact, have it on a mousepad picked up in Florence Italy as my souvenir. Very fond of the Three Graces.

Very nice, Mocc. Ah yes, Botticelli, Canova....Delicious Ludisia. Rrrrolls off the tongue. I hope someday my 'Elegans' approaches any of your gorgeous plants, Ludi :)

Don B.

Great desktop pic. Love what you've done with the Pieris.

Steve

And from judge WW a "10." That moves you and your 3 muses into the qualifying round. Oh, I'm so excited for you. Heehee. WW

Steve,

The Pieris was long overdue for a haircut. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to shape it, but after a couple runs around the neighborhood to see what others have done with theirs I decided to create what I am calling . . .

The Dr. Seuss tree.

The goal is to have the top fill in and leave the twisting trunks open and exposed underneath. I want to divide and spread clump #2 of Elegans around the base, hopefully creating a blanket of blue/green to hide the base. I want it to look like these gnarly twisting Pieris branches are growing straight out of the middle of Elegans.

It could all back fire on me and get too top heavy, but it will take a few years for that kind of growth after the hard hacking I put to it a few weeks ago.

If I canâÂÂt tame it into something pleasing then IâÂÂm ripping it out and putting a Camellia there. But I would prefer to keep it since it is so old and full of character.

The Azalea however is coming straight out. There is no taming that monster. Plus, it is taking up way too much valuable hosta space.

Thanks again everyone for looking, always nice to be able to share with you. :)

Ludi

Way cool house. I have 4 Rhodies like that in an island. My mind says dig em up, but my heart says let em be. Now you're going to have to see if there are any hostas called Green Eggs and Ham, Sneetches, or Lorax. WW

Ludi, why do you have so much GRASS? LOL

I have one Elegans, which was bought the same time as Blue Angel. The BA was multi-eyed and divided into individual plants, which have survived.

That was 4 years ago. The Blue Angels are now almost 5 feet in diameter, and the Elegans is only 24" - but - I am being patient with her. She almost looks silly sitting in the middle of a spot cleared for her to grow into. Seeing yours reminds me why she was given her home and I hope next year she will leap.
I was one who has been waiting for your pictures Ludi. Thank you. They are truly beautiful.

Theresa

As a "ps" your comment regarding sunlight reminded of my first encounter with Elegans. It was at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. Smack in the center of the zoo is an island with Barbary Sheep (or Goats?) surrounded by water which in turn was landscaped with a large ring of Elegans. There wasn't anything to shade the hostas, which impressed me. However, the water was a resource for an irrigation system for the hostas of constant moisture.
As a result the Elegans were very blue and huge. You would have loved it. T :o)

The grandaddy which was a single plant and is now 3 clumps about 9 feet long.

The latest clone which seems to be struggling a little under a Crimson King Maple.

Anchoring one end of a planting under the walnut trees.

...and another Elegans anchoring the other end overlooking the previous.

I apologize for the debris, but it is just too cold to drag out the hose and clean them off.

Jon

This post was edited by jonnyb023 on Sun, May 26, 13 at 8:57

All I can say is WOW. I bought one last year based on Ludi's comments and pics. Love her! Can't wait for her to mature to an elegant beauty like the ones pictured above.

{{!gwi}}

Ludi,

If it were me I'd rip out the Pieris. It's easier to replace it with something else. I do think you need a vertical accent there on the corner. Maybe a Ilex 'Sky Pencil' or 'Castle Wall' or something like a Cercis Canadensis 'Covey' or maybe a small Rhody like 'Olga Mezzit'. Don't know what the sun/shade siutation is there or what plants you like.

Steve

Yes, a Doctor Seuss tree for sure. A friend of mine (the one I got Stud Muffin as a memento cuz she loves "stud muffins") calls this trim "poodle-izing" it.

That's the same thing I did to my ancient camellias and 20 foot tall ligustrum, so I could have shady flower beds. Nothing could deter a ligustrum from its rampant growth, but the camellias are languishing a bit.

Check out the Chinese camellia sienensis (sinensis?) which is the tea camellia, grow your own tea, and they are available from Logee's Nursery. I have three now, to be planted AFTER our remodel is done. Meanwhile, they are flourishing in their pots. Why not try a couple of oranges in pots, Ludi? Bring them inside for the winter, unless you have an "orangerie" for a year-round conservatory. I think to myself, Ludi, there is a conservatory in your future, attached to the back of your house.
Not simply a greenhouse.

And I highly recommend you read the book, PARADISE UNDER GLASS. I have it, read it, and that's where I learned about Logee's. The author designed their conservatory as part of the house.

And here is a shot of a 60-year old azalea root with the briars intertwined with them. DH used the SUV back trailer ball, chain and comealong to remove this one. He said he has 4 more to go.

And here are the same age azaleas on our neighbor's property line, where anything goes!

WildernessWen - Thanks ! Really though, I wish we had less house and more yard, but thus is suburbia. I canâÂÂt complain, it is a great neighborhood and our neighbors on both sides are awesome. A bit too many children for my crotchety taste, but they are well behaved, so again, I canâÂÂt complain.

Terri - Where have you been gurl ?!?!?!? A stranger to us this spring. Pics of your budding hosta collection soon please !!!

That planting you talked about at the Zoo sounds amazing. Give yours some time and she will reward you in the end. It seems she takes a bit to get started, but once established canâÂÂt be stopped. Clump #1 is the one I dug back in late March and I swear she is bigger this year even after I severed a bunch of her roots.

Jon - Your blue ladies are magnificent. Thank you so much for sharing. :) I sympathize with you on the tree debris, mine live under Black Walnut and Sycamore, no good in the spring. I am too obsessive though and will hand pick the litter out when I am doing my rounds. Call me crazy. :p

HostaHosta - I am so excited you took my advice and grabbed one for yourself. Give her some time, the perfect spot to show off and there will be no disappointment. :)

Steve - Honestly, after hand digging the 8 foot Cyprus last year (nightmare) I would be scared to tackle the Pieris. I am going to give it a chance and see if I canâÂÂt turn it into something characteristic. I loved WildernessWenâÂÂs suggestion of Dr. Seuss themed hostas. It gave me the idea to use oddly shaped or obscure sorts of shrubs and perennials in there. For example, some sort of weeping conifer, or Praying Hands. Anything with a unique shape to it.

WeâÂÂll see what comes of it I suppose. :)

Mocc - I am DEFINITLY familiar with LogeeâÂÂs. I used to lust for their exotics when I was first starting out with the orchids several years back.

Ohhhhh you donâÂÂt know the plans I have in my head. But money and space keep me in check.

I once saw a video on youtube of a woman who had an open-air aviary for her 3 Macaws, and she could literally let them outside in the back since it was like a 20 foot tall caged yard. Kind of the equivalent of letting your dogs run around outside in a fenced yard. Amazing concept, I was so jealous.

But, they were also from Southern California, so the climate allowed for all year use, not so much up here in PA.

For now I will keep dreaming and hope that next time I hit the lottery. :)

Thanks again everyone ! Glad you enjoyed my leading ladies. They are all getting ready to bloom now. Every year right on the mark - June 1 - never fails.

Ludi