January 1998

Hosta & Ornamental Grass Enthusiasts Newsletter
AAA Ornamentals @ http://www.hostas.com
Vol. 1, No. 1, January 4, 1998

Thank you one and all for taking the time to view our new Hosta and Ornamental Grass web-site! Hostas have been my garden delight for 5 years, with ornamental grasses coming in a close second. I am pleased to share my favorite gardening plants with all who want to visit my web-site. If you are using Microsoft Outlook and want your newsletter in rich text format, please let me know. I also mail using blind-carbon-copy for your confidentiality.

Mainly, the site is for educational/reference purposes. Secondly, as an on-line catalogue for local hosta and grass customers. At the moment I have no plans for doing any mail-order which would probably be a major headache to very enjoyable hobby.

As you noticed, this is the very first issue! What to include?? I would like to highlight one hosta and one ornamental grass, and other applicable information. If you would like to submit gardening articles, experiences, etc, please do so. I could incorporate them in my newsletters or web-site if applicable.

Some Folks You Should Meet

The internet sure makes the world a smaller place. Over the last few months I have made acquaintances with many people. I thought that I would share briefly two here. First, Judi at Golden Harvest, who sells seaweed fertilizer. If seaweed does not interest you, her web-site should. It is filled with wonderful organic and gardening secrets! Visit http://www.verinet.com/GoldenHarvest/index.html. Secondly, Rudi, who is the European king of ornamental grasses. He maintains an ornamental grass column at http://www.suite101.com/articles/page.cfm/602, and his personal site dedicated to ornamental grasses at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ruda/. Greet some of my friends!

What's new on the site??

Hosta Pick of the Month

Formal Name: Hosta lancifolia

Picture: http://www.hostas.com/images/hostas/lancfoli.jpg

Name Meaning: Narrow-Leafed Plantain Lily

Incorrect Names: Hosta cathayana, Hosta japonica

Description: Glossy, narrow lance shaped, dark green leaves (6"x2"). Showy, purple flowers in late summer. Tolerates 3/4 to full sun. Vigorous, uniform grower; dense mound creates a great ground cover.

Comments: The hosta enthusiast which foregoes all green leaf hostas for the variegated is certainly missing a beauty. It's simple shaped leaf, uniform growth habit, and tolerance for sun make this hosta a real garden workhorse. What makes this plain green variety so attractive is the shine leaves! Shiny leaf hostas are in the minority (gotta have it!) so it is very worth your while to collect this very common but beautiful plant. The late long blooming characteristic makes it shine out among the other perennials that are starting to close up shop for the year. This late in the year bloomer is just getting started!!

Native: Japan

Height: 16 - 20 inches

Color of Flowers: Purple

Next month will be featuring Hosta 'White Christmas'.

Ornamental Grass Pick of the Month

Formal Name: calamagrostis (x) acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Picture: http://www.hostas.com/images/grasses/kforstr1.jpg (sorry for the immature plant, I had just split all of this variety this past spring! As you can see it has substantial yearly growth)

Name Meaning: c. = "reed of the field", a. = "sharp (pointed) flower"

Description: A columnar, medium-sized, early-blooming ornamental grass, known for its late spring green-pink-purple inflorescence, winter effect, and vertical architectural lines.

Comments: This maybe a common grass, but if you don't have it, you gotta get it! Being a cool season grass, it plumes rather early in the season allowing gardeners to enjoy the green foliage and golden brown plumes! Additionally, it is one of the first grasses to come out of winter dormancy. The distinctive vertical lines it gives to the garden is a real asset. It is very winter hardy to zone 4a which makes this plant a winner for most residents of the USA. This grass looks great in several clumps, and makes a great accent or background plant.

Native: Europe

Zone: Tested officially to zone 4a in a six year study by the department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota.

Sun: Being a cool weather grass, it can tolerate both full sun and partial shade. I have some clumps in both full sun and partial shade, and all appear to perform about the same.

Size: 4-5 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide, columnar habit.

Plume: June (one of the earliest plummers of ornamental grasses). The plume turns brown very early in the season. The clump is rather dramatic looking with the green foliage and golden plume stalks.

Next month will be featuring calamagrostis brachystachys (Korean Feather Reed Grass).

Gardening Tidbit

Don't fuss too much over the weeds. Yes, they should go, but . . . a few minutes on your hands and knees enables one to experience first hand and close-up the wonders in your yard. It also gives you an opportunity to thank God for his handiwork.