My father (unknowingly at first) got me going on hostas.  I was at their house, doing “garden stuff” and he decided that he wanted to remove the over-crowded orange daylilies from the side of the house.  We dug them out, gave them to the neighbor (who made a wonderful experience planting them with their young daughter) and we were cleaning up when I saw a few tiny hosta bulbs.  I admit, my huband had just declined free hosta plants, but I couldn’t resist.  I thought I could just do an “experiment”.   You know, just see if they grew in our garden.  So I tossed them in one of the plant pots my Dad was giving me.  And I brought them home.  And I planted them.  The next spring – Lo and behold! – hosta plants came up. 😍

My husband was skeptical.  No, more accurately, he was a tad concerned.  You see, at our house in which we raised our children, I was known to create a new garden area at will … sometimes against his wishes … while he was out with our children … buying my Mother’s Day gift. So he was rightly concerned.  We now, by intention, had a very manageable (town)home and yard and garden.  But the garden was growing.

The spring after we moved into our current home, I petitioned the association to be able to “improve the property” by putting in some bulbs.   We got approval.  I proceeded to do that abundantly.  A few years went by, and I, with the agreement of my husband, petitioned the association to expand our garden.  My petition was approved and we proceeded.  (We used the contractor who was familiar with our sprinklers … so no problems there.)  The next year, the lawn service was chewing up the trunk of our Linden when they weed whipped, and making ruts in the lawn around it with the mower.  I, with the agreement of my husband, petitioned the association to expand the garden again, to go around the tree and farther out into the yard.  We got an immediate approval, and during the work, the association president came over and said it looked very nice.  And my husband said … “Now you are done expanding.”  Why?  Well, not all those gardens that I created at the house we raised our children in were well maintained.  I loved them.  I had every intention of keeping things under control.  But we had children, and activities, and dogs, and jobs, and …. They got away from me.

So back to Dad’s hostas.  They flourished, and I fell in love.  Soon I was adding carefully to our garden, ones that had meaning, ones that were meant to be smaller (I have an entire “ring” of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ – I love love love them!)  I found out about the Hosta of the Year and bought some of those.  (Oops! some are quite big!)  My Dad met a Hosta Masta (Master) and bought me a couple from his annual sale.  The next year we toured his garden and I was in awe!  It was incredible!!!  And he had very tastefully integrated daylilies in with his hostas.  So … I started an “experiment” of my own … We already had a few daylilies up close to the house, but what if I added some throughout the garden. And that is where I still am still today.  To keep things simple and under control, we have hostas and daylilies and asian lilies, and sedum (but that is a blog for another day).

That is the story of how Dad’s few little hosta bulbs greatly influenced the garden I have today.

My husband is now the association president (not kidding!).  He will not approve any further expansions.  So I give divisions to my friends and family and neighbors.  It’s all good!