What
seems like a hundred years ago (but actually 1998),
I gave a gardening presentation to the Western Michigan Hosta
Society. As a result, I came to know
Don Rawson who
was president at the time. I was running a website
for my Extension office and he had started a small
site he named
The Hosta Helper. At that time, he was
busy doing other things and he asked if I would like
to take the site and run with it. The whole thing
consisted of images and text for around a hundred hostas. He gave me a three ring binder and some
floppy disks and the transfer was made.
I was an avid hosta hobbyist and a computer geek so
it made a perfect fit. Since that time, I have built
a site which now contains information on over 12,900 hosta names and consists of around
25,000 pages.
In
retirement, I have been able to dedicate a large
amount of time to The Hosta Helper. I use information from
all over the place. Of course the books by
Mark Zilis and
W. George Schmid have been major
resources
along with other books on the subject of hostas by
other authors.
The American Hosta Society, its
website and, of course,
The Hosta Journal are
primary sources. I have attended 15
AHS National
Conventions, many local hosta garden tours and have
visited several of the AHS Display gardens. In
addition, I taught classes at
Hosta College several times.
At one time, my garden contained about 500 different
named cultivars of hostas. I moved after retirement
and have a much smaller garden but still grow around
150 types. Through all this, I have become familiar
with many different commercial growers and nurseries
specializing in hostas. I have visited what I
consider the apex of hosta nurseries,
Wade and Gatton Nursery in Ohio several times. This wonderful
garden/nursery was operated by a great hosta
hybridizer and plantsman, the late
Van Wade. They
have over
3,000 hostas in their display beds and even after
all these visits I still have not photographed them
all.
I use the Internet...a lot! During my search for the
most up-to-date information, I have visited
thousands of websites ranging from online nuseries
to society newsletters to obituaries to the Hosta
Registrar's website and on and on. When I find
conflicting data, I try to find the "correct"
information but I also include the fact that you may
run into conflicting or erroneous information about
hostas. It seems to come with the territory.
Finally, as you might note while visiting The Hosta
Helper, I am also interested in the people who have
influenced the hosta world. Wherever possible, I
like to include a face and some background
information on the hybridizers and "movers and
shakers" in the hosta world. Finding the history of
a plant or a person helps to bring the whole topic
to life.
Through 2018, only hosta
images photographed by me were included in the
website. I have accumulated over 3,000 hosta photos
over the decades but there
are many thousand more that are missing. So, I have
decided to solicit and accept hosta images
from hybridizers and others.
If you see this graphic on a cultivar page and you
have an image of that cultivar you would like to
share, just click on it and send us an email. The
digital image needs to be AT LEAST 650 pixels wide.
I am pretty handy with Photoshop so I will crop and
adjust the images as needed. Beneath the image on
the cultivar page, I will place a graphic giving you
credit for the photo. If you like, I can also
include a link to a website of your choice.Of
course, I will not share images with anyone else
without seeking your permission first.
The goal of The Hosta Helper is to provide gardeners with the
best and most complete information about plants in
the genus, Hosta.
Have fun with yours!
As
a horticulture educator (
3.
Hosta
have been the number 1 selling perennial in the U.S. for
over a decade. More landscapes are developing mature
trees so shade is a factor in planting considerations.
This ebook will give you a solid background of
information on many aspects of hostas. It discusses the
biology of hostas as a plant, where they originate,
their history, how they are propagated, factors for
selecting the right one for your garden, how to grow
them and groups of hosta lovers who will share their
knowledge with you. 
Once
you have designed your backyard ornamental garden, it is
time to put it into action. This ebook is designed to
give you the basics of preparing the site and laying out
the elements of the design. There are tips on using
various types of hardscape such as paths, statuary and
other non-living features. 
Ralph Heiden a.k.a.
Mr PGC (
I have an MS degree in ornamental
horticulture and have taught horticulture and
gardening classes or seminars on a wide range of
topics to thousands of
homeowners, hobbyists and Master Gardeners over the
past 4 or 5 decades. A large part of my career was spent
helping homeowners and others identify and solve
problems with their trees, shrubs, herbaceous
perennials, lawns, fruit and vegetables. This
included insect, disease and cultural factors that
impacted plant health or quality.
