Hosta Madness

One of the plants I tried in vain to grow in Arizona were hostas; it's just too darn hot for them there, so when I moved to the Chicago area, one of my first acquisitions was a hosta.  At the time, I lived in a 7th floor apartment with a balcony that faced east and I was determined to take advantage of whatever space was available.  I purchased my first hosta at a garage sale not too far from my apartment (and have returned every year, as he always has good plants at good prices every May).  It was one of the first things I planted when we moved into the house, and that little two-stemmed plant has become quite impressive.  My collection now includes over twenty varieties, from the diminutive Little Blue Mountain Mouse, to what someday will be a massive 4'x4' Empress Wu.  I've bought them at yard sales, flea markets, big box stores, nurseries and even picked them up at the curb (one of my neighbors is a landscaper and he put some out the day before trash day; needless to say, I rescued them.)  About the only place I haven't been yet is to a hosta farm, but hopefully that will happen this year.

My first hosta in its fourth year

A curb find that I separated into 3 clumps

 

 

   

My first hosta in bloom

Little Blue Mountain Mouse

This was a 2-gallon plant in 2015

The new shade garden includes nearly a dozen hostas

 

Two clumps of the curbside rescue, one year later

This one thrives in full afternoon sun

I'm Back!!

After an unintended long hiatus, I'm back to blogging.  My last post was in June 2015 and we had just moved into our house in Bolingbrook, IL, Le Maison des Fleurs, which ironically didn't have any flowers at the time, unless you count dandelions.  In the ensuing two and a half years, much has changed, so much so that if I were to try to put everything into this post, it would read like War and Peace. When we moved in, there were two very disused flower beds in the front of the house, and even using that term to describe them is a stretch.  Now approximately 75% of the house is surrounded by flower beds, with several other beds on the property perimeter. Under the trees I've planted hostas and other shade loving flowers, such as columbine.  There's a rose bed in the back yard, with other roses scattered in the beds around the house.  Day Lilies, Rose of Sharon, hostas, a Japaense Maple and a variety of others fill the beds surrounding the house.  All told, there are nearly 20 different hostas, 1 1/2 dozen different day lilies and about the same number of roses growing on our 1/4 acre.

Just because this is Le Maison des Fleurs doesn't mean it's all about the flowers, as vegetables have their own place to thrive, Rusty Rooster Farm. The yard is not fully fenced, and even if it was, unless the fencing was partially buried, it wouldn't keep the bunnies out. And it's not just bunnies, as we have squirrels, possums, raccoons and skunks as well, so my first attempt at a vegetable garden meet with limited success, as the bunnies kept eating things, even chewing through plastic garden fence to get at the rhubarb.  I vowed that I would build a garden that would keep out the bunnies, no matter what it took.  My original plans called for a 24' by 24' raised bed garden with the perimeter beds topped by 3' of 1/2" x 1/2" wire fabric, as chicken wire doesn't come in a small enough grid to satisfy my needs.  Natalie thought that was too big and ambitious and was willing to allow me 20' x 10' and after much negotiation, we settled on 24' x 16'.  In an effort to at least partially finance the new garden, I started seedlings in the house on Valentine's Day, 2016, with the intention of selling them to friends, neighbors and co-workers.  While it didn't pay for the entire project, it did cover the cost of the truckload of topsoil I ordered to fill the beds and take care of some low spots in the yard. 

Seed starting in inverted yogurt cups. with ramen noodle dishes as the water trays

First signs of growth

 

Moved to a mini greenhouse in early April

Ready to sell in early May

Building Rusty Rooster Farm:

The plan was to rent a gas powered auger to drill the 24 post holes needed, but after realizing how difficult it was to use the auger due to the many sizable rocks in the ground, I returned the auger and wound up using a post-hole digger and good old fashioned muscle power to get the job done.  I set the first four posts, built the raised bed  and installed the fencing so that Natalie could see what it would look like, then set about building the beds, filling them as I progressed. Working evenings and weekends, it took me nearly a month to get it all completed and planted.

The first section

Posts are all set

A truckload of soil and 5 yards of mulch

Planting as I built

 

Beds completed and filled

Most of the plants are in

The entry to the farm

Fred stands guard at the gate

 

Built a PVC trellis for vining crops such as cucumbers and melons, plus the center is for pole beans and peas

As you can see, the beds create the perimeter of the garden and those beds are two feet deep; the three interior beds are 10'x 4', include the 2' x 4' beds at the ends for growing potatoes. In an effort to "pretty it up" we'll be painting the beds white this year, which should also help to keep the roots cooler.  This past year I installed a 6' x 8' greenhouse next to the garden, so I'll be able to start all my plants there and it will be a short walk from the greenhouse to the garden.