Hosta Collectors in Michigan – FineGardening


Today we’re in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with Sharon and Michael Darga.

When we moved into our home in 1982, the backyard was overgrown with scrub and poison ivy. Through years of hard work, we steadily cleared and planted, gradually expanding each year. The constantly evolving garden has now moved into “any space that we can find” to plant. The garden focuses on a variety of ferns, epimediums, hostas, ornamental trees, and shrubs. We have over 200 varieties of hostas and have collected all of the Hosta of the Year varieties from 1996 to the present.

front yard garden full of blue and green conifers and red flowersThe front of the house has been filled with a variety of conifers, which include Pinus strobus ‘Squiggles’ (Zones 3–8), concolor fir (Abies concolor, Zones 3–7), and ‘Golden Spreader’ Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’, Zones 4–6).

garden bed with lots of different hosta varieties and pink flowersLeading into the backyard is a variety of hostas (including Hosta ‘Royal Wedding’ and ‘Sum and Substance’, Zones 3–8) and a river of rocks collected on various trips.

shaded garden bed with conifers, hosta, and one container plantingA mulch path winds through the yard. As you walk, you will see various sculptures, hostas (here you see the variety ‘Guardian Angel’), Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9), and pots for color throughout the summer.

garden bed with evergreen plants and pagodaA tall sculptural Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Ryusen’, Zones 5–9), a pagoda, and a weeping blue Colorado spruce (Picea pungens, Zones 2–7) highlight this area.

garden bed with evergreen plants and a larger planter with colorful annualsAnother sculpture (this one called “Story Teller”) and a variety of ferns adorn this section, along with Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9). An annual pot is added for height and background interest. Himalayan maidenhair fern (Adiantum venustum, Zones 4–8) provides a soft ground cover.

dark green garden bench surrounded by foliage plantsA sculptural bunny on the right (named Chauncy) highlights the back, with more hostas and a bench for taking it all in.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.





Source link

Originally posted 2022-08-24 15:22:58.