Hosta of the Year 2018: World Cup

With the overwhelming number of hosta varieties in catalogs and garden centers, it can be a daunting task to choose the right ones to grow in your garden. The American Hosta Growers Association (AHGA) has since 1996 stepped in to help by selecting one superb variety each year as Hosta of the Year. Winning hostas are good growers in all regions, widely available and relatively inexpensive. These winners are aimed more toward the general gardener rather than collectors. The winning hosta will always be a variety that has been around long enough to have been grown in a wide variety of gardens and climates. These selections are usually the cornerstones of hosta collector's gardens making them a good choice for beginning collectors and gardeners alike. This year the Hosta of the Year is ‘World Cup’.  It grows about 30 inches high and 40 inches wide. The gleaming gold leaves are deeply cupped and corrugated.  The leaves have nice white backsides that stand out due to the upright habit. Blooms in summer with pale purple flowers that attract hummingbirds.  Add this to your part shade or shade garden for a sculptural look.

We will have 'World Cup' available, see the Catalog for more information.

New Tree Variety for 2018 Selected

For those of you who visited last season and voted for your favorite new tree variety, the votes have been counted and the results are in.  The new tree variety selected for the nursery this season is......drum roll please:  And the winner is the Aesculus Glabra, 'Ohio Buckeye'. It is a neatly rounded tree with low, sweeping branches and dense foliage that provides deep shade.  It is one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring.  Its name comes from the "buckeyes", a small, dark brown nut with a light patch resembling the eye of a deer, which grows inside a rounded prickly fruit capsule. Buckeye nuts are actually mildly toxic in their uncooked state, but you can eat them after removing them from their shells and roasting them.  In the past, Native Americans would roast, peel and mash the buckeye nuts into a fairly nutritional paste that they would eat. Check out the catalog for more information on this winner.