An Afternoon at Cantigny Gardens

This post is a work in progress. These pictures were taken at Cantigny yesterday afternoon, Monday, June 16, 2014. I wanted to get some pictures up and will come back later to add more and some text.

In my kitchen hangs a piece of calligraphy done by a deceased monk friend, Father Eric Lies, O.S.B., that reads, "Behind every flower stands God." What a joy it is to see the beauties of nature! "Considerate lilia agri" (Matt 6:28).

(By clicking on a photo, you can see it enlarged and in greater detail.)

New Miniature Hostas in the AHS Registrations 2013 booklet

Yesterday's mail brought the American Hosta Society's Registrations 2013 booklet, which includes "156 new registrations for a total of 5335 registered hostas." (p.3)

Examining the registration data for the 156 new registrations, it appears that there are 12 hostas registered in 2013 that constitute miniatures under the AHS definition of a miniature hosta as being one whose leaf area is less than six square inches, calculated by multiplying the length of the leaf, from leaf tip to intersection with the petiole, by the width of the leaf at its widest part.

MINIATURE HOSTAS IN THE AHS REGISTRATIONS 2013
O = originator, N = nominant (namer), I = introducer, R = registrant

H. 'Emerald Elf' -- G. R. Goodwin (ONIR)

2" x 1"

H. 'Forest Treasure' -- G. R. Goodwin (ONIR)

4" x 0.75"

H. 'Glass Slipper' -- D. & M. Beilstein (ONIR)

4" x 1.25"

H. 'Little Dancer' -- D. Van Eechaute (ONIR)
1.375" x 0.875"

H. 'Maurice Mason' -- unknown (O); G. Daniels (NI); G. R. Goodwin (R)
2" x 1.25"

H. 'Mighty Min' -- M. Gilligan (ONIR)
1.75" x 0.875"

H. 'Mini Skirt' -- Walters Gardens, Inc. (ONIR)
2" x 1.75"

H. 'Mouse Capades' -- R. Mortko (ONIR)
2" x 2"

H. 'Needlepoint' -- D. Van Eechaute (ONIR)
2.5" x 2"

H. 'Needle's Eye' -- D. Van Eechaute (ONIR)
2.25" x 1.875"

H. 'Small World' -- G. R. Goodwin (ONIR)
3" x 1.5"

H. 'Solar Mouse' -- D. & J. Ward (ONIR)
2" x 1.75"

My ONE HUNDREDTH Hosta Variety -- H. 'Neutrino'.

I am in Indianapolis, Indiana, for a long weekend of hosta hunting and some sightseeing as well. Yesterday I acquired the one hundredth hosta variety for my collection, a specimen of H. 'Neutrino', (M. Zilis, 2011), at Soules Garden. Here's a picture of the new addition, a charmer if there ever was one --

My 100th Hosta Variety
H. 'Neutrino' (M. Zilis, 2011)

(By clicking on this hosta picture, you can view a larger, clearer version of it in a new window.)

It was a treat to spend some more time at Soules; a vanload of us from Hostas of Kentuckiana had made a visit there (and to Randy Goodwin's awesome garden) on a day trip in July. Also picked up a very cute and very colorful specimen of Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense', which joins my only other sedum, Hylotelephium telephium 'Matrona', in my garden. 

Here then is the current breakdown of my 100 hosta varieties:

57 varieties of AHS-registered miniature-leaved hostas, 58 plants

25 varieties of AHS-registered small-leaved hostas, 26 plants

7 AHS-registered medium-leaved hostas, 7 plants

3 AHS-registered large-leaved hostas, 3 plants

0 AHS-registered giant-leaved hostas, 0 plants

3 AHS-unregistered miniature-leaved hostas, 3 plants

4 other AHS-unregistered hostas, 4 plants

1 unknown hosta, 1 plant

totals: 100 hosta varieties, 102 hosta plants

This blog's page listing all of my hostas has not yet been updated to include recent acquisitions. (It will be soon!)