Viola sororia (Common Blue Violet) on 4-5-26, #1085-5.
Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I’ve been working on this post since March 28, but the plants in the north bed have been growing so fast I had to re-take photos three times. This spring has been weird with temps up and down, not to mention the wind and rain. The plants inside want to go out, so that is coming up soon. The grass is growing and I need to fix the riding mower very soon.
The above photo is of a clump of Viola sororia (Common Blue Violet) I photographed in the back of the farm on 4-5-26. I originally photographed a clump from the north bed for this post, but I really liked the way the plants looked at the back of the farm better. Common Blue Violets grow in abundance in several areas on the farm and are always a welcome sight in the spring. There are several other species of Viola here, and I noticed a lot of Viola rafinesquei (American Field Pansy) in the woods next to the old lane that goes to the back of the farm. I rarely get into those trees so I didn’t know they were there in such abundance.
I’m planning on an adventure to my friends secluded woods very soon… You know, one of my favorite spots. I have also decided to go to several native prairies in the area at some point.
Before the photos for this post get out of date, I’ll get started with the bed along the north side of the house…
Achillea millefolium cv. ‘?’ on 4-4-26, #1084-1.
First, in alphabetical order, is the Achillea millefolium cv. ‘?’ (Yarrow) that has made its home next to the steps. It is a descendent of plants given to me by my friend Mary Botler when I lived in Mississippi. She gave me a start in 2011 and I have since transplanted them in a few places. It was first closer to the house where it received too much shade so it moved all by itself. This clump has been in this spot for several years, so I guess it has found its home.
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Aegopodium podagraria (Snow-On-The-Mountain) on 4-4-26, #1084-2.
Hmmm… I’m not sure what to say about the Aegopodium podagraria (Snow-On-The-Mountain) except that I was warned about it being rather pushy after I put one plant in the north bed in 2024. I know some perfect places where it could run rampant, but perhaps not where it is… It seems it has somehow spread underground over the winter when its neighbors were sleeping. They woke up to an invasion! Well, it’s not bad yet, but I think it has its own agenda to explore new territory. I don’t have a page for this one yet…
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Astilbe x arendsii ‘Fanal’ on 4-4-26, #1084-3.
The Astilbe x arendsii ‘Fanal’ seems to be getting off to a good start. I had to move it over a few feet last spring (I think) because it was next to the ever growing Hosta ‘Empress Wu’. It didn’t seem to appreciate it at the time since it didn’t get very large last summer. I hope it has realized now it was for its own good and will do better this year. I have had this plant since 2018 and have enjoyed its foliage and flowers. This cultivar won the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
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Geranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’ on 4-4-26, #1084-4.
I was very glad to see the Geranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’ had returned for 2026. I brought this plant home from Muddy Creek Greenhouse in 2024 and it has been a great performer, especially last year. I finally have its page finished…
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Geranium pratense ‘Johnson’s Blue’ on 4-4-26, #1084-5.
I was equally glad to see the Geranium pratense ‘Johnson’s Blue’ return on the other side of the steps. I’m happy its clump has gotten bigger, too! Although I just brought it home from Wagler’s Greenhouse in 2024, this cultivar has been popular since it was released somewhere around 1950. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit and is frequently cited as a top performer. It has a new page, too.
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Hosta ‘?’ on 4-4-26, #1084-10.
The Hosta ‘?’ is coming up once again. I brought it home from one of the garden club’s plant sales several years ago and it has done great. It is undoubtedly one of the more popular blue-leaved cultivars, I just don’t know which one since it was unlabeled. Yeah, it was one of those “rule-breakers” where I always say not to bring home plants without labels. There are many blue-leaved cultivars that look so much alike figuring it out would be nearly impossible. I’ve grown several in the past and this one looks like all of them! It grows into a good-sized clump with nice big, puckered leaves and produces bright while flowers. It is just weird it doesn’t have a name… Well, it has one for sure, I just don’t know what it is…
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Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ on 4-4-26, #1084-11.
The Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ is working on its 10th season. It didn’t do all that great last summer, and has emerged with only one shoot this spring (so far). I really like its puckered, cup-shaped leaves… The American Hosta Society awarded it with the 1996 Lucille Simpler Award and the Best Green Hosta Award also in 1996. It was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society of Garden Merit in 2012 and the American Hosta Growers Association Hosta of the Year in 2014.
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Hosta ‘Dancing Queen’ on 4-4-26, #1084-12.
It seems like the Hosta ‘Dancing Queen’ only one or two tiny sprouts a few days ago, now it is really going! I always liked this cultivar for its bright chartreuse leaves that seem to glow. Hosta ‘Dancing Queen’ was introduced in 2005. The American Hosta Society awarded it with the Benedict Garden Performance Honorable Mention in 2014 and the Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit in 2015. It was awarded the 2020 Hosta of the Year by the American Hosta Growers Association.
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Hosta ‘Empress Wu’ on 4-4-26, #1084-13.
The Hosta ‘Empress Wu’ is up and growing and covering a larger space than before. It didn’t grow as large last year, so maybe it is a sign I should give them all a little food… Sometime the soil runs out of ZIP, you know… Working on its 10th season. I think it is still claiming to the largest Hosta cultivar… In 2023, it was awarded the Proven Winners Hosta of the Year as well as the Hosta Growers Association Hosta of the Year.
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Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-4-26, #1084-14.
The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ is always one of the first to come up in the spring and it has really shot up in the past few days. It has always been one of my favorite and always a great performer. Its leaves are nicely variegated and slug and snail resistant. At some point, it was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society of Garden Merit. Even though it hasn’t won that many awards, it is an award winner to me. It is working on its 10th season.
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Hosta ‘Guacamole’ on 4-4-26, #1084-14.
It is always great to see the Hosta ‘Guacamole’ coming up in the spring. I always liked its leaves in various shades of green. Always a top performer! It was introduced by Bob Solberg of Green Hills Farm in North Carolina in 1994. It is a reverse sport of Hosta ‘Fragrant Bouquet’ and a descendant of Hosta plantaginea. It was the 2002 American Hosta Growers Association Hosta of the Year. In 2006, the American Hosta Society awarded it with the Benedict Garden Performance Honorable Mention Award, and in 2009 their Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit. It was also awarded the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
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Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-4-26, #1084-16.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ has been one of my favorite Hosta cultivars since I first grew it in the 1980’s when I lived here after my grandfather passed away. I purchased my second one in 2009 when I lived in Mississippi and brought it with me in 2013. It did well until the deer kept eating the Hosta leaves in 2021 and it didn’t do so well in 2022. In 2023, only one sprout came up and I moved the Hosta to the north side of the house. I put it in a pot but it barely grew over the summer. It didn’t return in the spring of 2024 but fortunately I found a replacement at Wagler’s Greenhouse. I always liked this cultivars vase-shaped growth habit and chalky blue-green leaves. Last year, one of its flower stems grew to 60″ tall! It is a multiple award winner receiving the Eunice Fisher Award in 1974. The American Hosta Society awarded it with the Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Hosta Award in 2001, the Benedict Garden Performance Honorable Mention Award in 2006, and the Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit in 2008.
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Hosta ‘Patriot’ on 4-4-26, #1084-17.
I was happy to see the Hosta ‘Patriot’ emerging with its lavender sprouts. This one is working on its third season and is sure to be a stunner. It was registered by John Machen, Jr. in 1991 and has become one of of the most popular Hosta cultivars of all time and was the first recognized tetraploid Hosta sport. It was named the Hosta of the Year in 1997 by the American Hosta Growers Association and received the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. It is claimed to be the most popular white-margined Hosta.
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Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-4-26, #1084-18.
The Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ is the oldest cultivar in my small collection. I believe I ordered it from a seller on Ebay in 2009 when I lived in Mississippi, although I have no photos of it until 2010. I moved it to Missouri with me in 2013 and it has done great! Despite the deer nibbling on its leaves nearly every spring in the old shade bed, it continued to grow and thrive. I divided it when I moved it to the north bed along the house in the spring of 2023 and it has continued to do great. It was always one of the first to emerge in the spring and 2026 was no exception. This cultivar was developed by Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery and registered with the American Hosta Society in 1995. It was selected as the AHS Convention Plant in the same year. It is a great Hosta with nice dark green leaves and a great performer. It is working on its 18th season!
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Hosta ‘Whirlwind’ on 4-4-26, #1084-19.
The Hosta ‘Whirlwind’ is looking great so far with several sprouts. I always like this one with its medium and dark green variegated, kind of twisted leaves. They are thick textured so they are slug and snail resistant. I brought this one home in 2018, so it is working on its 9th season. It won the America Hosta Society Benedict Garden Performance Award in 2007 and the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
Well, I’ll close for now.
Until next time, be safe, stay positive, always be thankful AND, as always… GET DIRTY!
The Belmont Rooster 