Hosta fever hits early and more free tickets to the Home and Garden Show

As mild weather drifts in, I visited my local nursery (Hahn) to see what was being ordered.

Since I live in an oak forest and love hostas, it was time to see what was interesting for the season.

I've been captivated by big hostas and I'm thrilled to try Empress Wu. Just look at the photo..nuff said.

My friend Diana convinced Hahn manager Laurie Curl to order 'Brutus.' When it didn't sell, we both bought one at the end of the season. It's got Broad leaves that are nicely ruffled around the edge, while the interior of the leaf is prominently veined and moderately puckered. Hosta 'Brutus' is huge, 36 inches tall and over 5 feet across. Tall scapes hold fertile purple flowers in mid summer. Can't wait to see what it looks like this spring.

'Vulcan' is a brilliant tricolor hosta with a white center, yellow streaks, and dark green edges, this sport of 'Captain Kirk' so delighted its breeder (Hans Hansen) that he planted it beside his front door! Cupped, slightly elongated heart-shaped leaves mound lavishly on this plant, topped by 2-foot white scapes bearing lavender blooms. And the pure white center will not melt out, no matter what the weather does!

Hostas are wonderful plants for the shade and there are hundreds of cool cultivars to choose from.

I've got a bunch of tickets to get you into the Duquesne Light Home and Garden Show to see me talk about gardening. Once you're done with me, you can check out the rest of the show. Don't miss the Princess Diana exhibit, it's very moving. I'm there Thursday 3/8/12 at 5:30pm and Friday 3/9/12 at 4pm. Send me an e-mail and I'll leave a pair of tickets for you at will call. Send your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hope to see you there!