Re: Commercial production of hostas

At 07:11 PM 6/2/98 EDT, Clyde Crockett z5 ccrerdux@aol.com Indpls IN wrote:

>Hi Mike:
>I think it would be difficult to sell some popular hostas if they are in
small
>(1 gallon or less) containers to customers who had not seen a mature plant.
>One that comes readily to mind is Sum and Substance. That one is always very
>high if not top on the Popularity Poll(which, btw, has always mystified me).
>So, what I would suggest is that you have a DISPLAY GARDEN, containing mature
>specimens of what you are selling. 

I plan to sell only mature plants that have been bed or field grown. I am
not interested in selling by volume but by quality. I hope to be able to
attract customers who will pay the extra money for larger plants to have an
immediate impact on their landscape.

Your point about a display garden is an important one and I am working on
it. I have already made the blunder of planting under two large persimmon
trees. The display hostas were first covered with caterpillar droppings and
now they under a constant rain of dropping persimmon flowers which end up
in the cup at the intersection of the leaf and petiole and lay there and
turn brown and rot. Very attractive...
Fortunately the persimmons are males and do not produce fruit.

>People who visit my garden and who are not familiar with hostas always like
>these:
>Golden Tiara, Gloriosa, S & S, Gold Standard, Love Pat, June, montana AM,
>Shade Fanfare, Tokudama Flavocircinalis, 'Elegans', Halcyon, August Moon,
>Moonlight, Frosted Jade. I find they are NOT taken by most of the golds and
>yellows and chartreuses---they think they are "sick." 
>Others they like are the ones with glossy leaves.

These are the kind of recommendations I need! What a grower likes and what
a customer wants are often at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Any more input on this from any one?
Thanks,
-Mike
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