Meet HostasDirect, Inc.
Danielle Dykema
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Danielle is a sophomore studying plant genetics at the University of Minnesota Agriculture School, just one mile from our headquarters. Danielle, Yuriy and Tom will be conducting some experiments soon with our hostas. Sorry folks, the tests are secret! In her spare time, Danielle works at the U of M giving tours for incoming students and is also dating our tech guy, Joseph Husby.
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2008 Order Deadline is September 28th |
| We will be taking orders through Sunday, September 28, 2008 to ship this fall. After that date, any orders placed will be shipped the following spring. We will have more information later regarding spring shipping dates. |
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End of Season Sale
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We have added more Best Value TC plants and divisions and extended our previous sale through the rest of the season. Some of the Best Value TC on sale are outgrowing their containers which means they have outstanding root systems. The divisions are taken from mature plants up to 10 years old!
This is a great time to plant hostas!
Although you can successfully plant hostas almost any time, the best
times are spring and fall. Planting in the spring and fall provides
enough time for the hosta to establish a good root system before summer
heat or winter dormancy. With that said, I have personally planted our
Best Value TC the second week of October in Minnesota and they did
fine. I am not encouraging that, but know that it is possible. We
will begin our fall planting program very soon as well.
To get these hostas established for winter, we recommend you order them as soon as possible.
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Survey Results and Winners!
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Thanks to all of you who took your time to complete our survey. The information and suggestions you provided have been very helpful. We will be able to serve you better and grow our business. We are ALWAYS eager to get your suggestions so please write to us!
For this survey, we used a random number generator to choose 4 entries from everyone who completed our survey. Congratulations to the winners of $100 gift certificates:
Richard Beasley from Virginia
Debbie McNelis from Virginia
Wilda Kintop from Illinois
Jill Garner from Pennsylvania
We will email you shortly with your gift certificates!
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New at HostasDirect
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New Product Line: Hosta Information Pages
An 8.5 x 11" sheet with a picture and information of the hosta you select. You choose the hosta pages you want and print them at home from PDF files. These are the same popular information pages that we use at our retail site! The cost is $.75 per sheet. We suggest you use an inkjet printer and a high-quality paper such as a glossy or luster sheet. Set your printer to match the type of paper. You can then laminate your information pages and put them in a 3-ring binder! View our hosta information pages here.
New Server
In the past few days we upgraded our web server, which will greatly increase the speed and overall performance of our website. We have also added more backups and additional layers of security. (Note: we have never had any security or credit card problems with our site) Our website is powered by a large database, containing records of thousands of hostas, photos, videos, and content. Please note that dial-up users will not see as drastic of an improvement as those with broadband or DSL.
New Blog Entries
We try as hard as we can with our hectic lifestyle to find time to blog. Please check out our Hosta Friends blog if you haven't already!
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Please don't use paid advertising to get to our website
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We spend a great deal of money on pay-per-click Internet search advertising with Google. You may not realize it, but it generally costs us $.50 to $.60 when someone clicks on our ads. Obviously, this adds up very fast!
Please type www.HostasDirect.com in your browser or save the web address in your favorite places or bookmarks. THANKS!!
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Foliar nematodes & Slugs
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Although the microscropic foliar nematodes might be around all year, the visible symptoms of the dark streaks between the hosta veins start to appear from about July on, depending on which part of the country you live in. Please see the hosta diseases page on our website to learn more. There is no chemical cure for nematodes, although Zerotol can help. If you see symptoms, you may wish to dig up that plant and kill the nematodes. You can kill them by placing some of the surrounding soil in a black plastic bag and placing it in sun to heat up and soaking the plant in water with a temperature of 124 degrees for 10 minutes. You can purchase a propane turkey boiler for this. Keep in mind the foliar nematodes live on the top, bottom and inside of the leaves and over-winter in the rhizome. They are spread by water. The best defense is a strong offense - purchase guaranteed disease-free hostas to begin with, like our Best Value TC.
I have been told that slugs lay a last batch of eggs around the second week of October. You may get your "best bang for your buck" by killing as many slugs as possible before that time.
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Care for your new hostas this fall |
As with other perennials, it is cheap insurance to cover your new hostas. Cover them with straw or leaves preferably after the ground is frozen. The goal is to keep the soil temperature more constant during the transition from winter to spring. This will also help prevent your soil from heaving. Some gardeners place their leaves in large garbage bags and then place the bags over their plants. This keeps the "insulation" from blowing away and keeps your garden neat and easy to clean up.
Observe how your hostas have done this year and replant if
necessary. When you divide or disturb a plant, it will likely slow
down its future growth for a year or two. Remember, it is best to
sterilize your tools with water and 10% bleach after each cut.
Questions to ask: - Are your hostas getting too much/too little light?
- Are your hostas getting enough water and nutrients?
- Are older hostas getting a "fairy ring" in the center?
- Does the soil need to be amended?
- Are your hostas in a visually good location?
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Fall garden tasks to consider
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- Water! It is important the soil has some moisture through fall for winter
- Clean your tools. Place a coating of oil on the metal parts to prevent rust during the winter
- Remove any hosta leaves that have reverted
- Decide how to overwinter planted containers
- Mark hosta "sports" for future reference
- Update any maps of your garden
- Make your lists of any new plant labels you might purchase
- Do not let weeds create seeds! It will save you a lot of work later.
- Enjoy your hosta blooms, but cut them off before they go to seed to maximize the energy going into the plant.
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Create new gardens!
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Consider using a garden hose as a visual guide in shaping your new space. Then try using the herbicide Round-Up Weed and Grass Killer or Round-Up Weed and Grass Killer Concentrate Plus made by Scotts. For more information check out Scotts Miracle Grow: Kill Weeds & Grass.
For best results, make sure the grass or weeds are actively growing and have been watered recently. It will take up to a week to kill the grass or weeds. You can spray again if some remain. To speed up the process, you can also spray the grass or weeds, let it be absorbed into the plant, and then plow it under. Add soil amendments if needed. Turn the soil with a shovel or tiller, and plant! Next spring you will have fresh new plants!
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Group Purchase program |
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We realize that garden clubs, religious organizations, schools and other non-profits need time to plan their events and vendors for next spring. Watch for information about our revised Group Purchase plan in our upcoming emails.
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New videos coming soon
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- A three dimensional tour of individual hostas
- How to properly divide hostas
- How to arrange hosta bouquets
- Suggestions welcome for future videos!
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Many thanks to all of you!
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On behalf of my workers, many of which are college students earning their way through school, thanks again for your business and support this past year. I am very fortunate to have such talented, hard working, honest and fun workers on staff. It is fun to see many of them get turned on to plants and also learn more about the many complications of running small businesses.
Until next time, take care!
Tom Carlson, Owner
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