BLUEGRASS HOSTA FARM

I am often asked “What got you into this?” My quick answer is, I love plants and hostas have stolen my heart!

It is true that I have loved growing plants all of my life. I have always collected plants, both houseplants and garden plants. Moving to Kentucky from Colorado in 1992, opened up all kinds of opportunities to try working in the horticultural industry. I started with herbs, then moved to the greenhouses of Hillenmeyers. Three years of that and it was on to Springhouse Gardens in the offices for five years. There, I was exposed to the great variety of plants that grow in Zone 6, and I came to appreciate hostas. I was also able to acquire many unusual trees and shrubs for our property. I was able to see and experience the gardens of Wade and Gatton in Ohio, a premier hosta collection, and also the gardens of a truly gifted gardner who transformed her yard into a showplace for all to see. My dream was born!

As I waited for my yard to mature, I got more serious about collecting hostas. I found myself having to travel to get the variety of cultivars that I was becoming aware of. I was looking for something to do at home so I could stay here and enjoy “my private park.” My dream soon expanded to include collecting and then to offering more cultivars in this area. Bluegrass Hosta Farm opened for business in the fall of 2004. With the business, I have the pleasure of meeting fellow gardners who appreciate the variety of hostas that I have planted and also grow for sale, as well as the unusual variety of trees and shrubs that I have added to the yard over the past twenty years. I now have the start of my own arboretum.

We joined a Hosta Club in Ohio, and my husband and I have attended Hosta College in Piqua, Ohio, annually in March for the past ten years. We have also attended the American Hosta Society's annual Hosta Conventions in several midwest and eastern cities over the past six years. We are active in the only Kentucky Hosta Club, located in Louisville, Hostas of Kentuckiana. We will continue to learn as much as we can about hostas to be able to answer all of the questions that always arise. We love sharing what we learn with our growing customer base.

I hope to offer the Lexington area alternatives, to the few hostas normally seen in local garden centers, in a beautiful garden setting. I grow hostas in all sizes, from miniatures to giants, in all the available color combinations, old favorites, and new cultivars that offer the unusual for the collector. We currently grow over 1000 cultivars, and I currently have about 650 cultivars planted in our display beds. As much shade as I have available will host hostas as well as shade loving companion plants. As more shade becomes available, more display beds will evolve. After all, a garden is alive and changing, and this one is no exception! Come and enjoy my passion!