saved from the wilderness...

[rebajeanshanklin]

this is a perennial it was at an abandoned house, i dug it up and brought it home to add to my collection,

can you tell me what it is, and if it flowers?

thanks in advance!!!

[Newt]

It's a Hosta.* They get spikes of either lavender or white flowers (some are fragrant), love the shade and soil enriched with organic matter such as compost.* Some folks don't like the flowers and cut the stems off near the base as soon as it appears.* I cut them off after they bloom as the hummingbirds will visit them for nectar.

This one you have looks like it might be Hosta 'Francis Williams'.* It was released in 1986 so it's been around a while.* It will get quite large.* There are others with the same coloring.* You can see pics of it here.* If you click on 'MyHostas.net Database' in the upper left corner at the top of the page, you will get all kinds of descriptive info and a list of hostas that are the progeny of this plant.* You can look through those to see if your hosta is one of them.* It might be best to wait until it blooms as the flower color will help with some elimination.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/f/francesw.html

To give you an idea on how large some can get, Hosta 'Sum and Substance' gets very large and has a solid green leaf.* Do you know when the house was abandoned? That might help you to id which one it is as there are thousands of named varieties.* This first site shows when just a few Hostas were released.
http://005300c.netsolhost.com/hostas...oftheyear.html

Hostas come in different leaf shapes, colors, leaf sizes, color combinations of variagation and plant sizes.* Hosta 'Sum and Substance' will get very large.* This will give you an idea of how large some of them get.
http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/ima...3/hosta453.jpg

Here's a few to drool over.* Be careful as these can quickly become a passion.
http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Information/Hostas.htm

Here's the main page of a site called Hosta Library.* They list so many that your head could spin!** :shock:
http://www.hostalibrary.org/

Newt

[rebajeanshanklin]

i'd say it's been around 10 years since anyone has lived there, that's actually where most of my flowers have come from, dont' worry, i know they ppl who own it, they're ok with me being*a "Flower Thief"!

[Newt]

If it's been that long since someone lived there, then Hosta 'Francis Williams' is a good possibility.* As long as you have permission to dig, that's fine.* You might also want to learn how to propagate plants.* For some plants you can easily collect seed and for others taking cuttings or divisions is easy to do.* Take photos and I'll gladly help you to figure out the best way to propagate.

Newt

[rebajeanshanklin]

thanks for all the replies i really appreciate your input, it's so much better to 'talk' to someone with experience than to get random info on the net that might not be right. i'd much rather talk to you or someone on here than to google it, i guess i'm just that type of person.

yes, i have permission to dig there anywhere on the property actually. I live with my Boyfriend and the Property we live on belongs to his parents, same with the 'abandoned' house it was my feller's boyhood home, his mother left all kinds of flowers down there , slowly i have been moving them from the old home to our home, actually they are happy that i have found happiness in the plants down there.

there are more flowers that i need to identify, im sorta new to extreme flowering with is what i have been doing, everyday! it's hard to learn to identify them when you are starting off. buti 'll get it.

thanks for your help, you'll be*seeing more of me and my post soon!!!

i bet you have one helluva garden, don't you?

[Newt]

I agree it's good to be able to 'talk' to someone who experienced with gardening, but it's not always the best information.* I've been wrong about things from time to time too.* That is why I always give sites for others to read.* I try and use sites from universities as often as I can since they tend to be the most accurate.* I'm glad this is all helpful to you.* I would recommend that you also search on the net even after I've shared what I know.* You can always learn something new.* I find I learn something new almost every day.* :)*

I'll be more then happy to try and id plants as you discover them.* It's wonderful that you have such a good source of plant material.* I'm sure your boyfriend's mother would be happy to know that someone cares about what she planted.* Gardeners love to share, so I'm sure she's smiling.

My garden used to be fantastic, but I've neglected it badly.* Most of my gardening has been on the computer lately as I've been ill and then injured my back.* I don't get to keep up the garden as I used to and it needs renovating.* I was a plant collector at one time and had to have them all!* My garden is small and chock full of flowers, mostly natives.* Some of them are inappropriate for a small garden and really need to be removed.* Hopefully my back will get better so I can dig in the garden.* My hubby helps when he can, but he doesn't know the plants and often leaves behind weeds that get huge.* :shock:*

Newt