Hosta La Vista

Season 2 comes full circle as Betsy and Mandy welcome back legendary Hosta hybridizer Bob Solberg of Green Hill Hostas to reflect on the biggest moments of the 2026 Hosta season and look ahead to what Hosta enthusiasts can expect in 2027 and beyond. Together, we revisit the people, events, and conversations that helped shape this growing season, including the American Hosta Society Convention in D...

The #HostaRoadTrippers are back! In this penultimate episode of Season 2, we welcome Susan Ragsdale and Julie Lewter, the dynamic duo behind the popular Midwest Hosta Visit Facebook community, for an unforgettable recap of their epic Midwest Hosta adventure. From Ohio to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and beyond, Susan and Julie hit the road to visit some of the most beloved destinations in the Hosta...

Big changes are coming for Uniquely Hostas ! In this episode of Hosta la Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast , we sit down with Justin and Andrea Geske to discuss an exciting new chapter for their business as they prepare for a major move this September. Justin shares the story of how he and Andrea came to own Uniquely Hostas and reflects on the incredible mentorship and friendship he shared with...

Ever wonder how thousands of your favorite Hostas make their way from a single plant into gardens across the country? This week on Hosta La Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast , we're joined by Rob Mortko , owner of Made in the Shade Tissue Culture Lab , President of the Midwest Regional Hosta Society , frequent Hosta convention speaker, and dedicated Hosta sport hunter. Rob takes us inside th...

What started with a Father's Day gift has grown into one of the Midwest's most beloved Hosta destinations. In this episode, Betsy and Mandy welcome nearly the entire Giese family—Mike, Kelly, Michael, Christina, Carisa, Kyle, and even a few grandkids—from The Hosta Stop Gardens in Plover, Wisconsin . Together, they've built a family business that has become a must-visit destination for...

In this special mid-week episode of Hosta La Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast, Betsy and Mandy recap their trip to the Midwest Regional Hosta Society's 50th Anniversary Convention, held July 9–12 in Madison, Wisconsin. From educational sessions and garden tours to hosta shopping and connecting with fellow enthusiasts from across the Midwest, the sisters share their favorite memories from a...

This week on Hosta La Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast , Betsy and Mandy welcome Nick Ternes , owner of Botanophilia LLC , hosta hybridizer, nursery owner, garden educator, speaker, and self-described plant geek. Known throughout the gardening world for his deep knowledge of hostas , shade gardening , trees , shrubs, and rare plants , Nick has spent decades helping gardeners create landscapes t...

Step into The Painted Leaf Hosta Garden with Lonna Engel , whose Williamsport, Pennsylvania hosta garden has grown from a single bed in 2016 into a spectacular collection of more than 900 hosta cultivars . From miniature hostas to giant specimens spanning 7 feet across, Lonna has transformed her shade garden into a destination for hosta lovers and plant enthusiasts alike. On this episode of Hosta...

What does it take to earn a Gold Medal at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show ? This week on Hosta La Vista , Betsy and Mandy welcome Jonathan Hogarth of Hogarth Hostas , holder of the UK's National Collection of Small and Miniature Hostas and newly crowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner . After years of exhibiting at Britain's most famous flower shows and collecting multipl...

Hosta lovers, have you ever been told that your garden should be "all native"? Or wondered where hostas fit into today's growing native plant movement? In this thought-provoking episode of Hosta La Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast , Betsy and Mandy sit down with native plant pioneer Neil Diboll , President of Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisconsin, and one of North America's...

Do your shade gardens look amazing in June but tired and empty by midsummer? Wondering how to keep color, texture, blooms, butterflies, and hummingbirds coming all season long—even when deer and rabbits threaten your hard work? This week on Hosta la Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast, Betsy Peterson and Mandy Olson welcome gardening expert, author, Master Gardener, YouTuber, and Bricks 'n Blo...

Ever wondered how new Hostas are created? How hybridizers choose parents, make crosses, evaluate seedlings, and decide which plants are worthy of registration? In this special "Best of Season 1" episode of Hosta la Vista, we're bringing together some of the most respected voices in Hosta hybridizing: David Teager, Olga Petryszyn, Don Rawson, and David Bowe. Whether you're a longt...

Horticultural therapy is changing the way we think about health, healing, and well-being. In this episode of Hosta la Vista , hosts Betsy and Mandy talk with Chris VandenBosche, a Pittsburgh-area Master Gardener and registered horticultural therapist, about what horticultural therapy is, how practitioners are credentialed, and why working with plants can support people in many different stages of...

In this episode, we take you inside the 2026 American Hosta Society Convention in Dublin, Ohio (June 10–13), with firsthand insights from attendees Cheryl Lockhart, Andy Marlow, Susan Ragsdale, and Julie Lewter. Whether you attended or missed it, this recap covers everything hosta lovers care about. We dive into stunning garden tours, standout moments from the leaf show, and what made this year’s...

Join Hosta la Vista this week for Part 2 of our exclusive interview with renowned hosta hybridizer Doug Ruff — the breeder behind some of the most sought-after hosta cultivars on the market, including Hosta- Bloodline, Light the Match, Electric Fire, Violet Blue, and many more. Doug is at the forefront of hosta breeding and hybridizing, pioneering work to bring vibrant anthocyanin coloration and "...

In Part 1 of this special podcast episode, we visit Hosta hybridizer Doug Ruff at his home for an exclusive, nearly two-hour tour of his private breeding program. Best known as the creator of the wildly popular and hard-to-find Bloodline Hosta, Doug gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look at the plants, techniques, and growing setup that have made his work so respected among hosta collectors. How h...

What exactly is a “Super El Niño,” and should gardeners across the United States be paying attention? In this episode of Hosta la Vista , sisters Mandy and Betsy sit down with Pam Knox, agricultural climatologist and Director of the Weather Network at the University of Georgia, to unpack the headlines surrounding the possible 2026–2027 Super El Niño and what it could mean for gardening across the...

Worried your hosta might be sick? Wondering if those strange streaks, spots, or browning leaves are Hosta Virus X (HVX), tobacco rattle virus, nematodes, or something else? This episode is for every hosta gardener. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy are joined by Brett Arenz, Director of the Plant Disease Clinic at the University of Minnesota, to talk all things hosta disease, hosta viru...

Every community has its founders. Its visionaries. Its quietly devoted souls who showed up, dug in, and gave everything to something they loved. But someone has to remember them — and someone has to tell their story. In this rare and deeply personal episode, we sit down with Dr. Warren I. Pollock — scholar, writer, and one of the most beloved figures in the American Hosta Society — for a conversat...

Meet Christina Brinkmann — the passionate hosta hybridizerfrom Gütersloh, Germany, who has been quietly revolutionizing the hosta world since 2013. With over 2,900 hosta varieties growing in her garden alongside thousands of seedlings, Christina is one of Europe's most exciting and innovative breeders, and in this episode, she brings her warmth, knowledge, and infectious love of the plant stra...

Only hosta people would find this perfectly normal. Pull into a working auto body shop on a back road in Walworth, Wisconsin — the smell of primer in the air, cars in the bays — and then walk around back to discover one of the most breathtaking hosta arboretums in the Midwest. That's exactly what awaits at Al's Auto Body & Arboretum ( hostafest.net ), where owner and self-described &qu...

Welcome to a special midweek episode of Hosta La Vista for hosta lovers, shade gardeners, perennial enthusiasts, plant parents, cut flower fans, and anyone who finds joy in beautiful gardens. The countdown is on for the upcoming American Hosta Society Ohio Convention happening June 11–13 in Dublin, Ohio, and we’re joined by longtime hosta enthusiast, hybridizer, and organizing committee member Dou...

If you've ever grown Guacamole, Curly Fries, or First Frost, you've already met Bob Solberg's work. In this Season 2 premiere of Hosta La Vista, we sit down with the legendary hybridizer behind Green Hill Hostas — a nursery that grew from a backyard passion project into one of the most respected names in hosta breeding worldwide. Bob has introduced around 100 hosta cultivars to the market over his...

Hosta Vista Podcast — Season 2 premieres MAY 9TH! Every Saturday all summer long, your favorite hosta and gardening podcast is back with new episodes featuring plant experts, nursery owners, landscape designers, and disease specialists. If you're a plant parent who started with a monstera and is ready to take your passion from indoor to outdoor, this is your next obsession. Hostas are the ulti...

We know January can feel like the longest month in the garden calendar — so consider this your little dose of green in the grey. Betsy and Mandy are back with a Season 2 preview episode of Hosta La Vista: The Friendship Plant Podcast, and we have a lot to look forward to together. We're hard at work planning a season we think you're really going to love — new guests, new gardens, new stori...