Hosta La Vista

Protect your hostas from frost with a cardboard box — that's just one of the practical gems Gail Russo shares in this Season 1 finale of Hosta La Vista. We're visiting Gail and David Russo of The Russo Garden in Cedarville, New Jersey, for a deep dive into their stunning multi-habitat landscape featuring hostas, daylilies, sunny and shady beds, ponds, and water features. Learn how the Russ...

Ever wondered how to manage irrigation in a shade garden, or what it looks like when someone turns a passion project into one of the most remarkable nurseries in the country? This episode has answers. Mandy made the trip from the Midwest to Salem, Oregon to walk the four acres of display gardens at Sebright Gardens — and came back with stories worth sharing. We sit down with co-founder Kirk Hansen...

Most hosta enthusiasts dream of visiting a few great gardens. Danny Lawson of Wichita, Kansas visited every single AHS sanctioned hosta display garden in the United States and Canada. Every. Single. One. And we caught him just before he crossed the finish line. Danny is the Editor of The Hosta Journal, President of the Wichita Hosta Society, and one of the most quietly respected voices in the Amer...

Tucked away outside of Independence, Iowa, In The Country Garden & Gifts is the kind of place serious hosta collectors love — a family-run nursery with over 700+ hosta varieties, a carefully curated collection of rare and exclusive offerings, and a reputation that has been quietly growing into something the entire hosta world is paying attention to. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy...

Introverted: But willing to talk hostas. That pretty much describes Joe Rand and Todd Fussy of Lazy Toad Farm in Clearwater, Minnesota, and honestly, it might describe you too if you're listening to this podcast. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with the dynamic duo behind one of Minnesota's most delightfully unexpected farms — a place where over 1,000 hosta varieties...

Let's set the scene. Two women from North Alabama. One Mitsubishi Outlander. Nine days. Over 2,500 miles. And at some point along the way, a very serious conversation about whether clothes were really necessary for the rest of the trip or if that suitcase space could be better used for hostas. Spoiler: the hostas won. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with Julie Lewter and Susa...

If you've ever watched a hosta seedling push through soil for the first time, wondered what that strange spot on your hosta leaf means, or stood nervously beside a show table hoping your entry would impress a judge — David Teager has something to say to you. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with one of the most genuinely multifaceted contributors in the hosta world — AHS J...

If Hornbaker Gardens isn't already on your must-visit list, it's about to be. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with Dave Hornbaker, second-generation co-owner of one of Illinois' most beloved destination nurseries — a place that grew from a dream on a patch of prairie into a full-scale garden center, event venue, and hosta lover's paradise. Dave walks us throug...

This week on Hosta la Vista, we sit down with Chuck Doughty — owner of Cochato Nursery in Massachusetts and newly elected President of the American Hosta Society. Chuck is a 35-year veteran of the hosta world, a hybridizer, collector, grower, and one of the most passionate voices in the hosta community today. This conversation covers everything from how a single plant — Francis Williams — launched...

If you've ever been quietly talked into doing something for the hosta world by someone who made it sound completely reasonable at the time — congratulations. You've been Bobbed. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with Andy Marlow of Hopkins, Minnesota — former President of the American Hosta Society, Photo Editor of The Hosta Journal, master photographer, retired college radio h...

If you've ever dreamed of a garden that feels like it was conjured rather than planted — with winding paths, handcrafted sculptures, a waterfall, a pond, tucked away sheds built by hand, and hostas around every corner — Kathy Pedersen's Heavenly Hostas in Shakopee, Minnesota is exactly that place. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with Kathy for one of the warmest, funniest, an...

What if gardening wasn't just a hobby — but a path to healing? This episode of Hosta La Vista goes somewhere a little deeper than usual, and we think it might be one you'll want to share. This week, Betsy and Mandy head to Cuyahoga County, Ohio to sit down with Barb Rauckhorst — President of the North Coast Hosta Society, proud Master Gardener, and someone whose personal connection to the...

This week on Hosta la Vista, we sit down with Dr. Mary Lewnes Albrecht — horticulture professor, Master Gardener, botanic garden volunteer, communications director of the East Tennessee Hosta Society, and Vice President of Genus for the American Hosta Society. Mary brings a rare combination of academic depth and genuine gardener's heart to everything she does, and this conversation is one of o...

This week on Hosta la Vista, we sit down with Don Rawson — hosta hybridizer, curator of the legendary Hosta List database, creator of the Hostas of Distinction website, and one of the most quietly influential figures in the entire hosta world. Don grows on four acres near Grand Rapids, Michigan, makes up to 11,000 intentional crosses per summer starting at 6:00 AM, plants around 20,000 seeds per y...

Before Niagara Falls existed, Olga Petryszyn painted it. Before Coast to Coast was growing in gardens from sea to shining sea, she dreamed it into being on watercolor paper. Then she spent decades making every single one of them real. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy are fully fangirling — and we make no apologies. We are joined by the one and only Olga Petryszyn of Northern Indiana —...

Can you grow hostas in Florida? In Zone 9? Zone 10? Zone 11? David Bowe has tried. And in this episode he tells you exactly what he learned. This week on Hosta La Vista, Betsy and Mandy sit down with hosta hybridizer David Bowe — a man who spent decades breeding some of the most personality-packed cultivars in the hosta world, relocated to Miami, and refused to stop being curious about plants. He...

Welcome to a special midweek edition of Hosta La Vista — the podcast devoted to the world of hostas , shade gardening, and the people who make this community so special. In this episode, we’re bringing you exclusive highlights and on-the-ground field reports from the American Hosta Society Convention 2025 in Peoria, Illinois . Whether you attended and want to relive the experience, or couldn’t mak...

Pack your wellies and a good umbrella — Hosta La Vista is heading to England. This week Betsy and Mandy cross the Atlantic to sit down with Ben Matthews of Worcester, England — curator of one of the most fascinating and historically significant hosta collections in the world. Ben holds the Plant Heritage designated British National Hosta Collection, focusing specifically on British hybridized host...

This week on Hosta la Vista, we welcome Alisa Bowe Lenhardt — hosta grower, fine artist, nationally certified hosta show judge, flower arranging expert, and member of the legendary Bowe family from Ohio, one of the most respected names in the hosta hybridizing world. Alisa brings a perspective on hostas that is genuinely unlike anyone we've had on the pod. Yes, she grows them and judges them a...

Every podcast has an origin story. This is ours. Welcome to the very first episode of Hosta la Vista — the only podcast dedicated entirely to hosta plants, hosta care, and the growers, collectors, and hybridizers who love them. If you're looking for the perfect shade garden plant, a low maintenance perennial that comes back bigger every year, or just the most welcoming corner of the plant coll...

Get a sneak peek into Hosta la Vista , the podcast where the shade is cool and the friendships are perennial! Meet your hosts, Betsy Peterson and Mandy Olson — two Hosta-loving sisters who are here to celebrate The Friendship Plant with weekly chats, special guests, and plenty of leafy laughs. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just discovering the magic of Hostas, you’re in the right place. Su...