Road trip!!
Want a plant-buying road trip to a run-of-the-mill big box store with the same old stuff? Or do you want personalized attention to choose the perfect plant? Do you have shady areas in your garden that need some love and want the ideal plant for that perfect spot? Look no further than happy hole Nursery in Cockeysville, Maryland. One of Sue’s reviewers on Facebook noted that “It’s not just a daycare, it’s an experience!” I couldn’t say it better.
Specializing in Hostas and other shade-loving plants and seasonal offerings, plant specialist Sue Bloodgood grows the most extensive collection of Hostas and can share great advice on planting in difficult shade areas that may have your head spinning. ‘Hosta Sue’ has greenhouses filled with plants you won’t find anywhere else. Additionally, it has a good selection of Hellebores, some like Anna’s Red, which has outward facing flowers.
Happy Hollow – Extraordinary Kindergarten
With over 200 varieties of Hosta, happy hole The nursery is tucked away in a suburban neighborhood in Cockeysville, MD, and is a great place to check out the many varieties of Hostas and other hard-to-find plants. Your Hosta offerings can range from small plants suitable for feeders or rock gardens to huge 4-foot clumps with nearly 2-foot-long heart-shaped leaves that are crinkled, wavy-edged, white or variegated green, blue-gray, chartreuse, emerald. Sharp: The variations are practically endless. This hardy, shade-loving perennial, also known as plantain lily, blooms in summer with lavender-white or purplish bell-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers that are attractive to pollinators.
Protect your investment
Two large greenhouses filled with Hostas and other shade companion plants such as Brunnera, Pulmonaria, Tricyrtus and shade grasses, Sue has many unusual and hard to find plants such as the ‘Praying Hands’ Hosta. I know hostas are a deer’s favorite food and have started spreading milorganite to repel them. A biosolid fertilizer, I find that deer avoid it if applied after it rains. Liquid Fence works well in conjunction with Milorganite.
Hard to Find Plants: Trilliums!
I went to happy hole when I needed some miniature Hostas for some clients. My local wholesaler carried about 3 varieties of minis and I wanted a larger variety. Sue Bloodgood had at least two dozen varieties of minis and it was difficult to choose between them all.
Another hard to find plant is Trilliums. which is a native ephemeral that blooms in the spring with beautiful flowers and three-part foliage. Rare to find in any nursery, I love the long lasting blooms in early spring.
I fell in love with one of their Hostas, called ‘Striptease’ and had to take one home.
Boutique nurseries fill a niche
Boutique nurseries are becoming increasingly popular when looking for something unusual and the selection in big box stores can be limited. I’ve never seen miniature Hostas other than ‘Mouse Ears’ before, and I make a batch plant purchasing. Boutique nurseries, which serve a small segment of the discerning buying public, struggle to stay in business and compete with larger nurseries that offer a little bit of everything. But happy hole does not sell fertilizers, pots or bird houses; They simply sell the best shade plants in the world. And for personalized attention and tips on shade gardening, visit Happy Hollow Daycare. Their contact number is 410-252-4026. Their address is 12212 Happy Hollow Rd, Cockeysville, MD. Tell him Claire sent you!
A recent Facebook review said: “Just discovered this garden gem! Sue is very knowledgeable and friendly! What a treasure to discover… like a magical garden! Forget the big garden center… a truly magical experience!”
For more ideas on shady ground covers, check out my post “From the Start: Choosing the Right Ground Cover for Shade.”