Brill's Botanical Gardens

Review of Brill's Botanical Gardens
January 1998
by Steven C. Chamberlain
105 Academy Street
Manlius, NY 13104
Steve_Chamberlain@isr.syr.edu

Brill's Botanical Gardens
3833 E. 28th Street
Des Moines, IA 50317-4223
(515) 262-7728
Price List - 2 stamps

Owners: Kirk and Monica Brill, Members AHS

In the past I have purchased the following hostas from Brill's:

H. 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'
H. 'Aspen Breeze'
H. 'Blue Blazes'
H. 'Blue Seer'
H. 'City Lights'
H. 'Crested Surf'
H. 'Doubloons'
H. 'El Capitan'
H. 'Excalibur'
H. 'Fringe Benefit'
H. gracillima
H. 'Great Expectations'
H. 'Guacamole'
H. 'Hadspen Blue'
H. 'Hadspen Hawk'
H. 'Hadspen Samphire'
H. 'Harmony'
H. 'Holly's Honey'
H. 'Kabitan'
H. 'Leather Sheen'
H. 'Little Ann'
H. 'Little Jim'
H. 'Little Razor'
H. 'Lucy Vitols'
H. 'On Stage'
H. 'Osprey'
H. 'Pizzazz'
H. 'Scooter'
H. 'Sea Lotus Leaf'
H. 'Sultana'
H. 'Summer Music'
H. 'Super Bowl'
H. 'Super Nova'
H. 'Tokudama Flavoplanata'
H. 'Verna Jean'
H. 'Winning Edge'
H. 'Yellow Boa'
H. 'Yellow River

Prices are among the lowest anywhere. All the plants are tissue-cultured, but have been grown on to have mature leaves. The most expensive hosta listed is H. 'Pancakes' at $150. There are many fine cultivars for $5. H. 'Komodo Dragon' is $20. H. 'Golden Teacup' is $25.00. H. 'Lucy Vitols' is $15. Shipping is a flat rate $6.50. Checks must accompany all orders; credit cards are not accepted.

Hostas are shipped bareroot and arrive in virtually perfect condition. All have made the transition to the garden with ease. The plants I have received from Brill's always seem as larger or larger than those from other suppliers and they never seem to cost quite as much. On the other hand, you have to use other references to find out detailed information about the cultivars offered because the price list is just that and not a catalog. This is a specialty supplier for serious hosta addicts.

Brill's is also the source of those interesting t-shirts you have seen with messages such as: "Hostaholic", "The one who dies with the mosta Hostas...Wins!", "My wife said she would leave me if I buy one more Hosta. I will miss her!", My husband said he would leave me if I buy one more Hosta. I will miss him!", and "One is closer to God in the garden than anywhere else on earth." Finally, Brill's sells a 22-inch, stainless steel garden trowel for $12 that is absolutely my favorite garden tool. It is so nice that I actually wash it off before I hang it up.

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