What Hosta would you choose?

Talk about hostas, hostas, and more hostas! Companion plant topics should be posted in the Shade Garden forum.

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morgansrgr8
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What Hosta would you choose?

Post by morgansrgr8 »

I get to pick my birthday present this year. I am being taken to a Hosta nursery. woohoo. What hosta would you not live without and catches your eye? You don't know how badly I wish Hallsons was in driving distance. They won't take me that far. :(
Linda
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rockNhostas
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by rockNhostas »

'Lakeside Dragonfly'
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'Lakeside Dragonfly'

Post by rockNhostas »

Here's a pic too. This one gets the most attention from visitors to my garden.

'Lakeside Dragonfly'

Hosta Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... 0Dragonfly
MyHostas Database - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Lakeside+Dragonfly
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/l/la17.html

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boops
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by boops »

'Elatior' if you like really big ones. :cool:
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thy
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by thy »

'Blue Ivory' if you want a show stopper, but how big do you want them to be :-?
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steg
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'Silver Bay'

Post by steg »

'Silver Bay' would be my choice. Love the spring color on this one and it's holding up well again this year.

Hosta Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... lver%20Bay
MyHostas Database - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Silver+Bay
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/s/silverbay.html

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The picture here is from last year, but I can get another more current one if needed. The green one behind it is Invincible for a color reference. I can't remember the name of the little yellow one pictured there.
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boops
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by boops »

Steg-little yellow looks like 'Cracker Crumbs'
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morgansrgr8
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by morgansrgr8 »

I have mostly medium and small hosta. If I have any large ones they are only small yet and I probly havent realized how big they are going to be. I have a green seedling that is large but nothing special to look at. A 'Blue Angel' that is 6 eyes and starting to get pretty big and a couple 'Sum and Substance' that were only planted last year so very small. Also a seedling that is either from 'Niagara Falls' or 'Lime Piecrust'. It's very large and I just started planting smaller hosta under it. I think I am looking for a very large or large vase shaped hosta.

But you know how it is when you go to a nursery. Something catches your eye. And you lose your heart. It has to come home with you. I had better go get my hidden stash of cash. :o Oh well I was saving that for hubbys birthday. :wink:

That 'Lakeside Dragonfly' is cute. Reminds me of my 'Wolverine'. According to the hosta library LD is a lot bigger. That sounds pretty good. I have also seen talk of 'Rainbows End'. So many choices so little time to decide.
Linda
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Chris_W
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by Chris_W »

I love 'Rainbow's End'. I also really like 'Mourning Dove', 'Touch of Class', 'Kiwi Full Monty', 'Cracker Crumbs', 'Satisfaction', 'Journey's End', 'Rainforest Sunrise'...

If I could grow 'Lakeside Dragonfly' as well as rocknhosta then I'd be loving that one too. WOW!
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jgh
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by jgh »

Interesting comment, Chris... I, too, have not had good luck with my (from Walters about 4-5 years ago) 'Lakeside Dragonfly'. The one in my specimen garden looks ok, but the ones lined out in deeper shade have languished at one or two eyes year after year. I really like the look... also like Wolverine with some of the same long, pointed leaves...

Let's see... Just one...

of the newer ones...
'Dancing Queen' for the best medium yellow
'Queen of the Seas' for the best blue
'Niagara Falls' for the best easy, big, green hosta with amazing ripply character and elegant shapely leaves.
or better yet, 'War Paint' for its spring show, which then turns green and looks like the excellent 'Niagara Falls' the rest of the summer
'Satisfaction' for the (forgive me) satisfaction of putting a little plant in and having it rapidly, with no particular attention, turn into a showy giant.
'Victory' - this margined sport of 'Elatior' is destined to be one of the great hostas... pretty rapidly forms clumps of big, lovely leaves and giant clumps... over six feet easily... and tall... and 6 foot tall flower scapes. You can grow this one in place of a shrub - or several shrubs!

A good place to start is to look at the AHS popularity poll for the last several years... for some reason the AHS site seems to be stuck on 2009, but the top 25 are all good... certainly the top 3 all belong on a must-have list... 'June', 'Sagae', and 'Liberty'.

The Benedict Medal Awards are an attempt by AHS to use many judges from around the country to pick "the best of the best" - one hosta each year that is a great hosta and grows reasonably well all over the country. The first winner in 2009 was 'June', followed by 'Sagae' and 'Blue Mouse Ears'. I did an article for the next AHS Journal trying to "handicap" the 2012 competition - meaning try to guess what all the judges came up with on their ballots last summer. There were 14 candidates... and without giving away my final ranking, I can tell you I think the top four vote getters are (alphabetically) 'Cracker Crumbs', 'Earth Angel', 'First Frost', and 'Niagara Falls'. (You heard it here first!)

So... there's my one ;-)
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Mark Raw
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by Mark Raw »

With me it would have to be an old favourite 'Francee', simple pattern and an old workhorse. When I had over 250 varieties 'Francee' was always my favourite can't explain why..... it just was so right, and still is
morgansrgr8
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by morgansrgr8 »

Well I think I really need to get 'Liberty' back into my garden. Had it at the other house and I think its at my moms. Will check today to see if I can get it back. Also 'June', I think it's at one of my sister's. This is crazy trying to get my own hosta back from my family. :???: The real problem getting some of them back is they have no idea which ones they are and don't have name tags. They ask me and I ask where they dug it up from. They don't know :eek: I knew where every hosta was. Back then I didn't need a hosta map. More news is the lady that bought my house said I could come and get see what else I wanted there. She is friends with my daughter. But I don't know if I would remember what is there anymore. I hate this getting older, and its been over 5 years since I have been there. That was a very kind offer tho. One of these days I might stop in and say hi. Maybe one of the hosta will wave and want to come home with me. LOL And I would love to see what kind of horses she has. Well its almost time I have to leave. I suppose I should get dressed. Don't want to scare anybody. :lol: :eek:
Will post pics of what I got for my belated birthday present.
Linda
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boops
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by boops »

Good luck and Happy Birthday! They should name a Hosta Birthday Baby! :bd:
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rockNhostas
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by rockNhostas »

My 'Lakeside Dragonfly' does get a lot of light. No direct sun, but it is in a bright location where it gets several hours of dappled sunlight as well.
It is in it's third year in my garden.
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Lessadragon
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by Lessadragon »

'Paul's Glory' is the one that I come back to several times a year. But I have so many favourites that it's very hard for me to even nail down a top 10. :blush: Guess that's why I have over an acre to plant in and have run out of room. :eek: Now I notice that I'm getting a lot more choosey. But PG is definitely on my must have list.

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boops
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by boops »

I just bought 'Paul's Glory', still in its pot till I test it. It's pretty large already. Hope to put it in the ground soon.
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morgansrgr8
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'Wintergreen'

Post by morgansrgr8 »

Well I'm back and brought 5 home with me. My mom bought me a huge 'Wintergreen'. I just had to have this one. I think it spoke to me. :eek:
Then I walked around some more and found 'Cracker Crumbs'. Took another walk around and came back with 'X-rated'. As we were talking he told me that 'X-rated' was a sport of 'X-ray'. I told him I used to have 'X-ray' but it was so small when I got it that it never came back the next year. Sooooo he gave me a huge pot of 'X-ray' for my birthday. When we got back to my mom's she had me dig up her 'Revolution' since mine had died last year.
I HAD A GREAT DAY!!!!! 5 hosta that I need to find a place for.
'Wintergreen'
'Cracker Crumbs'
'X-ray'
'X-rated'
'Revolution'

I did have to tell my sister she couldn't cut into any of my new hosta. She wanted pieces of them. NO NO NO.
Next spring I get to bring home my 'Sun Power' and 'Paul's Glory' from my mom's. Didn't want to cut into any of them now because my mom might lose hers if she didn't keep them watered after dividing them. They stand a much better chance to survive next spring. She already lost a couple I got pieces of last year. Mine are doing fine.

Hosta Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... intergreen
MyHostas Database - http://www.myhostas.be/db/hostas/Wintergreen
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/wx/wintergreen.html
'Wintergreen'
'Wintergreen'
Linda
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Noreaster
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by Noreaster »

Very nice! Tell your sister to go buy her own!
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jgh
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by jgh »

Very nice! That pot of 'X-rated' is magnificent... I just had to chop mine up - again - to remove green sports... so mine has never gotten to that size after some years in the same spot...
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boops
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Re: What Hosta would you choose?

Post by boops »

'X rated' is a beauty, I love 'Cracker Crumbs' - I just got one. Tell your sis to stop picking at your Hostas and invest in her own- :-?
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