What would be your top 5 hosta last summer and why?

And WHY? (Not that I really need to ask for most)

yes, why, peg?

If anyone has extra hosta to trade please look at my ad in classified. I would love to have try a new Tatoo, Earth Angel, and Van Wade.
Thanks,
Teresa

June
Key Lime Pie
Moonlight Sonata
Queen Josephine
Orange Marmalade


But really they are all my favorites!

Well, I am going to a nursery today and I will be picking up some hosta for my sister. She wanted a Fire and Ice. Mine is fairly new so I can not report on it. It is a pretty plant.
Nanny, I have KEY LIME PIE but it coral bells.

nanny - WHY are those particular ones your favourites?

You must get the Hosta! It has such a pretty piecrust edge.

Touch of Class is a favorite too!

June...well everyone loves June! I have 2 planted in different locations and they are very different.

I love the pie crust edge on Key Lime Pie.

Elgans is so vigorous and it's blue color.

Moonlight Sonata is a beautiful classic hosta...and I bought it in memory of my Dad.

Love the colors on Queen Josephine, Orange Marmalade and Touch of Class.

All of these do well in my bad soil with no fuss and have held their own with little care from me. And they appeal to me visually. All of these things are a must for hostas at my house.

Don't you just love a plant that does well in harsh conditions. I have to amend my soil but then they really look lovely!

Nanny, which one has the piecrust?

My sister likes those.

Ooops!! I didn;t follow directions :) Not only did I NOT say why - I wrote 6!!!

OK - here's why

Orange marmalade: color variations are fascinating
Liberty - awesome look - draws the eye in (unfortunately I split mine to send in a secret swap and killed the portion I kept - so this is one I have to get again this year)
Guardian Angel - changes throughout the season - shape of leaf
Guacamole - great grower, fragrant big blooms
Garden Party - show stopper in my garden. Big, beautiful and hardy
Komodo Dragon - those scapes!!! those amazing scapes!!!

Teresa, Key Lime Pie has it...but there are lots of others. Don't know names right off hand. Marilyn Monroe has a wavy edge too.

I don't have pics of my hostas, but I just listed them in my diary and and was really surprised that I had 19 of them. Now, I no that isn't many at compared to some of you but considering I have gotten them all in the last 2 years. Still have a few on my really want list too!

Nanny - all those reasons sound good to me. I see you're really just starting out with your collection. We'll do our best to enable you. :-) Re Touch of Class, I have 4 cups of tiny seedlings from mine. None seem blue at this time, but quite a few are yellow and there seems to be quite a variety of leaf shapes. Marilyn Monroe not only has a wavy edge but has a white leaf back and you can get cool glimpses of it at times.

Do you have a digital camera? I would recommend taking regular pictures of your entire collection - maybe once a week, right from when they start to push up. It will give you a good record of what they look like at all stages and all times of the year since some undergo dramatic changes of colour. And, should you lose a marker, it will also be a big help in identifying your babies.

Pegz - you're not the only one who didn't follow directions, LOL I think I posted 7, but I DID attached pics of each and a description. I'm sorry about your Liberty. I've seen Sandy's and it's gorgeous. Unfortunately, with about 135 varieties in a suburban lot (60 x 100 feet), I have no more space for beautiful LARGE hostas. I DO think I'll have to get Orange Marmalade though.

Ann

My top 5 are pretty much old classics, and they are my faves because they always look great and are reliable growers, no coddling or struggling to find the right "light" or location. They were also some of the very first hosta I ever got and I owe it to them (and a few others) for my love of hosta.

June - the colors! different in varying shade/sun
Krossa Regal - LOVE vase shaped hostas
Halcyon - old reliable blue, looks great next to June ;)
Potomac Pride - great size and color
montana Aureomarginata - the size & color :)

June is a classic along with Halcyon. I may move my minis close to it because of the upright growing habit. Nanny, I don't have a lot either but I am working on getting more but trying to be selective. I have learned over the past 5 yrs that sometimes it pays to research first.

I have a question. Spring Hill list a WHITE FEATHER hosta but I cannot find it in the Hosta Library is it registered?

research, yes, especially on hostas. because a lot of them don't grow well here in humid south. and because they need to endure slugs (we have a lot) and grow faster than the deer eat them! don't much like when I pay $$$ for something that dawdles at growing.

am really excited, as I'm about to put in a new hosta bed this week under an old oak. have over a dozen varieties of hosta to plant in a circular area about 12' or more in diameter. have one baby Jody donated at last year's RU for this area that's come up in its pot so bright gold I thought something was blooming!

What is the name of the bright one? My sister and I are going to a huge nursery soon and they have a large selection of hosta so I need to be getting my Wish List ready :)


Anyone grow Van Wade?

I want to say Fire Dragon? or was it Fire Island?

This message was edited Apr 11, 2009 9:11 PM

Here is a picture of our White Feather taken last spring.

Fire Island. A lovely bright yellow when it emerges and quite yellow for most of the season unless it gets too much shade.

White Feather is beautiful Gary! I just discovered I have one today. I swear I got to get a handle on what I got going out there... I got doubles of about seven plants out there. I am donating them, so i can others. I also discovered I have High Society last week, been wanting that one. Orange Marmalade is another one I want. ... and now Tattoo! :)

Edited to complete the sentence. :)

This message was edited Apr 12, 2009 3:46 AM

You want to see yellow? Here is yellow! :)
Dawn's Early Light

Wow, that is a bright one, Sylvia. Is that a seedling of Sun Power? Is there a website for hosta parentage? Like Tinkers for daylilies. Just curious.

Teresa

I make maps of my beds to keep track of every body and I sure do have a camera. I forgot to count my plantaginea since it is in the sunny bed I forgot it! So actually I have 20 hostas.

I tried hosta seeds a couple years ago. I got some from Chris from Hallson's, but I had no luck what so ever with them.

Teresa, This is the American Hosta Society's Hosta Registry, which shows the parentage. http://www.hostaregistrar.org/search.php

I see Dawn's Early Light is a hybrid of 'Sea Fire'. It sure is a beauty!

Sandy

oh yummy. love that White Feather, and Dawn's Early Light is a keeper. they both just went on my list!

Sylvia, that's so funny. I finally had to make an alpha order data base of my irises for that reason. started buying duplicates, wanting what I'd already bought! and yes, there's a code for where each is planted!

I had one but its all in disaray. I got myself a little tape recorder and keep it my apron ... so when I discover something out there i make a recording for myself ... beats a paper and pencil. lol

not a bad idea if I can water proof and seal the apron pocket - lost a lot of cell phones getting splashed out there.

Sylvia, that's an excellent idea. I might have to get me a little recorder like that. :)

yeah Diann, you can get one at the Radio Shack for about 50.00. I originally got it for the car ... so if I think of something, I dont need a pen and paper ... because of my age ... I forget things a lot. :) ... my ten year old God child had to come over and teach me how to use it. lol I still cant remember how to index the folders. lol

Another nice pie crust edge is Queen Of The Seas...I just ordered it and Liberty from Hallsons last night!! These 2 have been on the LUST LIST for awhile. I have plenty of new dayliles coming and new lily bulbs, so it was time to add a couple of new hostas for the new area I am making.

nanny, I got my Queen of the Seas from Hallsons in 2007 and he sent a nice big plant that came up significantly bigger and better in 2008. I think I moved it into too much shade last year, though, so I'm going to move it to a brighter, more prominent spot this year. I hope it grew at least a little last year even though I stuck it in a bad spot.

The majority of my hostas I have bought from Chris....he is just the best! I buy from him and 2 local nurseries only. The only one I have had not do good is Rising Sun...I think I moved too many times. It has only 1 eye this year...my bad!!! I really do need a nice yellow one.....

I know, I move stuff a lot because I'm never satisfied with the way things look...I wish I knew which hosta mind moving, and which ones don't! It's such a bummer when something comes back smaller than the year before...or with those weird, immature looking leaves.

If I see that Hallson's carries a cultivar I'm looking for, it would be my first choice to buy from...I've mail ordered from a few other places and not been as happy with the plants.

I agree on Hallson's. I got a Queen of the Seas from them last year, too, and it's doubled in size. The root systems on the plants from Hallson's are just huge and that really helps out the plants.

I'm jealous of you that CAN order from Hallson's. That international border between us means I can only dream.

This message was edited Apr 14, 2009 11:15 PM

Ohhh Ann ... but ... you can garden as if you are in Eden! The perfect climate! I keep watching Queen of the Seas too... but I dont do well with blues here in Texas ... except Halcyon and Pacific Blue Edger. But I will end up trying it anyway ... thats what gardening is all about. I got my Liberty from Naylors, what a hunk! I will take pictures when it finish unfurling. :) Ann I dont know why you cant get the same plants there, the states and Canada interchange tissu cultures. I read where Canada comes over here and buy the OS, take it back to Tissue Culture ... maybe they dont buy everything ... whats the name if the big TC operation there?

She just means that she can't buy from Hallson's. He doesn't ship across the border.

nanny - that's right. And I DO have some very good Hosta sources here, but it always takes longer to get interesting new varieties. And if we order privately, it's usually prohibitively expensive. Smuggling - well, it's tempting, but my vehicle could be seized if I got caught; so I haven't tried it. We aren't allowed to bring plants across the border w/o all sorts of expensive paperwork.

Ann

I know she cant buy across ... I was thinking she might have access to same plants ... maybe not ... i have seen hostas online in other countries i would like to get my hands on too.
Yes Ann, I would not want you to get locked up ... then who would we talk to? lol

No !!! Can't have you smuggling...LOL!!!