Good choices. I have them all but Fair Maiden and Eternal Flame. Some may suggest that Kabitan give them some trouble or attracts slugs, however that has not been my experience.

Have you planned the placement and color combinations?
What goes where?

Yes I have chosen which would go where. Regal Splendor will be in the back center of the bed, since it'll be the largest. To the left of it will be Independence, to the right Revolution. In the front row, the center gets Kabitan, to its left Eternal Flame, its right Fair Maiden. Left of Eternal Flame will be Aristocrat, then Masquerade. To the right of Fair Maiden will be Little Sunspot, then Medusa. There will be a few astilbe mixed in with this grouping, plants already in the bed which I'll move around to accommodate the hostas.

Karen

You can't go wrong with the first three. I don't have any of the others,so I can't comment on them. Phil

Hi,

I haven't had any problems with Regal Splendor, Revolution, or Independence other than be careful about HVX.

Eternal Flame has been a good grower for me. It may look similar to Loyalist but seems to grow a little better.

Aristocrat is really slow to mature but is very pretty once it does.

Medusa has been a good grower for me, but slugs tend to like it, and if you are going to keep this area wet enough for Astilbe you will need to control slugs on this one.

Fair Maiden can be picky about placement, but if it likes where it is at it will be beautiful. FM shows up on people's worst list and other people's best list.

Little Sunspot is also a bit picky about where it grows. This one and its relatives seem to like somewhat acidic soil (low pH) and will struggle if the pH is too high, even if all other conditions are optimum for growth. Rainforest Sunrise is a much better plant.

Kabitan can also be very picky about placement. It is shallow rooted and needs constant moisture, but if you can grow astilbe there then you could probably grow this one.

I can't recommend Masquerade. It can be slug bait and it tends to sport to solid green so much that unless you constantly divide off the white centered portions the green will take over.

So if it was me I would say go for it on Regal Splendor, Independence, Revolution, Eternal Flame, maybe on Aristocrat and Fair Maiden, and no on Kabitan, Masquerade and Little Sunspot.

Chris

skip aristocrat .... i have killed 5 ... and i grow a few.. lol ... it grows like a weed for some... but not many .... use the search function for such opinions....

add sagae .... you will thank me later ...

oh.. and since bruce is hanging around... add gold standard ... it truly is a hosta standard ...

and add plantaginea for its 6 inch pure white gardenia scented flowers ....

there ... drop one.. add three.. and you are on your way to hosta sickness... lol ...

where are you in OH .. i can recommend some great gardens to visit ....

ken

PS: welcome.. nice to see some new names popping up on GWeb ...

Karen, I love my Aristocrat, Fair Maiden and Revolution (the only three of the group that I have). They all do well for me, but Revolution sported a green eye last year (which I removed and planted elsewhere). I have only two years' experience with Aristocrat, however, and I will be anxious to see if it continues to do well or crashes as Ken suggests it might. Happy new year. Lois

Hey everyone, thanks for your opinions! I guess now I have to decide whether or not if I want to try the more fussy ones and see if I can grow them or go for some others that are more hardy. Who knows, though, maybe I'll be lucky enough to grow the fussy ones, never know I guess unless I try. But I will keep looking, spring is still a few months away.

Ken...I live in Fremont, you probably know where it's at, 30 miles east of Toledo. I used to live in Michigan, but more west and north from you, about 20 miles north of Battle Creek. Sagae is on my list of ones I want, and I already have a few clumps of plantaginea. I'll prolly skip Aristocrat since you've not had luck with it (I would give up after the first try, but after 5, I'd say it's a dud).

Chris...I have leopard slugs around here, but they don't seem to bother the plants much, I think they are more or less scavengers, but I have seen the pesky little brown ones, so I guess avoiding hostas especially susceptible to slugs would be a good idea. Rainforest Sunrise is a pretty one (another on my list), I'll probably use that instead of Little Sunspot.

Again, thanks!

Karen

Rainforest Sunrise is absolutely one of my favorites. You won't regret planting that one!

Becky

There's always a party-wrecker....LOL...my Little Sunspot is awesome! Rainforest Sunrise is gorgeous though.

LOVE Regal Splendor
Revolution & Independence are awesome
Fair Maiden - take it or leave it
Eternal Flame - ditto
Kabitan - mine does well but doesn't rock my world
Medusa - hate it...but I'm mostly a mini killer
Masquerade - don't know
Aristocrat - mine does well but is somewhat unremarkable

Get Jade Cascade.

Karen, here's some more comments on the ones I have from your list;

I never understood why Regal Splendor gets such good press, I think it's kind of ordinary but it does perform well, no problems with it...so yes, it is a good one to get

Revolution I absolutely LOVE! It's different and strikingly pretty.

Independence I bought because it is supposedly the reverse of Revolution. Took some time to grow but last year it was nice!

Fair Maiden is a really pretty hosta when grown well, almost like an artist brushed the leaves.

Eternal Flame I've had about three years. No problems with it, doesn't grow exceptionally fast for me but no complaints either.

Kabitan I do like. I know it can be slug bait but try to place where you can monitor it.

Medusa, no comment since I don't currently have it.

Masquerade tends to revert to green, high maintenance hosta for me as it needed to be frequently divided to stay true to type.

Aristocrat, slow but ok.

Little Sunspot, nice hosta that I like!

I dont have Masquerade and Eternal Flame as I was suggested to stay away from these two...I have the rest on your list.

Aristocrat is nothing to shout about or to knock your head on the wall. I would get El Nino or First Frost instead.

Kabitan has a really nice yellow foliage. However it's a slug-magnet.

Fair Maiden is a stunning hosta...but really small...mini... It would probably grow better in a container.

All others are good growers for me.

Papou

Fair Maiden is a darling small hosta, grows well for me in full morning sun. Not a mini, it's large enough to be noticed and small enough to be cute. The leaf patterns are unique in the way shades of green, grey, and white are blended.

Maryann, what a gorgeous pic! Love it! ;-))

Ditto, Maryann, that is a pretty hosta, and that's why I wanna give it a try!

Karen

Thanks, girls, I could use more small troopers like this one.

Tepelus,here is a pic of my Independence from last year. Despite the late spring freeze,and drought last year,it came back twice as big as 2006,when it was planted. You'll love it! Phil
{{gwi:904250}}

Thanks for the pic...it looks like a really nice hosta! I have made some changes to what I want to get for that bed, I will get Independence, Revolution, Fair Maiden and Eternal Flame, but the others are being replaced with different ones (for this bed, I may still get them and plant them elsewhere in the future)

Regal Splendor will get replaced with Queen of the Seas, Kabitan will get replaced by Ghost Spirit, Aristocrat by Rainforest Sunrise, Little Sunspot by Lucy Vitols, Masquerade and Medusa will get replaced by Royal Flush and Stained Glass.

Also, going around a lonely rhododendron will be Iron Gate Delight, White Christmas, Just So, High Society and Abby. I think these will get me off to a nice little start in hosta collecting what do you think?

Karen