Most of mine are in a bowl. The one in the middle is Little Wonder - the others I could look up, but I probably would not recommend them.

Mist have minis IMO:

Rock Princess
Country Mouse
Thumbelina
Silver Kabitan
chartreuse Wiggles

I can recommend more, but I am on my way out. I will check back in a few hours

Alexa

You might say that I love minis.

Spartan Arrow - blue
Slim and Trim - blue
Lakeside Babyface - variegated
Lemon Lime - yellow
Cookie Crumbs - variegated
Little Devil - variegated
Lakeside Downsized - variegated
Blonde Elf - yellow
Feather Boa - yellow
Little White Lines - variegated
Allan P McConnell - variegated
Electrocution - variegated
Little Stiffy - yellow
Peanut - variegated
Hush Puppie - variegated
Itsy Bitsy Spider - green
Tiny Tears - green
Gemstone - blue
Cheatin' Heart - yellow
Chirp - green
Baby Bunting - green
Venusta - green
Lemon Frost - variegated
Twist of Lime - variegated
Teaspoon - green
Cherry Tomato - variegated
Pure Heart - variegated
Limey Lisa - yellow
Appletini - chartreuse
Lemontini - yellow
Ki Nakafu Otome - variegated

I have more.

Les, as with everything HOSTA around here, it is a work in progress. But it was Frank with his garage walkway who opened my eyes to a natural space I have for the minis--my allee or walkway in a very narrow space on south side of my Teahouse (i.e., converted garage).

First off, there is a Hosta Mini Ha Ha available but I don't know from whom. Shady Oak or White Oak? One of those.

I'd say they need to have a raised presentation spot. Don't know if you have such things as deer or raccoons who are destructive, and can knock over plant stands, but if so think about how sturdy your stands are when designing your petite garden. So far, squirrels never knock things over, just dig holes for pecans.

First, the allee in the afternoon sun. Hosta now in pots on the sides. Later to be on shelves about half way up the privacy fence side. Which is at least 20 feet long.

Highly recommend Masquerade because it grows quickly and you might have enough to use it as a border or edger. That is a wild violet leaf and some ajuga in the picture.

Keep in mind that all of mine are young and new plants.
Bitsy Gold

Golden Tiara (also see about Grand Tiara--mine on order)

Little White Lines

Kinbotan

Glass Heart

Sugarbabe--supposed to be smallest fragrant hosta

TotTot is really tiny but fast growing

i have Pandora's Box on order, it is #1 in mini popularity.
My personal favorite is Golden Tiara.

My Golden Tiaras get up to 12" tall. They will stay smaller if kept in a small pot. In a big pot they keep on growing. I consider them as a good sized small.

There was a thread about visiting a nursery which used shade structures, the paths were neat, the hosta were huge and well displayed, in Minn. I think. And, there was a picture of the small guys displayed from brackets of wood attached to the deck railing from the outside. Containers were mostly square and black, it stuck out when there was a round one! But the ones more at eye level caught your eye, you could really see the plant as a whole. Then there were pots of small stuff on the ground as well, but not as distinctive.

I'd think getting a few of the old style fern stands, like from a cheap pottery store (Old Time Pottery is a store here in Mobile), and the metal legs on the stands can be pushed down in the ground enough to stabilize them more.

I also have a heavy duty wrought iron etagere about 8 foot tall purchased from a store display, which I love to use in the garden--right now it is serving as a big bird feeder, but I see hosta on the three shelves (make them out of stiffer clear Lexan) to let the sunlight go through.Not glass. picture to follow if I cannot find it. Nothing has ever knocked that over!

The only minis I've had any luck with were in the Mouse Ears family.

Deanna

Ok, here is a link to the picture posted in the thread about the Flying Frog Farm.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Here's some pics off a tour 2010 convention tour garden. The only one with any quantity or display of minis-

Paul

Paul:That is awesome. I like the 3 dimensional implications also suggested my mocassin. Do you think it might work to cut down tomatoe cages to raise potted hostas above bedded hostas? The wire cages will not disrupt view of lower level bedded plants. I'm thinking.

And frank, I am thinking back to your tower of hostas. Do you still have that. Might be a time to ressurect pics of it.

A few years ago I visited a private garden in Washington and the owner had several large trees removed but left the stumps up to 6 feet tall. They were cut into with a chain saw, leaving 6-8 small platforms, each with a pot screwed into the wood to be used as sleeves. Then potted plants were set into the pots for display. Really nice. I won't have a stump, but the approach could be simulated. Then some really neat shade structures could be made if needed.

Last year I was really impressed by the rich, deep purple blooms of my two species hostas; ventricosa and clausa var. normalis. A lot of species hosta are small or mini and seem to have more intense colors of bloom. Of course ventricosa is too large as a plant for my pupose, but the blossoms are tiny, and VIVID purple and white. A "mini-hoha hotel" hi-rise could give better displays of micro-small hostas & blossoms.

Does this stir anyones creative juices?

Wendy-was it you who did a mini-diorama?

Les

Another to consider:

Lakeside Baby Face - looks like a mini Sagae

Alexa

Alexa
I love Sagae; it's my "front of the house" feature hosta. I have to look into Lakeside Baby Face.

Les

Paul,

That's probably the best mini garden I've seen. Who does it belong to? I like the slight upslope in the garden leading to small and then medium sized Hosta. Also like the small labels. I know that all convention gardens are supposed to have everything labeled, but I think minis should be mapped and not labeled. I also think they are hard to landscape properly.

Steve

Paul-pic#3: do you know the name of the grey-green/cream streaked hostafront center in the photo?

Les

I zoomed in on that little streaker. It is First Choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: First Choice on HL

If you are looking for streakers - SWOOSH and INAHO are both awesome

Alexa

Steve - I like the graded front to rear look also and think it can be done by grading by either plant size, or container elevation. I really like natural looking hosta beds like that.

Les

You can look at mini gardens in two ways: First, what I feel is a miniature of a LARGE garden, like the bonsai, make a small garden structure, get a small tree=like shrub, and have the hosta stand in for the bigger plantings if it was normal size. Like get a bird house shaped like a real house for the garden structure. Make a tiny hammock, hang it from appropriately sized arbor for viewing only. Even looking at my real hammock gives me a peaceful feeling--highly recommend looking at a hammock to relax. :)

The other approach is to simply feature them as a collection of small plants, exquisitely displayed, have a nice Zen style background. I'm thinking miniaturize Babkas
Barcalounger arrangement.

I fyou have a child with an angel garden, this could also be a fantasy place, a secret garden, like that of The Happy Hunter I so thoroughly put foot in mouth mentioning.

Mini hostas are the hot item this year.
Lots of folks are making miniature gardens with mini hostas.
If you are a Facebook user check out Miniature and Fairy Garden Chat Facebook page for ideas.

Great list frankjim!

Here is a link that might be useful: Miniature and Fairy Garden Chat

I have always pretty much spread my minis out everywhere. Using them to fill in small spots left over at the fronts of larger hosta. I Really like that big bed of minis. Makes me rethink things.

Here are the hosta in stacked pots.
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Some minis.
Blonde Elf
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Little Devil
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Hi Ho Silver
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Lakeside Babyface
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Green Mouse Ears
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Baby Bunting
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Chirp
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Electrocution
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Hush Puppie
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Corkscrew
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Ki Nakafu Otome
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Masquerade
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Steve, that's the garden of Steve Wafler during the 2010 AHS Convention Tours (link below). Steve is a very active collector and involved with the Minntesota Hosta Society. If your dream yard is almost no grass and all hosta paths - you'd like his gardens.

Les, I see franknjim got the answer for you.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: Wafler Garden Slideshow

Frank -- I really like your stacked terracotta pots - a great way to get some of those little guys up closer to eye level. How do you winter them? Unstack the pots and tip them over in a sheltered spot? And do they just stack up and stay there securely, or is there a hidden support/attachment?
Jan

I just used the hosta in the clay pots as an annual. I put them all back into growers pots at the end of the year. Inside each pot are smaller pots stacked to support the pots above. I plant something different in the pots each year.
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This pic is when I was putting together the hosta and ferns.
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I was just reviewing my post and noticed something amazing. I just can't praise Franks creativity enough. In your second set of pics of minihohas, Frank, your use of maple whirly-birds to show the real size of these diminutive hostas is pure genious. I would have never thought of it. lol

Les

Actually I let all of the million and one Maple seeds grow into tiny trees to provide temporary shade for the hosta. Once large enough I pull them out and fabricate toothpicks out of them. It is a lot of work but I can save a whole 50 cents on buying toothpicks.

Frank....before I forget it, about your pot by the door, the stacked pots and such.

I looked at the two feet in front, and thought of a perfect spot for a product I saw for sale at Arizona Pottery.

Real FEET (human feet) for the pot feet. Yeah, they are cute as can be. plus they have doggy butts, frogs, etc. But I think in your case, you have THE PERFECT SPOT FOR SOME FEET.

Oh please tell me you will go look at them!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: REAL feet for Frank's stack of pots

Les, I forgot to mention a good reference on small hosta.
THE BOOK OF LITTLE HOSTAS: 200 Small, Very Small & Mini Varieties. By Kathy and Michael Shadrack, with Diana Grenfell the Consultant Editor.

Link below to it at Amazon.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Book of Little Hostas