Any Hosta purchases you recommend or that I should stay away from

16 years ago

Hi,

I am not usually shopping for Hostas, and have only three in my garden, but I will have an opportunity to pick up some plugs for around $6. soon. I can look up photos of the hostas and some of them are very pretty, but I had the experience of getting a Patriot division from someone that never did much for me and petered out. On the other hand I bought a plug of Guacamole with fragrant flowers and really love it. So, I would just like to know if there are any that will be a big disappointment to me...or any that I will just love as much as the Guacamole.

What I love about Guacamole, is the thick leaves, the sun tolerance, it is vigorous and the flowers are beautiful and fragrant.

I am a fan of photos I have seen of Sagae, and wondered how good that is?

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Comments (14)

lindac
16 years ago
My patriot is fabulous....Not crazy about guacamole...looks untidy to me.
I love LOVE sagea, and some love Great expectations, but mine has just petered out.
I think wide brim is a disappointment as it always looks ragged because of drawstringing, I love September sun...
Why don't you tell us what you are looking at eyes of and we can critique that hosta..
And remember one man's treat is another's ratty plant!!
Linda C
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
Original Author
16 years ago
Linda...here are some that are on their list that I might have an interest in. They don't really indicate if anything on their list is fragrant. For instance, the Guacamole that I know to be fragrant is not listed as such, so I would like to have any recommendations for fragrant hostas, that anyone is happy with as well.

Thanks very much...

Summer Breeze $6.50ea. â¨Sensational sport of 'Summer Music' with extra wide gold margins surrounding a dark green center. 22 in. h X 50 in. w. Pale lavender flowers in July.

*Summer Music $6.50ea. â¨Spectacular specimen with a wide white leaf interiou boarder by a chartreuse margin and golden-yellow transition area in between. Slow grower. Pale lavender flowers. 20 in h. X 48 in. w.

Tokudama Aureo-nebulosa $4.50ea. â¨Large, heavily puckered, thick leaves with blue-green margins surrounding centers of gold, chartreuse and tones of blue and green. 18 in. h. X 40 in. w. White flowers.

Undulata Variegata $2.50ea. â¨Wavy leaves with heavy variegation, developing intense white color as leaves mature. 12 in. h. X 22 in. w.

Whirlwind $4.50ea. â¨Elongated, pointed, twisted foliage with creamy white interiors and edged in a wide band of dark green, reminiscent of a whirligig. 12 in. h. X 22 in. w. Lavender flowers.

*Night Before Christmas $5.50ea. â¨Striking and vigorous with an upright growth habit. Pointed, wavy foliage with a narrow uniform white centered edged in a whde dark green border. 18 in. h. X 30 in. w. Lavender flowers.

pm2
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lindac
16 years ago
Not thrilled with any that are mentioned...
The undulata is a good hosta....but so common that no one should have to pay for it.
Whirlwind is ok for me....but others think it's not great. Night Befor Christmas if nice....but not a strong grower. In my experience Tokudamo hosta are always slow....and the other 2 I don't know.
You can do better.
Linda C
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
Original Author
16 years ago
Linda...thanks very much, you saved me money. :-)

They do have the Sagae and I will just stick with that one.

pm2
jspece
16 years ago
Night Before Christmas is usually a good grower...gets quite large.

Summer Breeze is a winner.

Summer Music can be finicky.
creatingadream
16 years ago
Love Sagae! If you can find Liberty, it's even better. Summer Music has done wonderfully for me. I was told it would be a slow grower but mine is full and beautiful. It gets morning sun. My Undulata Variegata, one of the first hostas I ever bought, is about 18 years old. It always gets notice from visitors. Everyone asks me what it is and then are surprised when I tell them. It's a gorgeous specimen.

Diane
suel41452
16 years ago
I love my Night Before Christmas! Like a reverse Patriot.
My all time favorite hosta is Iron Gate Delight. The flowers are plentiful, fragrant, and quite pretty on neat, shorter scapes for a hosta (I find most hosta flowers usually kinda rangy, sparse & scraggly looking).
suel41452
16 years ago
If you cut & paste this link, you'll get an accurate photo of Iron Gate Delight in bloom:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/98493/
hosta_freak
16 years ago
Sagae is a must have. Gets really tall and I have 3 of them. Only problem I have with it,is it comes up very early every year,so you have to cover it in case of late Spring freezes. Liberty is a sport and is gorgeous! NBC is slow growing,and so is Summer Music,at least for me. Undulatas are like weeds,and if you can't grow one of them,then you should plant a different plant group! I just planted another Guac,as my first 2 didn't do so well. I thought I'd give it one more try. I have a couple of Whirlwinds,that I found at K-Mart a couple years ago,and they are just now starting to look good this year. Phil
esther_opal
16 years ago
How bout this one? H.'Touch of Class' This is only 2yrs old and still small.

I am crazy about Whirlwind.
Summer Music burns out pretty bad.
Tokudama Aureo-nebulosa IS SLOW and well worth it.
I have Summer Breeze and like it so far.
lisasmall
16 years ago
Everyone loves 'Sagae.'

These weren't on your list, but keep your eyes open:

'Krossa Regal' is a stunning big blue with an unusual shape (more vase like than mounded).

'June' is a tough little thing, very showy, a nice companion to 'Guacamole.'

'Halcyon,' a big traditional blue, has done beautifully for me but I'm very excited about the lighter color and smaller size of 'Fragrant Blue' which I have right next to it this year. Both have nice thick leaves, and 'Fragrant Blue' has the scent you want.

'Sunshine Glory' can knock your socks off.

I don't hear anyone but me talk about 'Lakeside San Kao' but I love mine. It has huge leaves, however, so beware if that's not your thing.

In the smalls / minis, I'm fond of 'Gingko Craig' for its sharp markings.

Any of the 'Tiara' variations will give you a very pretty, very tidy mound of foliage.
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
Original Author
16 years ago
Wow, love all the input and the photos! My trip to the nursery on Saturday was a disappointment as far as Hostas were concerned. I was pretty tired by the time I got to that section and it had started to get really warm in the greenhouse, so I didn't look as close as I might of. Plus, their Sagae was horrible! It didn't resemble Sagae in any way. There was no variation on it at all that I could notice and it did not have the shape I associate with it. So, once I saw that, my trust in the quality of the stock they were getting their divisions from was non existent.

I will be in the market for hostas this year. I need about three new ones. I am very happy for all the recommendations, because I am not knowledgeable and up to date on which varieties are worthy of bringing home. Since hostas are fairly expensive these days, I would like to avoid being disappointed.

I love some of the recommendations made. Has anyone seen 'Magic Fire' which is also a sport of Sagae? Or 'Fire Island'?

I will be busy looking up info on all of your suggestions..lol.

Thanks very much....
pm2
wildflower59
15 years ago
Not sure how anyone can say that NBC isnt a very good grower...I just love mine and this was a young one.

wild
Eleanor B
15 years ago
Summer Music and Whirlwind are two of my all time favorites. IMO, Summer Music is absolutely stunning and worth a try at $6.50. Mine gets partial sun.

Any Hosta purchases you recommend or that I should stay away from

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lindac

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Any Hosta purchases you recommend or that I should stay away from

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