It's hard to tell what a hosta will look like from pics. The only trouble with buying a mature hosta is,you will probably pay dearly for it. One of the reasons I quit buying bagged hostas is the very reason you quoted. You can't get what you bought,and it may not even be the same hosta as on the picture. I have been buying hostas long enough that I can usually tell if it is the same as the pic,but every once in awhile,I still get a wrong plant. The best thing is to buy from a known nursery. Phil

In the *early days* of my addiction, I was shopping at our local nursery's big 20% off sale
and spotted a hosta labeled 'Dee's Golden Jewel'! The name struck a cord as possibly a desirable one
to have! I had been SO into getting everyone's opinion on this forum and the Hosta Library was about
3rd in line below my Bible as being something I became very familiar with or was working on getting 'there'
and names stuck whereas the mental pictures had not unless I owned one listed or had seen it so often on
this forum!

I brought it home, but after researching it, I realized it was NOT DGJ! So, after much speculating on
this forum as to what it MIGHT be, I decided I would return it to the nursery for an additional percentage
off since it was one of the pricier ones. They were willing to give me another percentage off (can't remember the amount)!

To my delight, Dave/dbowenmd had it rightly pegged as 'Earth Angel', a good buy, and is a MUCH LOVED hosta
in my garden--so much so, that I've purchased another one, correctly labeled, at that same nursery, this year!!

So--all that to say--sometimes the mislabeling can be a 'blessing in disguise' only later realized! :o)

There are very few 'bad' hosta, IMO, and there's always a spot in the perimeter of my 'space' to assign any I've come to
possess, or those 'less' desirable, NOW that I've become a MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED and more SELECTIVE
'addict', (ahem) unless it's a 'sick' hosta beyond reasonable remedy!! :o)

Admittedly, even THAT option may soon be limited, at the rate I'm going these days! :-/ (sigh) :o))) (hosta-dancin')

That happened to me recently at my Lowe's (that I am usually a staunch defender of lol!). They had some tiny hostas labeled Silver Threads Golden Needles, which I was not familiar with but it sounded good! I bought two of them and came home and looked them up on the Hosta Library. Nope, not STGN. The good folks on here helped me identify what it actually is (Cheatin Hearts). However, Tuesday I checked back there, they had a whole tray of Cheatin Hearts (labeled STGN) and smack dab in the tray were actually two STGN. I bought both of them, they are very pretty. I wasn't too upset by the mislabeling tho because I didn't have Cheatin Hearts anyway.

Ooops--I was addressing the 'mis-labeling' instead of the immaturity and the inability to
accurately identify them!

I HAVE been so amazed at how very different most hosta are, (if not all)
at maturity--they look very little like the plant you initially purchase!!!

I've passed over many potentially fantastic hosta, cause I didn't like their
*look* as 'infants'! :o)

But--I am trying to stay away from 1st-yr. TC's--I just don't have the ability
to nurture them through to toddler-hood, and have thrown away money trying!!!
I just have to spend a little more to get them more 'developed'!

I don't think that buying immature hostas is the problem, it may be the source where you are buying them. A bargain isn't a bargain if it's labeled incorrectly or the plant is suspect to disease. Growers that specialize in hostas are going to make sure the plants are labeled correctly and know their business. Their livelihood depends on it. The cashier at the box store only knows she has an hour left to her shift or 10 minutes before break time.
Pam

I usually order hostas that come in 3" pots that are pretty leafed out and are easy to distinguish. As a relatively new hosta addict I have never bought leafless hosta before. An internet site had a recent "refrigerator" sale and I couldn't resist the temptation and ordered 5 or so plants. I was shocked, I had no idea they would just be rooted bulbs when I unpacked them. It's actually been pretty cool watching them leaf out and turn green again but some are definitely questionable on their identifications. Only time will tell.

All I can say is I bought them mail order from a place I heard about here. It was going out of business and everyone was sad and crazed with making all the great deals they were offering. I don't remember the name of the nursery, no reason to as they were, as I said, closing. I agonized over which to pick. I wanted this "once in a life time deal" to make the biggest impact it could on my collection. I bought an assortment of 10, all SUPPOSED to be golden colored of differing amounts. So far of the 10, I think four are yellow/golden. Live and learn.

Last year, I bought a H. Blue Betty Lou based on a photo posted here on the GW hosta forum (click here and scroll down to see the photo - a cool looking hosta). The one I got from an internet source (not Hallson) just did not look like this photo. So, Arcy, you are right, a hosta can look different from a pic. Early in my hosta collecting, I bought a Great Expectation. When I got it, it did not look anything like GE. But, I guess that is part of collecting hosta, especially when you can't purchase what you want in person. Maybe some internet sources for hosta are better than others in this regard (Hallson has been great), I don't know. There was an earlier thread about paying a lot of money for hostas, and I sure would not purchase an expensive one just based on a photo. I would have to make that purchase in person.

The issue is not so much with immature Hosta as it is the retailer whom you buy them from. There are a few nurseries near me that sell large and gorgeous Hosta. Unfortunately, I have had to return one of these Hosta due to a virus.

This year, as a newbie, I went on a shopping spree of sorts and bought Hosta from several different locations. I can honestly and happily say that my favorite Hosta, by far, are the ones that I received from Hallson's. I don't know Chris, but I do know that this has to be a guy who actually cares about his Hosta - and more importantly his customers. The packaging tha the Hallson's Hostas came in was perfect and I was very impressed. It could not have arrived on a better day as I re-used it to ship the Hosta for the Hosta Exchange. The recipient appreciated the packaging and mentioned it in the post saying what she got in the swap.

The long and short of it is that you pay for what you get. I will gladly pay a few dollars more to know that I am getting a healthy plant that has a better chance of establishing itself and becoming a huge plant one day.

Daniel in Ohio

frdshox3 you won't be disappointed with your refrigerator sale hostas, if it's the same source I am thinking of. They are a very dependable nursery, and even though they were just roots when you received them you will be surprised at how fast they grow.

I've learned my lesson that bigger is not always better, I have received very large hosta mail order from a nursery that sells very expensively priced hosta and other unusual plants. Only to have those hostas shrink in size over the years instead of grow larger. I think for the same reason someone brought up in a post somewhere else this week, about some nurseries using all kinds of chemicals and fertilizers to make hosta grow large, very fast.

That being said I think I will echo everyone's thought that it's better to use dependable nurseries.