The universe of Hosta choices is much bigger than what Bluestone offers, here's a few to consider-

Liberty
Krossa Regal
June
Paradigm
Guacamole
Earth Angel
El Nino
Striptease
Sun Power
Whirlwind

Then do business with a Hosta specialist that will supply healthy, disease free, and quality plants. You will not be disappointed and be ahead in the long run. Some ship a gift plant - which offsets the cost of shipping.

Good Luck

I did purchase from Bluestone 2 years ago.The captain Kirk is gorgeous,Pauls Glory is o.k.Halycon is small as well as Big Daddy,slow growing.Great Expectation I brought back from Washington State is beautiful.I'm with Paul though, the ones he named are really lovely.Liberty is probably my favorite,Good luck, Judy

You have picked some that I have, and I'm in zone 5 too, so maybe the growing conditions are similar. This is the first year I've had slug problems, and none of these were affected. Othewise.... Here goes
Great Expectations - grows SLOW (not the one I'd pick if you want a quick garden, but looks great if you can wait for it.) Frances Williams - Can burn even in shade. (Mine's in shade and burns only a bit. It has great color.
Paul's Glory is Albescent (turns nearly white as summer progresses. Captain Kirk-I Don't have so can't say.
Of the next three my pick would be Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It grows fast and vigorously.

For your solids you should decide on size first. Blue Mouse Ears is one of my favorites, because of it's perfect proportions, but it's a MINI. Sum and Substance on the other hand is HUGE and vigorous (and one of the earlier HVX list plants). Krossa Regal is tall and vase shaped, Big Daddy, Blue Angel, and Elegans are really big, and all are blue, eccept S& S and August Moon. Valentine Lace I don't know at all, but it is listed as a medium, fast growing, green one. Have you checked them out on the Hosta Library? There is also a listing of sun tolerant hosta. Most of the ones you listed are ok in morning light. S & S and August moon are probably my most sun tolerant. If you aren't going to get them till spring, try and find someplace in the meantime where you can see mature Hostas in the ground. There are some that have a wow factor that you don't get from a young plant. It will give you a better idea how much room you need too! Happy hunting

I have a small hosta collection, probably 25 varieties.
As far as slug resistance goes most of my "slug restistant" ones have been eaten, and some fairly heavily. The only ones that seem to be left alone are from the Halcyon group. I have Halcyon, June, El Nino, and Touch of Class. They also look good well into the fall so any of those should be on your list.
Paul's glory often doesn't look that good in the stores but in the right location (fair amount of sun) it can be fantastic, especially in mid-season.
Pictures can be a funny thing. I've not seen a picture of Regal Splendor that looks really good and most of the ones I've seen in gardens don't do that much for me either. However there is a specimen in a garden close to me that is GORGEOUS!
The two most impressive Hostas I've seen are a large Sun Power and Big Daddy. WOW!!
Apparently it can take some varieties several years, maybe a decade to reach full splendor.
The faves in my garden are:
June, Touch of Class, El Nino, Earth Angel, Kiwi Full Monty, Sagae, Liberty, Sun power, Stained Glass, Pauls Glory. Great Expectations is also nice but many have trouble with it. Mine was kind of limping along but I've moved it to a spot with morning sun and improved the soil and it's looking alot better.
Frances Williams is nice but tends to get spring burn. Olive Bailey Langdon (sp) looks very similar but doesn't suffer from spring burn.

Check out the pictures shown in this forum. Its a great way to see how they look as they grow. Its much better than looking at websites. This is a great forum with lots of input, advice and humor. Be careful though, hosta's are addicting and this forum feeds the need! lol!

I also agree with Paul re: June, Striptease and Earth Angel. The others I don't have - yet.

Jodi

Thanks so much for all of your help, everyone! I am perusing this forum/gallery & will check out hosta specialists. :0) Phyl

I heard that Bluestone is a good place to buy perennials, though Hostas might be limited in variety there. You will have an advantage in seeing the plant before you buy it. I always try to get plants with leaves close to mature size and at least with 2 eyes.

In hostalibrary.org you will find the mature height of the plants, and try to get a plant size not smaller than half that height. Do not buy small plants which seem to just have come out of tissue culture. Tiny plants just take too much time and might be overwhelmed by the environment.
Good luck!
Bernd

I actually prefer starting with small plants or single eyes because I enjoy growing them to maturity. It is my hard work and care that eventually creates a full mound. Having instant gratification is what many prefer but some of us do enjoy the journey of growing them ourselves.

Your list looks great but as everyone has said Great Expectations will leave you expecting for quite awhile and Frances Williams can get ugly early.

If you like Pineapple Upsidedown Cake, Pinapple Punch is the reverse, Pineapple Poll is all green and Pinepapple Juice is all yellow.

Two easy places to look for particularly worthy hostas...

First, the AHS membership votes every year and the popularity list is a pretty strong endorsement...
I just found the 2008 results... not a poor hosta on the list, though I personally don't have any affection for Patriot or any from that family..

1. H. 'June'
2. H. 'Sagae'
3. H. ÂLibertyÂ
4. H. ÂGuacamoleÂ
5. H. ÂBlue AngelÂ
6. H. ÂStripteaseÂ
7. H. ÂPaulÂs GloryÂ
8. H. ÂStained GlassÂ
9. H. ÂGold StandardÂ

10. H. ÂHalcyonÂ
11. H. ÂSum and SubstanceÂ
12. H. montana 'Aureomarginata'
    13 H. ÂParadigmÂ
13. H. ÂOrange MarmaladeÂ
14. H. ÂRegal SplendorÂ
15. H. ÂWhirlwindÂ
16. H. ÂSpilt MilkÂ
17. H. ÂAbiqua Drinking GourdÂ
18. H. ÂGuardian AngelÂ
19. H. ÂPatriotÂ
20. H. ÂOn StageÂ
21. H. 'Niagara Falls'
22. H. ÂGreat ExpectationsÂ
23. H. ÂPraying HandsÂ
24. H. ÂFirst FrostÂ

Second, the Hosta of the Year is a marketing gimmick - but for the most part, these are some pretty darn good hostas...
http://hostalibrary.org/misc/don/hosta_list_hoty.php

Middle Ridge is an undulata and they're notorious for the undulata uglies later in the season. It's also got a lot of white, which means it's not likely to be as vigorous. I'd skip it.

Paul's Glory is great.

Frances Williams gets burnt in the spring if exposed to even the slightest amount of direct sun.

Great Expectations can be tough to grown. Look for Dream Queen or Dream Weaver for a similar look, but easier to grow.

Good luck

About Francis Williams, I have one which has direct sunlight from about 11 am to 4 pm and has not burned. the lower part of the plant is in shade behind a low growing juniper, only all the leaves are above the juniper in sun. That plant is about 7 years old and in the same spot.
Bernd

Phyl,

I have some on your list and recommend:

Halcyon

Captain Kirk

Krossa Regal

Wow, you guys/girls have been so helpful! Your pics, harry, show that you know how to pick and grow GORGEOUS hostas...I am learning a lot. :0) Phyl

Some of the best in my garden include El Nino, Montana Aureomarginata, First Frost and Liberty, as well as most of those listed above. All of these are still looking good in August. And of course, I can't do without Plantaganea, with it's huge white lily blooms right now.

Phyl,

I'm mot sure where in CNY you live. If you are near Syracuse you will find some great nurseries that sell exceptional hostas. All will be better than what you will find at Blue Stone.
Hafners in N. Syracuse has very well grown hostas each spring and are well woth the $25.00 per plant that they charge, These are all mature multi division pots. Also there are a two great nurserymen who sell at the Regional Farmer's market on Park St. in the city. They are there on Saturday's april thru July usually. Both sell big mature plants ranging from classics to the newest varieties.

Mosswitch, thanks for your recommendations...will look them up!
Ken, we're in Baldwinsville, not far at all from Hafners....will look at what they have in the spring. Are you also in the Syracuse area? Thanks again for your input....

You might enjoy this older thread with "Top 10/ 20/ 30" ratings and some wonderful pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top 10 and more

Yes Phyl I live in North Syracuse.

If you are looking for plants right now check out Ballentyne Nursery on Hopkins Road in Liverpool. They currently are offering a buy one get one free deal on all their hostas. Their selection is pretty good.

Kent

Kent, I was @ Hafner's just this morning, waiting for a 2nd doctor appt. on Taft Rd. I don't always buy things there, but did get another LARGE Weigela My Monet to put in that perennial bed I'm wanting to fill (we have 2 smaller My Monet's in another bed nearby).
I don't know, I saw all of their hostas and maybe I'm just not a big hosta fan after all. They had Patriot, June, Paul's Glory, Paradigm, Minuteman, Blue Mouse Ears, Stained Glass (I think) and a few others...they were well grown, but I guess didn't float my boat (as I duck for cover from you true hostaholics!) Maybe if that Pineapple Upsidedown Cake or its green with yellow trim twin were there (or something really unusual was there)....
Maybe I'll just stick with other perennials & shrubs.....

Thank you all so much for all your time & help. :0)
Phyl

My recommendations would be to get them at Hallsons. Much larger root systems and much larger plants in general!

I have Capt Kirk, Great Expectations, and Frances Williams out of the ones you mentioned, as well as several others. GE and FW were just planted this year, so I can't comment much on them, except to say go for it! They look like beautiful hostas!

Here's a few pics of my young babies that have a long way to go:
Also consider Jewel of the Nile, awesomely gorgeous hosta with HUGE and variegated leaves!

Frances Williams:

Great Expectations (tiny but I have great expectations for this one lol!)

Jewel of the Nile leaf size:

Jewel of the Nile (only a one year old)

Capt Kirk (sorry about the daffodil leaves in the way, but the color of Captains leaves are gorgeous! )

We were out of town this weekend, Kent....may take a look @ Ballantynes tomorrow.
Kenstar, your hostas are GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing them with me/us....inspiration for sure! :0) Phyl

My priorities are entirely financial, that is to say I try to get the most bang for my buck. That said the plants on your list that I have/like are;
Great Expectations
Paul's Glory
Halcyon
Krossa Regal
S. Elegans

I would imagine that you can't go wrong selecting plants from the "hosta of the year" category. You can find the list by Googling- Hostalibrary.

I am a fan of Royal Standard, which I bought from Walmart. Royal Standard is plain green, but grows fast, gets large and has frangrant blooms. I really like one of your other picks- Frances Williams, but I am under the impression that there is another hybrid available that is superior. The name begins with a B, if you Google Frances Williams I am sure you will find a reference to the other plant. Good luck. You have picked the perfect time to buy hostas, as they should be going on sale from now to the Fall.

Quicksilver... the superior form of Frances Williams is Olive Bailey Langdon.