You know my favorite hosta is So Sweet. It's not very flashy, though. It grows well, holds up to the heat, edges don't burn and blooms nicely. It gets kind of "loose" by September, though. It loses some of that nice rounded shape.

bk - you snuck in another one....ha ha. So hard to resist.

DD......Your Angel is beautiful!

bk.....I think your picture of Paul's Glory from last year is why I had that one on my list for this year. I also have So Sweet on there but didn't add it to this order as it looks pretty similar to my Fragrant Bouquet. I haven't placed my order yet but will by this weekend. I have a feeling that this thread might cause some changes/additions. :)

Has to be June for me!

My Fragrant Bouquet is fairly new. I got them (2) the fall of 2013. It did not overwinter well. It did not flourish in 2014. I expect it to do better this year. I'll have a better idea of how similar it is to So Sweet then.

bk

Rainbow's End

Yup it's a tough choice. I don't know that it is my FAVORITE, but 'Luna Moth' it's a beautiful, tough, fast-developing plant that is wonderfu to have in any garden. And...It gets bigger than the one in the pic. Even for hostas this one is sooo easy to grow...

Don B.

I am not long enough in this game to recommend any of my 100 odd newbies that I have aquired in the last two years as yet, but my first Hosta was Elegans and I can recommend her.

She is idiot proof, I knew little about proper hosta cultivation before autumn 2013(when I joined here) and she has survived and thrived in full sun and rough wet soil unamended. She is not bothered by slugs or any other fiend, she is a totally dependable hosta. I hope that the others take a leaf out of her book!

This is One of my four in early June, she was divided two years ago this spring.

Denis

Give me 'Liberty'

There are many favorites but 'Liberty' is my favorite favorite.

Not mine ('borrowed' from a Russian website, so I don't think they will mind). I do have 3 but they are very small, no photos and currently under 3 feet of snow. .......but, Liberty has to my choice for the very best. I agree with tsbccowboy 100%!

Elegans did not do well for me in 2014, it's first year. It got too much sun. Whether it would still burn if given sufficient shade in Texas is a question I should be able to answer in 2015. It held up well until mid June. It lost its blue, though.

bk

Looks like Don and I agree. Luna Moth was my fav last year. That might change this year, we shall see who outperforms everyone else and draws my eye the most.

I think mine had around 40 eyes last year and that rock that you see in the pic is as big as my hand. It was a monster last year and the center coloring is unique.

I have many favorites for different reasons,but GOLD STANDARD has to be my all time favorite. It is a fast grower in many conditions and looks great all summer. It is slug resistant too.

Gold Standard and Golden Tiara are oldies but goodies and very durable.

Funn - I purchased Luna Moth last year based on your photos. Don, I like when the words "vigorous grower" describes a hosta.

olive … them

Bragu stand up and make a choice. We know it's hard!

We had to put our beloved 14 year old dog to sleep the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I placed her under a grouping of Pearly Gates.

Always sad to lose a devoted pet. Do you have a photo of Pearly Gates to share?

I would recommend Lakeside Paisley Print to anyone. I've given it many times as a gift.

Vanessa

First Frost. Totally foolproof hosta.

Looks good all year. This pic taken here November 12 last year.

Kathy

Vanessa....I remember seeing some talk about that one before. Really striking look to that plant. Do I remember that it is a super slow grower?

I took the picture above of Lakeside Paisley Print in June 2014. I purchased it as a small TC in 2011. So for 3 years of growth I think it's not too bad of a grower.

Vanessa

All of the above! This is a 3 yr old Winter Snow. It is a sport of Sum and Substance so should do well in your climate. I love this giant.

I think your subject should be "If you were ABLE to recommend just one"!
After some deep thought, I'd pick this all green, medium sized, extremely fragrant hosta that I grew from stolen seed. It might be elegans, but whatever it is, it's an oldie and a tough goodie. These plants are in a 6" strip of earth between a swimming pool and a block wall with lots of sun. I was tickled when the seed were fertile in the first place and the plants do look and smell like the parent. They bloom in mid- to late-august. The plants are about knee high; the blooms at least 2 feet.

I'm going to go with montana 'Aureomarginata'. It makes me happy every time I walk by it.

Bunches of winners here.

ZonePatti, don't think Elegans is a fragrant hosta, but your nose may be more sensitive to fragrance. The fact you had a WHOLE ROW of seeds to sprout and live makes me scratch my head in wonder since Mama plantaginea is known to be reluctant to sprout her seeds. Any blooms that are six inches long though, HAVE to be in the plantaginea family.
My best grower in 2014 was Squash Casserole I suppose, but there were others who stunned me with their beauty as well. I mean, Gosan Sunproof, Johnny Angel, Sea Gulf Stream, Yesterday's Memories, LS Black Satin, LS Full Tide, Manhattan, ventricosa, Doubled Up, Piedmont Gold, Victory, Clear Fork River Valley, Lucy Vitols, Alex Summers, Rosedale Golden Goose, Rich Uncle, Smooth Sailing, Gold Standard, August Moon, Midas Touch. You might say I am a big fan of the GOLD LEAF. Oh, and my new in 2014 beauties were Regal Supreme, Fair Maiden, King Tut....and if you wanted a single hosta in the Striptease family, I'd choose Gypsy Rose or Snake Eyes.

Everyone should have a Squash Casserole.

bk

Sagae -

Moccasin, the perfume from one bloom stem filled my whole house overnight (a couple years ago--I was really delighted to finally have blooms). So, if Elegans doesn't have smell, this has got to be something else. I "steal" seeds all the time. Most hosta seeds do not sprout or I get something different. Frances Wms.will sprout, but it's not F.Wms. My not-elegans came from a garden that was in place 30 years or maybe more, so I'll do more research.
I talked with another hosta friend about picking a favorite to recommend. She and I couldn't even pick a favorite SIZE, let alone an individual plant. She does have a preference for solid color plants, but just put a ring of mouse ears around her huge sum&sub (25 years in place). It's cute--like hen with chicks. Her recommendation was to make a plan. She is a NUT. I betcha we all have plans. I do. I just never look at it.

I can't believe no one said ON STAGE!!

z7Patti, take a look at the fragrant species hosta, plantaginea, in HostaLibrary. Then follow the link at the top of the plantaginea page to MYHOSTAS.BE to read all the sports and hybrids of the species. Not too many even of the sports are 6 inch long blooms, but things like Doubled Up, Aphrodite, Athena, Venus, have those long fragrant blossoms which open mostly in the evening hours. They are ALL my favorites! :) You must have the magic touch with seeds which I for one would like to duplicate.

If I had to recommend just ONE hosta, and

But if this person had some experience growing hosta, then I would have to say Great Expectations. It also looks lovely all season. I would let them know that this hosta would be slow growing. BUT should it fail to survive, it would be worth trying again AT LEAST a few times.

It's great at the start:

It's photogenic.

Even in black & white:

Great up to the end of the season:

And I mean the end of the season!

THE END!

Last spring, Redenta's Gardens had some two gallon, multi-eyed Great Expectations here. The pips were fat and I was tempted, but it had not come up yet, so I waited. I talked myself out of it two or three times while I was there. At $30.00, you expect it to work, so I bought a couple of others. I went back a couple of weeks later, and the GEs all rotted before they ever came up.

So much for GE in Big D.

They are gorgeous where they make it, though.

bk

Newhostalady, beautiful photos and hostas, I hope my GE grows up like yours.

Denis

Denis, I hope yours does well. Keep us informed. I'd like to know that GE could make it in zone 8. I might try it.

bk

I will bkay, but I think my z8 is very different to yours though.

Bk, you showed great restraint. I find with this addiction, it is so hard not to buy and want more and more. It does seem that the higher the zone, the more difficult it is to grow GE.

In reputable nurseries in Southern Ontario, a one year guarantee is given for perennials. If you bring in the dead plant, you are given a replacement or your money back. That is a good deal especially for those more difficult hostas.

Denis, I hope your GE grows up better than mine! Good luck.

Newhostalady.....outstanding photography skills. The macro shot is superb.

Wow, Donna, what a great compliment. I am glad that my pics were able to entice someone to a hosta purchase! I know you will love Luna Moth, she is quite unlike any other that I've found so far. It's funny how we take so many pics of our favorites, I guess I was bound to get a couple of good ones :)

June has been my favorite for many years but as I get new varieties and they mature it's tough to pick a "favorite". I would still "recommend" June to anyone as it has great color, form, slug resistant, is a fast grower in any light condition and lasts well into the fall.

Paul's Glory is a winner in my garden, 2. My 7b yard is just a little cooler than an 8a.

z7Patti, the one you have which intrigues me is the Abigua Ambrosia, I think it is. Would you have any pictures of it the more the better? I cannot find it anywhere.

I had a fine Paul's Glory last year, as well as Saint Paul which is its sport. Both were outstanding. Wish I could post pictures from Flickr, but here is a StPaul from my computer in 2013

Then in 2014 Saint Paul and Paul's Glory in May

I might have to have a St. Paul. I have Pride and Joy and LS Shore Master. They are so different and yet, so similar. I love that leaf pattern. It might be fun to compare the Paul's Glory Sports in a pot in Texas. They seem to do well here, so far. Thanks, Mocc. that's a great suggestion.

bk

Moccasin, thanks for the guess. I googled Abigua ambrosia and while the leaf looks very similar, my blooms are pure white. Not knowing just what you have is part of the "fun" of starting from seed. I also have a large leaf blue with pale violet flowers also from stolen seed (it starts really blue in spring, but gets too much sun/light to stay that way). I play the name-that-hosta game from time to time but so many are so similar, I have resigned myself to knowing it will always be a guess. FYI, I chalk my seed success to planting dozens upon hundreds of seeds, in garden soil, in a big pot. Some years are luckier than others. pk

I cannot tell the diff between Paul's Glory and St. Paul. That's a sign of something, I'm sure.

I love my h.'Dream Weaver'.

DD, I'll vote for Choko Nishiki aka On Stage...even though it is new in my garden! The more I collect, the more difficult it becomes to pick a favourite because there are so many exceptional ones! Like Sagae, like June, like GE, like LSM, etc. etc.

This is Lakeside Shore Master...just because

Here is On Stage...

I'll recommend one hosta. One...after another...

Paul's Glory is great.