Hosta Cultivars

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by pmurphy, May 10, 2018.

  1. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    I'm hoping someone can help me identify the various hosta I have growing around my yard. Image 4 doesn't show very well but the leaves have a blue tone to them.

    Thanks,


    IMG_4399.JPG IMG_4405.JPG IMG_4414.JPG IMG_4422.JPG
     
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  2. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Sorry but there are so many Hostas it is impossible to be sure.
    Size, colour, shape, flowers are all part of the calculation.
    See The Hosta library .....Total Number of Photos at below date is 21,333

     
  3. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    very nice collection - are you longtime fan of hosta or newly enthusiastic? I don't know exact names of any that you show in pix above - other than -
    a. yep, looks familiar
    b. like that one
    c. ho hum
    d. oh, the silver blue spruce one that grows really big (with purple spike flowers)

    I know that's not entirely helpful and i'm not making fun of your question - just trying to say that I've tried to do the same "i-dent" project - but having inherited someone else's garden and a lot of other treasure - I think I'd focus on living with them as-is - and choosing especially to keep and divide (seasonal task) the ones - plus as prev poster has pointed out, there are so many - and even a google search of one known name turns up with a wide assortment of images that don't match.

    so - start with what you've got and keep the ones -

    1. that you really like (personally i'm not a fan of the silver blue mixed in to a border - my colorway is diff tone. (I like the spring green colors) - this is not to say that the silver blue spruce color is not fine - it is and it holds up well at the coast Vancouver BC area.
    2. that do really well - I have good success with hosta in general - and have learned that even partial day hot exposed summer sun at the coast does not work for hosta - they get burn marks on the leaves - and really the leaves are the appeal, right?
    3. slugs - used to be the frustration of many hosta fans - I've not seen many slugs in recent couple of years - not sure reason - I don't use "products" to kill them etc.
    4. can deal with any water restrictions (law or self-imposed by you)

    as far as NAMES go - I gave up on the naming project and saved up my time and instead gathered up a few dollars and esp in the fall at the clearance sale - found a hosta with a name tag and adopted it
    ... recently I'm entranced by "guacamole"
    and Midwest Magic
    and - a couple of other bright green large leaf.

    the miniature versions were cute a couple of years ago for balcony or houseboat people.

    a further point - i put some of my hostas, esp the focal point ones (unusual large size or color) - in an elegant pot - leave it in there forever. Stick some twigs and pine branches in the pot in the winter (hosta leaves die back).

    if you can't figure out which hosta to buy next, consider the garden design adage - plant a copy (division) of what you already have in your garden - it looks better. It's difficult to make the patchwork garden look well with plants that are leaf-focussed (vs cottage frenzy blossom garden meadow). Hostas divide well - they put up with the shovel cut in half method very well. don't do that when the leaves are most beautiful unless you really have to - wait for the die back in autumn winter. (if ground not frozen)
     
  4. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Thanks Georgia Strait,

    Most of these plants have been in the yard for over 12 years its just that I have soooo many varieties of unusual plants (136 and counting) that I'm trying to actually put these more "common" ones in my plant data base as well because people keep asking what I have.


    image #1, there are 4 of these and they do very well in the sun with some of the leaves getting about as wide as a dinner plate
    image #2, this plant's leaves get almost as big but it's growing in the shade.
    image #3, there are a bunch of these that are growing very nicely under my cedars and they have a medium sized leaf
    image #4, smaller leaves with a blue green tone to the leaves.

    All these varieties have purple flowers and I think most of them pre-date the "hosta crazy" when new types were coming faster than they could be named.
     
  5. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    You can drop in to either the UBC Botanical Garden or VanDusen Garden libraries to look at hosta books (I know we have 2 or 3 that predate the Hosta craze).
     
  6. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Sorry for the delay I've been out of town.

    Thank you for the offer, if I can't identify them I'll let you know.....got some leads to work with.
     
  7. Pieter

    Pieter Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    #1 is probably 'Fortunei Aureomarginata'
    #2 could well be 'Fortunei Albopicta' and if it is ithe lighter variegated areas will green up later in the summer
    #3 strikes me as 'Undulata Erromena' and
    #4 is definitely 'Fortunei Hyacinthina', typically just referred to as 'Hyacinthina', the granddaddy to many, many hosta cultivars. Just for fun have a look at the descency tree here

    'Hyacinthina' can show very different depending on where it is grown and how much direct light it receives. I have a clump growing in a corner under some Arborvitae -some serious root competition there- and in hte summer the leaves on the hosta have an almost black appearance, quite striking.

    Pieter
     
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  8. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Hi Pieter,
    I believe you're right on all accounts, thanks!
     
  9. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    so many hostas to admire out there in the Lower Mainland these days - I recently came across this very informative website from the Miller Botanical Garden (interesting history behind it) in Shoreline (Seattle) WA

    have a look at the plant recommendation website for coastal Pac NW (coastal Cascadia) -

    lots of hostas on the list. Exact names and photos to help you id your collection.

    My only disappointment with it (I realize it's nonprofit) is that when they show a photo of ONE hosta, they don't name the ones around it in the pic, too. That would be helpful. Or, in a diff category, the maple tree, and what's around it in the photo.

    start here - Great Plant Picks dot org
    Great Plant Picks: Unbeatable Plants for the Maritime Northwest Garden
     

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