Hello, I am dying to get my hands on a white hosta. I have seen them all over the web in photographs, and for mail order, but only in the U.S. Does anyone have any ideas on where I would be able to get my hands on such a plant in Canada. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.
White Leaves, and I have been able to locate a place online that sells the roots. The name of the hosta seems to be white feather.
macgurrl: Does the hosta you are talking about have all white leaves, or is there a tiny edge of green? I just got one in Sidney a couple of days ago, and I would say 95% of the leaf is white, or at least an extremely pale cream colour. There is just the smallest border of light green on the edges. It came from BC Bonsai. You'll find them on the web.
Hi I believe I saw Vesey's Seeds may have them on sale at the moment. Mail order for Canada, not sure about for the US. Good luck
This is a pic of the mostly white hosta I got for my wife. I note that the green border on the leaves has become much stronger since it has been in the ground. That is to say the colour has got darker. Of the three I brought over here for her, this is the only one which did not have a name tag!
I know exactly what you are talking about. I would like to get that hosta too. If you put a search for hostas you will come up with some websites that sell some beautiful hostas. I can't place the name right now, but it has Designs in it. Go to this link. http://www.plants-magazine.com/plants.php?PlantId=13
I bought 2 White Feather Hosta from Vesey's last year. It wasn't really white, but a very pale green. Unfortunately only 1 came up this year.
How cold does it get where you are there? I wonder if it just froze to death? The hostas here magically re-appear every spring and just keep getting bigger and bigger. We don't even mulch them. Perhaps if you put a foot thick mulch on them they might do better, or maybe you already do. It's never nice when you lose a plant.
I didn't mulch and it got to about -30 degrees C. last winter. Maybe I will try to mulch it this year. I have other Hostas that survive without mulching though they are on the east side of the house as opposed to the north side where I planted the White Feather Hostas.
Yes, I have learned a lot about micro climates and planting on the east side of my house or protection really makes a difference vs. the northside not close to my house and the plant gets northernly winds. If that makes sense? Maybe it is westerly winds. All I know is it gets very cold, but I am in zone 6 in Idaho.
Hi karalyn: We have quite a few hostas here, most of which have been in the ground several years. They are all in an area which is shaded from the sun from about 1 p.m. and on. In the winter, they get almost no sun at all. The only winds which can get at that side of the house get funneled in from the northwest. That is the lay of the land. The plants themselves are in a sort of protected triangular area only about 15' wide, so not really a problem there.
Coco bolo, Since you have many hostas, do you find that white ones get more holes in them from insects than green leaved ones. And do you think they are from grasshoppers or slugs? ;o)
Karalyn: That's an interesting question. I must admit I hadn't even noticed if there were any holes in the leaves before. One thing is certain, the few holes that there are will not be from slugs, since there are none on this side of the island. We do get a few grasshoppers, but only a few, and I doubt that is the source of the holes. I see - on the underside - of one of the leaves, what appears to be the remnants of a cocoon. There is a small hole there, maybe just over 1/2". The other holes, also generally small, do not appear to have any debris at all surrounding them. They have clean edges. The whiter hostas are mainly the more recent ones, only in the ground a bit over 3 months. Almost no holes. The older plants have some leaves up to 18" long by 16" wide, and there are quite a few holes in them. Green leaves, no white, bigger holes. Since I have not seen any 'hoppers here yet, I don't think it is them.
Hmmm...I have seen moths fly out when I spray my garden beds, but there are grass hoppers around due to lawn not getting cut as soon as it should be. Only because there are objects in the way and I don't want my son or Dh cutting with a kubota tractor lawn mower! They are ruthless! I do see slugs and cut them in half and even do the grass hoppers is I see them and catch them fast enough. I don't hold them, just stomp or quickly cut them while they are on the grass. Slugs I do need to get some repellent out, but too lazy...more too tired to do tasks like that. Good Ol' summertime. ;o)
Moths....could be. We do have a variety of them here, some are even around quite a bit in the daytime. Lots at night just outside the windows, attracted by the lights.
A friend picked up Grey Ghost from Fraser Thimble Farms for me. I kept it in a pot but it didn't thrive and I lost it last year (disappointing because it was pricey). I have a White Feathers that is several years old - can't remember where I got it but it wasn't Vesey's. It's reliable but turns green as the season progresses. I think this is typical of 'white' hostas. The leaves are relatively thin compared to say some of the giant blues, thus insects have an easier time making a meal of it. Hosta Choice Gardens in Ontario was a great mail order source. The owners have passed away and last time I checked the business was still for sale. Hopefully someone with an equal passion for hosta will take it on.
