  is
devoted to the number one selling
genus of herbaceous perennials in
the U.S. today. As the trees in our landscapes increase in
size, more and more gardeners find themselves working in an
environment dominated by shade.
This
site is devoted to all things associated with the
"Queen of the Shade", the Hosta.
Thanks to Don Rawson, Past-President of the West Michigan Hosta
Society, for creating this site. He gathered a lot of good
information to share with other gardeners.
Several
years
ago, Don turned
the site over to us so he could devote more time to his own hosta
garden. Since that time, we have greatly expanded the
number of hostas and the amount of information included
in the site. Thanks for stopping by!
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 There are currently
around 8,000 different hostas with about 5,000 cultivars registered with
The
American Hosta Society. It can be a gigantic effort
to keep up with the latest introductions from around
the world. What are
the traits that set one hosta apart from another
hosta? Well, that is a complex question. We have
tried to simplify some of that information in our
Classifying Hostas Section.
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We have included pictures and descriptions of
2483 species and named cultivars we have found in public and private
gardens.
You can find our listing in the
Hosta Cultivar Section
of this website. |
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 With all the variety in sizes, shapes and colors of
hosta leaves, stems and flowers, the possible number
of combinations becomes mind boggling. To bring some
organization to this chaotic problem, we are
developing a hosta database with information on all of the
relevant hosta characteristics by cultivar.
We will include listings on leaves, petioles, flowers,
variegation, sizes, growth rates and many more
factors.
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 Although hostas are often considered "low
maintenance" plants, they are best when given a
certain level of loving care. Also, in recent years,
several pests and other problems have become more
common as the number of hostas has grown and grown
in our landscapes.
Our Hosta
Care pages will give you tips on plant
selection, pest
problems, companion plants for hostas, basics of
shade gardening,
propagation, and much more.
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 Hosta hybridizers and enthusiasts around the world
are always on the lookout for the next great hosta.
Ideally, when they come up with something truly new
and unique, they will register it with the AHS
before introducing it into the trade. We have a list
of many of the
major hosta
cultivar originators for your reference.
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 As with many species of popular plants, hosta
enthusiasts have joined together to form numerous
international, national and local
hosta groups to share
their knowledge and joy in hosta gardening.
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 Over
the decades those of us deeply involved with this
genus have come to be known as
 .
We have recently added a section in our section
to honor many of the leaders in hybridizing,
promoting and learning about hostas.
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We are happy to provide this hosta information to
you. Our main website, PlantsGalore.Com presents a
wide array of information on all types of landscape
plants, hardscape, ponds, plant people, plant care,
and famous gardens of the world. Click on the index
below to visit these pages.
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