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Hosta 'Francee'

Introduced by Minnie Klopping of Nebraska in the 1970's and registered by The American Hosta Society on her behalf in 1986, this large size (21 inches high by 50 inches wide) cultivar has medium to dark green leaves with white marginal variegation. Medium lavender, funnel shaped flowers on 42 inch scapes bloom in clusters from late July into August followed by some viable seeds.

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "During the 1980s, 'Francee' replaced 'Undulata Albomarginata' as the most commonly used white-margined hosta for landscaping purposes. It offers consistent, attractive variegation and a good growth rate."

From the Field Guide to Hostas by Mark Zilis (2014), "By the late 1980s, 'Francee' became the leading white-margined hosta in the nursery trade and remained so until two of its sports, 'Patriot' and 'Minuteman', surpassed it in popularity in the mid-1990s."

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states: "Increases rapidly and thus is excellent for landscaping. Superb in a large container. A classic hosta...Distinctive, bright purple shoots emerge very late in the season, as they do with all hostas of the Fortunei Group. The narrowly funnel-shaped flowers do not always open at the tips of the scapes."

This cultivar has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in the UK.

The following poem by Judy Burns of Georgia was included in  The Hosta Journal (2010 Vol. 41 No. 1).
I love 'Lady Isobel Barnett',
She's my favorite hosta, and yet,
I also love 'Francee',
'Naomi' and 'Nancy',
And 'Abby', and 'June', and 'Coquette'.

An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2015 Vol. 46 No.2) states that, "During the 50 or so years that 'Francee', a diploid...has been cultivated, some 75 sport descendents have been reported. About 20 are diploid and for the most part of lesser interest...the tetraploid sports...have been of principal attention. Examples are first generation H. 'Patriot' that sported...H. 'Loyalist' that sported...H. 'Revolution that sported...H. 'Independence'...H. 'Minuteman' and H. 'Pathfinder'...sported several tetraploid second generations of commercial interest."
  




11 16.5
1985 #14
1990 #20
1991 #18
1992 #18
1993 #14
1994 #10
1995 #17
1996 #15
1997 #20
1998 #18
2000 #20
 





 

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