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We have a wide range of information on over 15,000 hosta names in our database. Over time, we have developed thousands of search pages on hundreds of different aspects of hosta culture. These pages will return lists of hosta culivars,  including the following:

  1. Background Hostas - We have an individual page on every hosta name which includes all the information in our database that relates to that name. This includes plants when it is mentioned as being "in the background" of a hosta cultivar. It also lists plants with similar names, similar looking hostas and plants described as a certain "type" of hosta.
     

  2. Breeding Plants - This includes lists of hostas by the number of offspring they have produced as pod parent, pollen parent, sport mother or where they are in an earlier generation.
     

  3. Hosta Flowers -  Data on the various flower colors, seasons of bloom, fragrant flowers, tepal color patterns, flower scape colors, flower shapes and anther colors may be found in this section.
     

  4. Hosta Images - Our best digital images have been rated and listings of the 5-Star pictures are listed in the database. These hosta images are available for use by others by following our Image Use Policy. Note: Of course this only applies to the over 4,000 pictures from our own collection and does not include any of the over 2,000 images donated by others for display on The Hosta Helper.
     

  5. Hosta Leaf Traits - Hostas shown here are listed by their base leaf color, type of variegation, seasonal color changes, leaf shapes, petiole traits, blade contours, surface reflectivity, leaf tips and leaf vein depth.
     

  6. Hosta Originators - We have lists of people or organizations which have developed new hosta cultivars through hybridizing, sports or selection. This includes tables showing the top originators by the number of new cultivars they have introduced. Information is also organized by Alphabetical Order, U.S. State or Country.
     

  7. Hosta Parents - As the name implies, this is a series of pages showing the number of offspring associated with a particular species or cultivar. There are also pages that show the names of the offspring for each type of hosta. Pod parents, pollen parents, sports mothers and, often, grandparents are listed.
     

  8. Hosta Plant Traits - These are traits related to the hosta clump ranging from mature clump size, growth rate, plant form, genetic ploidy and clump texture.
     

  9. Hosta Problems - Although hostas are generally low maintenance plants, there are a few physiological problems that are associated with certain species or cultivars. We have listings of cultivars known to emerge early and are susceptible to frost damage. Others suffer from spring desiccation on their leaves or exhibit the drawstring effect. Some hostas are noted as being attractive to slugs while others are resistant to them.
     

  10. Hosta Seeds - Certain hostas routinely set viable side, some set non-viable seed and others don't set seeds at all. Cultivars may be produced through open-pollination, self-pollination or have unknown parentage. Most hosta produce seeds in pods the same color as the foliage while some have red or purple seed pods.
     

  11. Hosta Species - Currently there are considered to be 42 species of hostas. We have listings of where species acted as pod parent, pollen parent or species mother of named cultivars.
     

  12. Name Word Searches - For a bit of fun, we have pulled together many database pages based on words used in the names of hosta cultivars. In some cases, you can open a table that shows all the hostas that have Hadspen, Golden, Summer or Halo in their name for instance. We also have gathered together names that relate to a certain topic such as weather, geography, sports, the arts and many, many others.
     

  13. Propagation - This includes listings of all the cultivars and offspring by pod parent, pollen parent and sport mother. There also tables showing plants that were the result of chemical treatment during hybridization.
     

  14. Registered Hostas - Named hostas should all be registered with The American Hosta Society to avoid confusion in the gardening public. This provides a system for properly identifying the specific traits of a hosta by a particular name. Our retrieval pages sort hostas by cultivar name, year of registration or non-registered status.
     

  15. Selecting Hostas - When trying to figure out which hostas to grow in an ornamental garden, there are many factors to consider. Hostas generally fill a landscape design niche in the areas of plant size, leaf color and clump texture. We have developed data pages to show cultivars in a wide range of size and color combinations to help in your choices. Also included are recommendations and awards by a wide range of sources from the Hosta of the Year, Popularity Poll by The American Hosta Society and others.
     

  16. "Type" Hostas - Often seasoned hostaphiles will say, "Oh, that looks like a 'Sieboldiana' type hosta".  They might point out how similar looking two plants are or that two plants with different names are actually the same plant.
     

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