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1) In an article by
Robert Olson, past President of
The American Hosta Society
in The
Hosta Journal (1992 Vol. 23 No. 2), the question in the
title was "Whatever Happened To the Hostas of 1969?" To answer the question, Bob
surveyed a group at the AHS Winter Scientific Meeting near Chicago to see which
older cultivars were still being grown. The following is a summary of the
cultivars which received the highest percentages of responses.
| 1) The Classics |
H. 'August Moon', H. 'Francee', H.
'Royal Standard' and H. 'Honeybells'
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| 2) Garden Mainstays - These
plants are likely to be included in the gardens of ardent
collectors. |
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| 3) Collectibles - These are
hostas that are no longer widely available nor likely to become so. |
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| 4) Uncommon Cultivars - These
are cultivars that are not likely to be encountered, except in the
gardens of zealous collectors. |
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| 5) Rare Plants - This group
consists of plants not likely to be seen even in "national tour"
caliber gardens. They are probably not very distinguished cultivars. |
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2) In an article by
Robert Olson, past President of
The American Hosta Society
in The
Hosta Journal (1992 Vol. 23 No. 2) quoted
Peter Ruh's
response to a list of older hostas presented to him:
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3) An article in
The Hosta Journal (1995 Vol. 26 No. 1) citing Vol. 1, #2, Fall 1993,
Great Lakes Region Newsletter included a list of Classic Hostas from
Peter Ruh:
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4) An article in
The Hosta Journal (1995 Vol. 26 No. 1) citing Vol. 1, #2, Fall 1993,
Great Lakes Region Newsletter included a list of Hostas for The Connoisseur from
Dick Ward:
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5) An article in
The Hosta Journal (1995 Vol. 26 No. 1) citing Vol. 1, #2, Fall 1993,
Great Lakes Region Newsletter included a list of Hostas for The Hybridizer from
Jim Dishon:
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6) An article by
Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (1996 Vol. 27 No. 2) states that, "H.
'Patriot' is among the five best hostas registered in the last five years. It's
a 'Fortunei'-type with "dark green" leaves having a wide "white" border."
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7)
An article by Bob Solberg (nurseryman, noted hybridizer and past president of
The American Hosta Society ) in
The
Hosta Journal (2000 Vol. 31 No. 1) states that, in his
opinion, the Top 10 Hostas of the past Millenium would be:
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8) An article by
Charles Seaver in
The
Hosta Journal (2002 Vol. 33 No. 3) states that, "The four
Mildred Seaver hostas that I like the best are not the four best
Mildred Seaver hostas. From an overall AHS standpoint, I would select (1) 'Spilt Milk' - most unique, (2) 'Sea Prize' - her best breeder, (3) 'Lucy Vitols' -
dark green edge and (4) 'Queen of the Seas' - best blue piecrust ever. My
personal favorites (1) 'Sea Thunder' - I found the first sport, (2) 'Sea Beacon'
- glows in any garden, (3) 'Komodo Dragon' - 7 feet across and (4) 'Don Quixote'
- I got some great breeders from it."
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9) An article by
Steve Chamberlain
(well-known hybridizer of the
Academy Series) in
The
Hosta Journal (2002 Vol. 33 No. 3) states that, "My
six favorite blues are Hosta 'Deep Blue Sea', 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd',
'Camelot', 'Silvery Slugproof', 'Bill Dress's Blue', and 'Blue
Angel', but most
of them do not grow rapidly."
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10) An article by noted hybridizer and nurseryman
Tony Avent in
The
Hosta Journal (2006 Vol. 37 No. 2) contained his brief
opinions on how to improve hostas currently (2006) considered to be
of Top 25 caliber:
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- H. 'Sum and Substance' : Needs brighter yellow foliage, more
rigid scape.
- H. 'Sagae': Very slow to finish in pots; takes two seasons
to get a good edge.
- H. 'Great Expectations' : Great in open shade or morning sun
but hates dark shade.
- H. 'June': Slow to look mature in containers and in the
ground.
- H. 'Paul's Glory': Very difficult to get to come true in
tissue culture.
- H. 'Guacamole': Better foliage color contrast needed.
- H. 'Patriot' : Needs to finish off in containers faster.
- H. montana 'Aureomarginata': Needs to emerge later to avoid
frosts
- H. 'Gold Standard' : Yellow color could emerge and stay
brighter.
- H. 'Regal Splendor': Takes several seasons to develop a nice
wide edge.
- H. 'Frances Williams' : Foliage burns.
- H. 'Blue Angel' : Foliage could be much bluer and hold color.
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- H. 'Krossa Regal':Needs shorter and more attractive scape.
- H. 'Fragrant Bouquet': Foliage color combination has little
market appeal.
- H. 'Whirlwind': Central leaf color fades.
- H. 'Love Pat': Could be faster-growing.
- H. 'Halcyon' : Could be faster-growing.
- H. 'Sun Power' : O.K. as is.
- H. 'Inniswood': Could be faster to marketable-size finish
crop.
- H. 'Striptease': Needs to be more stable.
- H. 'On Stage': Leaf color could hold longer; slow in
containers.
- H. 'Spilt Milk': Leaf pattern could be more vivid, and it
grows slowly.
- H. 'Fire and Ice': Could be more vigorous.
- H. 'Pandora's Box': Needs more heat-tolerance.
- H. 'Elegans': Needs bluer foliage that lasts into the
summer.
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11) An article discussing large size hostas by
Walter Cullerton in
The
Hosta Journal (2010 Vol. 41 No. 1) states that, "I've
decided to take a look at my favorites, those Big Hostas that excited me along
my journey...one in each major category...yellow, edged variegated, medio-variegated,
blue and, yes, green. Remember, I like green."
| * 'Big John' |
- H. 'Big John' has remained in my mind
as the tallest green, along with 'Elatior'. Now it seems 'Roderick'
has eclipsed those two. But wait another minute...'Empress Wu' as
The New Benchmark in Big. A seedling of 'Big John', it reaches an
astounding 47½ inches tall, with leaves bigger than any other that I
know of."
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| * 'Elatior' |
- My favorite
H. nigrescens...an even
bigger one now exists -- and its green as well. H. 'Roderick', an 'Elatior'
seedling grown by the late icon
Russ O'Hara.
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| * 'Krossa Regal' |
- It is well over 30 inches tall, with
a vase shape...and a soft, almost bluish-gray color...A must for
every garden. Not just every hosta garden, every garden...I consider
understated in color, and therefore it blends with most other
plants, providing connection and good flow.
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| * Piedmont Gold' |
- Beautifully mounded, nicely veined,
puckered -- and wonderful white flowers in early summer. I'd say a
tad of 'Elegans' parentage here.
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| * 'Sagae' |
- My favorite bit hosta. H. 'Liberty, a
sport of 'Sagae', is an absolute showstopper but, for me, 'Liberty'
is a much smaller plant. My 'Sagae' is well over 36 inches tall.
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| * 'Sun Power' |
- Possibly 36 inch, vase-shaped mound.
Yellows accent the garden full of green so nicely.
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| * 'Victory' |
- In my garden, 'Victory' has grown to
30 inches and is a winner.
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* Other edge-variegated favorites
include 'Frosted Jade', 'Regal Splendor', 'Yellow River' and
'Unchained Melody'.
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* Favorite medio-variegated hybrids
include 'Queen of Islip', 'Super Nova', 'Saybrook Surprise', 'Paul's Glory' and 'Inniswood'.
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12) An article by
Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (2012 Vol. 43 No. 1) states that, "Rod Kuenster...has been collecting data in Audra Wilson's garden in...Iowa, as part
of his effort to registered many of the hostas introduced by
Herb and Dorothy
Benedict...I asked him for his favorites. His choices:"
| * H. 'Bashful Polly' |
- a very beautiful streaked hosta that
is fertile.
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| * H. 'Tsuma Tajima' |
- a streaked and fertile smaller plant
with shiny leaves.
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| * H. 'Country Gentleman' |
- a mid-size hosta that makes a nice
clump, with leaves having medium-green center and creamy yellow
margin. Herb named it for Fred Wilson, Audra's husband, as that is
what he thought Fred was: a country gentleman.
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| * H. 'Blue You Bet' |
- a small blue with thick substance;
good pollen donor.
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| * H. 'Reddy Eddy' |
- which has dark red petioles, and
shiny, wavy leaves with a pointy tip.
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| * H. 'Mountain Pride' |
- perhaps Herb's largest hosta.
Medium-green leaves. Audra's clump measured 69 inches across and 33
inches high.
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| * H. 'Mellow Yellow' |
- a must for anyone's hybridizing
program. Golden yellow leaves have heavy substance and are puckered.
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| * H. 'Sarah Fackey' |
- with medium green leaves having a
yellow margin. Named for one of Herb's school teachers. |
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13) An article by
Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (2012 Vol. 43 No. 1) states that, "John
O'Brien's premium hosta nursery...features more than 1,100 varieties...Here are
O'Brien's showstoppers with a discussion of some of his comments, along with my
comments in parentheses:"
| * H. 'Blue Mouse Ears' |
- Petite, rubbery leaves in a soft
shade of blue make this hosta easy to love. Slug-resistant.
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| * H. 'Climax' |
- Requires some patience, but it is
well worth the wait. On average, this cultivar takes four years to
become an attention grabber. As variegated hostas mature, the show
rim on their leaves widens; the golden-yellow edge of a young
'Climax' is only ¼ inch thick, but after a few
years, the edge expands to 1 inch. Slug-resistant. (Gil Jones
registered 'Climax' in 2000. It's a sport of
Mildred Seaver's
attractive yellow 'High Noon'.)
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| * H. 'Dawn's Early Light' |
- Hostas are just like people; the
older they get, the more they wrinkle. This hosta is no exception.
Leaves emerge a brilliant yellow in spring and gradually turn lime
green later in the season. Slug-resistant. (Olga Petryszyn
registered 'Dawn's Early Light', a hybrid of
Mildred Seaver's 'Sea Fire' in 1998)
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| * H. 'Deep Blue Sea' |
- The hottest item at John's nursery in
late summer, chiefly because it's the only blue hosta that is still
blue. Stays blue all season with glorious, deeply puckered, cupped
leaves. Slug-resistant. (Charlie Seaver
registered 'Deep Blue Sea',
a 'Blue Moon' hybrid, in 1994.)
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| * H. 'Dick Ward' |
- The sharp contrast of its puckered
golden yellow centers and dark green edges provides a spectacular
show in late summer. Slug-resistant. (Handy Hatfield registered
'Dick Ward' in 1991. It's a sport of Paul Aden 's large yellow
'Zounds'."
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| * H. 'First
Frost' |
- John says this might just be his
favorite because it never lacks luster. It emerges in early spring
with crisp golden-yellow edges that fade to a snowy white soon after
the first of July. Slug-resistant.
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| * H. 'Orange Marmalade' |
- Emerges in spring with bright yellow
foliage trimmed in dark green. As leaves mature, their centers take
on a subtle orange tint. Slug-resistant.
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| * H. 'Praying Hands' |
- One-of-a-kind twisted leaves with
skinny cream-colored rims. Slug-resistant. (This hosta is not easy
to site attractively among other hostas.)
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| * H. 'Striptease' |
- Named for a peeking white strip on
its leaves. Fast grower with sturdy shape. |
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14) An article by
Bob Olson in
The
Hosta Journal (2015 Vol. 46 No.2) states that, "Three
classic hostas have been voted to every AHS Popularity Poll since 1984. All are
large vase-shaped cultivars from
Japan ...AHS founder
Alex
Summers had a hand in
introducing each of them. Today, if you have a collection of 75-100 hosta
varieties you most likely have all of them."
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H. montana 'Aureomarginata' |
- "Alex
Summers was sent this plant in 1967...It
was labeled as a variety of
H. sieboldiana, but it was clearly a
variety of H. montana ...He had received a single plant with two
divisions and sent one division to his good friend
Gus Krossa in
Saginaw, Michigan."
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| H. 'Krossa Regal' |
- "Also in 1967
Gus Krossa sent Alex
Summers 24
hostas he'd received in the past years from Japan . One of them stood
out - it was the one labeled "Krossa-A3"...Alex wrote Gus and
suggested the name 'Krossa Regal'."
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| H. 'Sagae' |
- "Kenji Watanabe, fabled plant hunter whose Gotemba Nursery near Mt. Fuji...reported that Sage Gibōshi was found
on the Island of Honshu near the city of Sagae...Because of evolving
nomenclature systems it was called H. montana 'Sagae' in Japan, and
H. fluctuans 'Variegated' in Europe and the U.S...Jack Craig sent
hostas and other exotics to Alex
Summers regularly. In 1981 a hosta
came labeled as Oba Gibōshi (which is the Japanese name for
H. montana). It clearly was not an ordinary
H. montana . The distinction
between the species H. montana and
H. fluctuans was not clear at the
time and Alex end up calling it H. fluctuans 'Variegated'...Decades
later it was determined to be a seedling rather than a species or
variant of a species, and reversed to its original name 'Sagae'." |
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15) In an article about the best selling hostas in
The
Hosta Journal (2018 Vol. 49 No. 2)
Sue Anderson of Mason Hollow Nursery in New Hampshire listed:
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16)
In an article about the best selling hostas which were "ahead of the curve" in
The
Hosta Journal (2018 Vol. 49 No. 2)
Jack Barta of
Jack's Hostas in Wisconsin listed:
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17)
In an article about the best selling hostas "the coming wave" in
The
Hosta Journal (2018 Vol. 49 No. 2)
Josh Spece
of In The Country Garden & Gifts in Iowa listed:
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18)
In an article about the best selling hostas in
The
Hosta Journal (2021 Vol. 52 No. 2)
Rick Hornbaker
of Hornbacker Gardens in Illinois listed:
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19) In an article about the best
selling hostas in
The
Hosta Journal (2021 Vol. 52 No. 2) Erin Parks, Head of
the Liner Division of
Bob Solberg's Green Hill Farm in North Carolina listed:
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