The genus, Hosta, seems to have a propensity for forming frequent mutations whether in the wild or in cultivation. When a part of a plant "spontaneously" forms a mutation that changes its physical characteristics, the unique part of the plant is called a sport. So, searching existing plantings for mutations that might have outstanding new characteristics and might have potential as new hosta cultivars is called "Sport Fishing".

On the islands of Japan, mutations frequently occur in wild species such as H. montana, H. longipes, H. sieboldii, H. kikutii or H. kiyosumiensi. As we have discussed, variegated plants are variegated because they lack the green molecule, chlorophyll, in certain cells. In the wild, this puts such plants at a competitive disadvantage. A single variegated plant growing among thousands of fully green plants would be relatively less vigorous and would probably not be able to compete over the years and would eventually disappear.

However, if such a plant is found by a sport fisher and brought back to the garden or nursery, it may survive under the tender loving care of its human benefactor. That human will carefully take cuttings, divisions or use tissue culture to asexually reproduce the plant and keep it multiplying. Thus, the variegated plant survives and thrives in cultivation.

Even under human care, hostas will also form sports in the nursery or the home garden. One of the most famous early variegated hostas was discovered by Mrs. Frances Williams while visiting the Bristol Nursery in Connecticut. There, among the pots of plain blue-green Hosta sieboldiana plants, was this beautiful sport that had a yellow-gold leaf margin.

The combination of the blue base color and the yellow margin formed a striking complementary color accent. She bought the unusual plant and, over time, a piece of that hosta made its way to the gardens at Oxford University in England. There a famous English gardener, George Robinson, named it in honor of its discoverer, Hosta 'Frances Williams'.

Several hosta cultivars are noted for producing a lot of sports that have in turn been introduced as new cultivars. Included in this group would be H. 'Golden Tiara', H. 'Gold Standard', H. 'Francee', H. 'August Moon' and H. 'Blue Mouse Ears'. In fact, many of these cultivars have spawned their own "Series" of hostas which combine new traits with those of the original plant.

Perhaps one exception (there always seems to be exceptions) to the general trend by hostas is the species, Hosta plantaginea. This was one of the first hostas to be brought to Europe from China and has been in gardens and cultivation for well over 200 years. According to Zilis (2009), in all that time, there has been only one sport that has occurred in the garden resulting in a new cultivar, H. plantaginea 'Aphrodite'. Several other cultivars have come into being during the tissue culture process, however. Isn't that interest?