 The
Hosta Helper is
devoted to the number one selling
genus of herbaceous perennials for the landscape in
the U.S. today. As the trees in our yards increase in
size, more and more gardeners find themselves working in an
environment dominated by shade. Among the many plants adapted to
these conditions, hostas have emerged as the type most
commonly used in totally or partially shaded gardens.
 This
website specializes in 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 back in the 1990s. He gathered a lot of good
information on a few hundred hostas to share with other gardeners. Around 1999, 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 to over 15,100
names (including
duplicates and invalid ones) . Thanks for stopping by!
At
our last count (early 2023) we have 59,341
individual pages in The Hosta Helper website. To
help you navigate this much information more
effectively, we have created a large
Site Map page which
includes links to all major sections and minor units
of the website.
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 There are
probably more than 11,000 different hostas with
6,115 cultivars registered with
The
American Hosta Society through 2019. Determining which ones
fit the needs of your landscape can be a daunting
task for the home gardener. 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
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Hosta
Helper Collection - So far, we have included information
on over 15,000 cultivar and species
names in our database. This includes both registered and
non-registered plants along with duplicate, incorrect or out-dated
names. We also display 9,200 pictures of 4,232 different
hostas
that we have taken in public and private
gardens, nurseries and at 17
National
Conventions of
The American
Hosta Society.
Over 3,000 of the pictures have been donated for
display by 33 generous hostaphiles. You can find our complete listing of pictured and
non-pictured hostas in alphabetical order in our
Hosta Cultivar Section. |
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  Starting in about the
1930s, gardeners started becoming involved in using
hostas in the landscape. Early pioneers such as
Liberty Hyde Bailey and
Eunice V. Fisher started
organizing information and hybridizing hostas. Way before them,
plant explorers such as
Philip von Siebold were
exploring Asia and discovering hostas in the early
1800s.
We
have created over 400 short biographies for people who
have contributed to the world of hostas in some way.
This ranges from writing books about them like
W.
George Schmid's
The Genus Hosta
and
Mark Zilis'
The Hostapedia to people who
have hybridized new cultivars such as
Dr Ralph
(Herb) Benedict and
Mary Chastain.
Visit the
Hostaphiles section to become familiar with this
group of wonderful people who have chosen to become
leaders in hybridizing, promoting and educating
others about hostas.
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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 have
created a hosta database with information on all of the
relevant hosta characteristics by cultivar and
species. Also listed in the database are data on
originators and hosta registrations.
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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.
Key to the hosta fan is
The
American Hosta Society which provides members with
two printed versions of their wonderful publication,
The Hosta Journal and one Online The Hosta
Journal each year. They also hosta an annual
convention in various parts of the country where you
can meet other enthusiasts and see magnificent tour
gardens.
The AHS offers many
awards to its members for their contributions to the
organization. They produce annual
Hosta Popularity Poll results and are the home of
the
International Registrar for the Genus Hosta.
In addition to the national organization, there are many
state, local and
regional organizations devoted to hostas. There are
also international groups such as the
British Hosta and Hemrocallis Society and
The Dutch Hosta Society.
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 Although hostas are often considered "low
maintenance" plants, they are best when given at
least some loving care. Also, in recent years,
several pests and other problems have become more
common as the number of hostas has multiplied
in our landscapes.
Our Hosta
Care pages will give you tips on
pest
problems,
companion plants for hostas,
soils,
propagation, and much more.
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We are happy to provide this hosta information to
you. Our main website,
presents a wide array of information on all types of
landscape gardening topics including:
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