Hosta 'Decorata' Group

In 1991, the comprehensive book about hostas, The Genus Hosta by W. George Schmid, was published. It was the first intensively researched book about the entire genus which, until that time, suffered from a lot of misinformation and name confusion. As the result of his research, Schmid determined that several of the plants previously treated as separate, naturally occurring, species were, in fact, cultivated varieties, i.e. cultivars. created by nurseries or hybridizers.

This is one of the hosta groupings that was shifted from species to cultivar status. For more on this process ...

Species switched to cultivar status in 1991 include:

Hosta 'Decorata' a.k.a. 'Thomas Hogg'

This plant is one of a handful of rhizomatous hostas which also includes those from the species, Hosta clausa. As a result, it makes a good ground cover or edging plant which forms a medium (15 inches high) mound of green foliage with a white margin and blunt tips. In August, it forms purple flowers on 30 inch high scapes.

It was first described by famed horticulturist, Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1930 and, at one time, was considered a separate species under the name Hosta decorata. As with several other forms of hosta, The Genus Hosta by G. Schmid (1991) determined that it was actually a cultivar and not a species and gave it the current name of H. 'Decorata'.

This is also an example of the same plant having more than one name. According to The Hosta Handbook by Mark Zilis (2000), this plant is actually H. 'Decorata' although it has been sold under the 'Thomas Hogg' name for years. Also, H. 'Undulata Albomarginata' was historically sold as H. 'Thomas Hogg' in England.

Thomas Hogg, Jr. was a plant explorer who some credit with being the one to introduce the species hosta in the trade in America and Europe.
 
  • H. 'Decorata Normalis'
  

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