All about Hostas

I fell completely in love with Hostas a few years ago when I saw all of the amazing cultivars and enormous variety of leaf color, shape, size etc. Just when I think I can identify most varieties there are 10 more sports or hybrids. My favorites have changed throughout the years, but one that really stands out is June. It is the huge leaf in the photo at the top of this blog and all of us here at the nursery can't say enough about it. All of the Hostas we have are leafing out, so here are a few photos. The first two are June:




This is Fire and Ice, you can already see the bright, cream white center and narrow green edge on the leaves.



Blue Angel is one of the big ones. The leaves are pretty green right now, but as they get bigger they will turn powdery blue.



Another of my all time favorites, Sagae. This is a one gallon pot and the leaves are already trying to dwarf it. The next photo is from the top of the same plant looking down into the new leaves:


One last note, there is a virus that infects Hostas, called HVX (Hosta Virus X). I have seen it a few times and will post photos and more information after the Hostas are more fully leafed out. For now, some of the symptoms to look for are leaf mottling (which is sometimes hard to tell from the natural variegation) and stunted leaf growth. A report from K-State has some very good information and photos of the mottling symptoms: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/plant2/EP132.pdf