Garden Bed #5 - page 4

Hosta 'Frosted Jade'

"Upright - vase shaped, stands very erect with very large 12" long x 9' wide, heart shaped, dark jade green leaves with bright white narrow margins. A third muted gray-green color is created by the overlapping of the two main colors. One of the true classic plants in the Hosta World. AHS 1989 Eunice Fisher Award."
www.hostalibrary.org/f/f.html

I didn't pay much attention to hosta 'Frosted Jade' for several years. It just sat in the garden & looked like every other green, white margined plant. Suddenly it became huge with very graceful elongated leaves. The plant became absolutely stunning. I was amazed. 'Frosted Jade' is now on my 'must have' list. It is not for the impatient gardener; but well worth the wait when it reaches its majestic maturity.

Hosta 'Emily Dickinson'

Hosta 'Emily Dickinson is not a boastful show-off in the garden yet her sweetness captures attention. She is such a feminine sort; her fragrant flowers gently perfume the warm summer breeze. Emily grows easily & quickly with no fuss or special attention. She's a quite a hardy lass.

www.hostalibrary.org/e/e.html

Hosta 'Big Daddy'

"This 1978 Paul Aden classic won the AHS President's Exhibitor Trophy Award and the Midwest Blue Award. Scmid feels that it has sieboldinana in its genes. It is inexpensive and easily obtainable, but a very slow grower. Van Wade describes the leaves as a fantastic chalky deep blue - one of the bluest plants he knows. They are almost round-cordate, cupped, and rugose, and resemble those of 'Tokudama'. It needs at least 30% shade to be seen at its best. The flowers are white, bell-shaped, and bloom the first part of the summer. A clump is 60" wide x 30" tall."
www.hostalibrary.org/b/b.html

Listed progeny / H - 'Tidewater' & H 'Ultramarine' both grow in my gardens and are awesome plants at maturity.

'Big Daddy' was one of the first hostas I planted in Bed #5. To be truthful, I envisioned it to become huge like hosta 'Elegans', but 'Big Daddy' is not all that big in my garden. The plant grows 'slower than molasses in January'. But finally last summer I looked at it & thought, it is finally looking good & obtaining some size to it (but not close to 30" tall yet). Reportedly even hosta 'Big Mama' is bigger than 'Big Daddy'. I hear Elizabeth Taylor purring 'Big Daddy' from the movie 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' when I think of this plant. The plant is bluer than Paul Newman's blue-blue eyes.

Hosta 'Glory'

H - 'Glory' is stunning in the shade garden. Takes time to reach its potential but then is nearly perfect. Another favorite in 'Marlys' Garden' - MM

"11" tall. Part Sun to Light Shade. Chartreuse heart shaped leaves. Lavender flowers. Fertile. Large ruffled brilliant yellow, heart shaped leaf.

H.'Glory' went on my "must have" list as soon as I saw it many years ago in the Savory's Minnesota garden. This H. 'August Moon' hybrid from the late Bob Savory is a little known, but excellent gold leaf hosta. The clump of thick bright gold leaves 8" wide x long makes a stunning clump in a lightly shaded garden. In late spring, the clump is topped with 2' scapes of light purple flowers.

Heart-shaped leaves of bright gold, slightly ruffled; nice purple flowers.

Slightly ruffled yellow heart-shaped leaves. Light purple flowers.

The elongated, heart-shaped leaves are a wonderful yellow turning brassy gold with some sun. Light purple flowers."

MyHostas Database: 'Glory'

Hosta 'Glory'

Hosta kikutti f. leuconota

My hosta friend, Eric Kinman of the new 'Stark Gardens' & I went partners & won this wonderful specimen at a Midwest Regional Hosta Convention. It is totally different from hostas I am used to but I like it! Eric taught me how to pronounce the first name 'ki-ku-tt-i' the first 2 vowels are short pronunciation / the last long pronunciation. (There we've had English lesson for the day.)

I mention listed progeny as both H - 'Tidewater' & H 'Ultramarine grow in my gardens and are awesome plants at maturity.

"In Japan kikutti f. leuconota is called Urajiro Hyuga Giboshi - the 'white-backed Hyuga hosta." It's a pruinose (what does that word mean?) and white-backed form occurring in the wild with the species and occasionally as small, separate populations. It is well known in Japan under its full name and has been cultivated there for many years under its Japanese name." Hosta Library (Now we've had our Japanese lesson for the day too.)
www.hostalibrary.org/k/k.html

Hosta 'Ann Kulpa'

Hosta 'Ann Kulpa' was a gift to me from my friend, Connie. It's our tradition to share plants with each other when feasible. Well, I didn't know of this hosta at all but graciously accepted the gift. The old timers used to say, "You never look a gift-horse in the mouth". I needn't have worried about 'Ann Kulpa'. She very quickly grew into a wonderful specimen with thick substance leaves, striking color contrast, & a pleasing mound shape. The leaf center emerges yellow changing to pure white as the spring progresses. Leaves develop moderate corrugation with age. The plant was named for the introducer's mother. 'Ann Kulpa' is now another favorite in Marlys' Garden. - MM

Hosta 'Deluxe Edition'

"Those long, stiff petioles you've grown to love on Krossa Regal and Jade Cascade are back with a vengeance supporting dark green, seersuckered cups on Hosta 'Deluxe Edition'. A strong grower to 3 ' tall and 3 1/2 ' wide. Great as a background architectural shape or to give height to those masses of low Hosta. 1/2 sun. Here's one for the background, a great specimen plant! Long petioles hold dark green seersuckered leaves in an upright form. Clump will reach 3 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet wide."
Hosta Library

Hosta 'Deluxe Edition' came to my garden several years ago via a Spring Hosta Trade coordinated at the Garden Web Hosta Forum. It is a nice enough little plant. Finally last year, it filled-in nicely and held its shadowing well. However, it certainly is not a 'stand-out' hosta specimen - IMHO. Many times I have thought of getting rid of it to create more space in the garden. But now I face a dilemma as after several years, I'm beginning to like the plant.

And to further add to my dilemma while researching information on 'Deluxe Edition' I find it doubtful that the plant growing in my garden is truly the registered hosta 'Deluxe Edition'. Descriptions have it as a large plant. Mine is more small to not quite what I would call medium size. It is further described as dark green leaf with slight rippled margin and upright growth, which my plant does not exhibit. My plant is mound-shaped with medium green leaves exhibiting blue-green shadows cast through the leaves and a very thin blue-green margin on each leaf. I am confused now. Certainly it would not be the first time a plant was carrying an incorrect name. Discovering that my hosta 'Deluxe Edition' is not true to the registration does help to define my option to remove the plant from the garden. Maybe I'll dig it up and grow it in a pretty blue pot this spring then decide what its future will hold. - MM