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Josh's column separates out his picks for
the standout hostas hitting the market each year.
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Standout Hostas of 2013
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A
giant, a
mini, a once-in-a-lifetime discovery, and an
unexpected late addition are among the new hostas in my collection that
captured my attention this year.
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H.
‘Bridal
Falls’PPAF
Hosta
'Niagara Falls' was
awarded the Society's highest honor in 2012, the Benedict Garden
Performance
Medal. Anyone who has seen a mature specimen recognizes what a
deserving plant
it is. It is not surprising that a sport of such a regal plant would
cause a stir
among hosta collectors. Sometimes it is hard to improve upon
perfection, but in
the case of 'Bridal Falls', the incredible, wide white margins are like
icing
on a cake. I’ve planted mine in a prominent spot in the garden, with
hopes it
will be a knockout. |
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H.
‘Joy
Ride’PPAF
Hans
Hansen's newest
hybrid, 'Joy Ride', was introduced by Walters Gardens, Inc. in July.
Even as a
young plant, it stood out to me. Each blue-green leaf is distinctly
upturned
along the edge, revealing the powdery underside. Some leaves are folded
to the
point where the large waves along each leaf edge nearly touch! With
good
substance, an apparently vigorous growth rate, and sparkling white
flowers, I'm
counting on 'Joy Ride' not to disappoint me.
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H.
‘Foxfire
Palm Sunday’PPAF
Every
hybridizer dreams of
creating a plant that is instantly recognizable and wanted by every
hostaholic
around. H. ‘Foxfire Palm Sunday’ is
Steve Schulte’s once-in-a-lifetime introduction.
This seedling of ‘Independence Day’ features
the most unusual, feather-like green leaf centers nestled between wide,
bright
gold margins. H. ‘Foxfire Palm
Sunday’ was tissue cultured and released about three years ago.
Initially, I
was concerned the tissue cultured plants were not going to be
true-to-type, as
the gold margin was very narrow. After growing a number of plants
though, the
young plants do develop the unique variegation pattern that makes this
a
standout. A distinct look, excellent substance, and a good growth rate
are all
traits of a winner!
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H.
‘Church
Mouse’
I
know what you’re thinking
… do we really need another mouse?! If that mouse is H.
‘Church Mouse’, I say yes we do! Marco Fransen’s ‘Dancing Mouse’
was the first sport of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ to be introduced a few years
ago with
wavy leaves. The leaves are nice and wavy as they unfurl in the spring,
but
tend to flatten out as the leaves open and mature. The new ‘Ruffled
Mouse Ears’
looks like it will behave similarly. Maybe not the first, but ‘Church
Mouse’ is
definitely the best of the ruffled leafed mice, yet. As it unfurled in
the
greenhouse this past spring, I wondered how those crimped, ruffled, and
gathered leaves would ever untangle themselves from each other! Not
only did
the leaves manage to untangle themselves, but they remained strongly
ruffled
all season long.
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any of these turn out to be a classic in the future?
Only time will tell. |
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What's
your favorite new
hosta of the season?
Share
your thoughts in the
comment section below!
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