My Garden

A huge number of hostas is introduced every year in North America and, while some never make it across to this side of the Atlantic, of those that do many are introduced to us for the first time by Bali-Hai Nursery in Northern Ireland. In the current RHS PlantFinder they have, by my count, 126 new hostas... Read more..

Hosta ‘Halcyon' is the most famous British-bred hosta and one of the most popular across the world. Its neat habit and intensely - often slug-resistant - blue leaves have made it a worldwide favourite. ‘Halcyon' has produced a number of variegated sports, shoots which differ from the original... Read more..

There's a huge number of hostas introduced every year, many raised across the Atlantic, and some of the newcomers are to be seen at this week's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show . Mickfield Hostas from Stowmarket in Suffolk, holders of one of the National Hosta Collections , have one much respected... Read more..

Goldbrook Plants have staged some of the most impressive Hosta exhibits of recent years. They've won seventeen consecutive Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and nineteen consecutive Gold Medals the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show including a Gold this week at Hampton . Sandra Bond, who IS Goldbrook... Read more..

In addition to their exhibit in the Floral Marquee at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show , Mickfield Hostas also had one of the outdoor Plant Plots - and there, on the sales table, they featured their Collectors' Corner with at least four brand new hostas. Hosta ‘Extasy' (below, click to enlarge... Read more..

Back in 1999, Kirk Brill, a hosta breeder over in Iowa (most new hostas come from the USA) introduced a sport of the old favourite ‘ Gold Standard'. ‘Gold Standard' is almost completely yellow with a narrow green margin, the new sport has a wider margin and a brilliant yellow centre making a... Read more..

Every year new hostas arrive on the scene. You'd think that with so many being grown already - there've been almost two thousand listed in the RHS PlantFinder over the years - that we wouldn't need any more. Well, some perhaps we truly don't need. But as hosta enthusiasts bring together... Read more..

Last time I looked at an old American hosta coming to Britain for the first time. Now two brand new hostas from Belgium, both raised by Danny van Eechaute. ‘Color Festival' (left, click to enlarge) is a very dramatic hosta in spite of its medium size. It features rich, deep green foliage, a little... Read more..