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  This
is a classic plant that has undergone a significant name change.
It was registered by
The American Hosta Society in 1987 as
Hosta fluctuans 'Variegated'. Later, it was determined
that this cultivar had been named, Hosta 'Sagae' at an earlier
date and that name would take precedence.
Kenji Watanabe of
Japan registered the plant under that name in 1996.
According to an article in the
British Hosta and
Hemerocallis Society journal that a Mr.
Eigon Hagiwara
of Japan
was the one who originally found 'Sagae' in the early
1900s.
A sport of the species
H. fluctuans,
this giant size (31 inches high by 70 inches wide or more) cultivar is known for its upright
form and thick leaf substance. The foliage is wavy and deeply
lobed at the base. It produces pale lavender flowers on scapes
up to 50 inches tall from mid-July into August followed by
viable seeds.
According to
The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "This cultivar, long admired in
Japan, can now be considered a hosta "classic" in American
gardens. Its large, vase-shaped mound habit makes it the ideal
background or specimen plant...It is difficult to propagate by
tissue culture, with low multiplication rates and high numbers
of "off-type" plants the norm."
 The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by
Diana
Grenfell (2009) states: "It emerges early and is slow to establish and to
show its potential, but eventually makes a huge specimen. A
superb classic hosta.
This cultivar
has appeared on several of the Popularity Polls by members of The American Hosta Society
(see below). It was the
2000 "Hosta of the Year" by the
American Hosta Growers Association. This cultivar has been awarded the Royal Horticultural
Society's Award of Garden Merit in the
UK.
It earned the 1995 Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Hosta Award.
'Sagae' was winner of the
Benedict Garden Performance Medal for 2010.
W. George Schmid in his
Hosta Species Update on The Hosta
Library (2006) says, "...was originally called by the invalid
name H. fluctuans ‘Variegated’ (the term “Variegated” is
invalid). This cultivar is easily the most famous and desired
hosta both in Japan and western gardens. This sport was found
near the city of Sagae...in Yamagata Prefecture in an area where
the species populations occur."
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2.8 |
1985 #12
1990 #4
1991 #3
1992 #3
1993 #2
1994 #5
1995 #2 |
1996 #5
1997 #2
1998 #6
1999 #1
2000 #1
2001 #2
2002 #1 |
2003 #2
2004 #2
2005 #2
2006 #2
2007 #2
2008 #2
2009 #1 |
2010 #2
2011 #1
2012 #2
2013 #2
2014 #2
2015 #2
2016 #5 |
2017 #2
2018 #2
2019 #4
2020 #4
2021 #4 |
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