Hosta Database: Hosta Breeding Plants from the Hosta Helper by PlantsGalore.Com

Certain cultivars and species have been used as parent plants in the origination of large numbers of named hostas. We have listings of all hostas that have been a pod parent, pollen parent or sport mother of at least one new cultivar. Top or Major breeding plants have been arbitrarily designated as those with 10 or more named offspring.



	Several named hostas or species have been used in hybridizing new cultivars or have been sport parent to many. Also listed are numbered plants that were used in making hybrid crosses but, for some reason, were not themselves ever given a cultivar name. One list shows hostas that have the word "Breeder" in their names. We also have lists of "significant" breeding plants from such references as The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009) or The Genus Hosta by W. George Schmid (1991) and various websites.


	Some hostas have been heavily used as breeding plants and are in the "Background" of dozens and even hundreds of named hosta cultivars.


	All hostas, at one time, originated from a species plant. In recent decades, records have been kept on the origin of more named cultivars so we know which species was used. In many cases, the species may be in the "Background" of a plant or the cultivar may be a certain "Type" related to their appearance.