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We have searched our copies of The Hosta Journal for anything that might relate to any of the over 15,000 hosta names in our database. We extracted parts of articles that dealt with historical matters, opinions of well-known hostaphiles, recommendations (positive or negative), lookalike cultivars and the seemingly never ending problem with confusing names.

Where appropriate, we placed a copy of the material on the individual cultivar or species page. We also put the information and quotations on a group of topic pages listed below:

  1. Blue Hostas
  2. 'Blue Mouse Ears'
  3. Early Hosta Cultivars
  4. Fall Bloomers
  5. Flowers
  6. Green Hostas
  7. Halcyon Group
  8. Hosta History
  9. Hybridizing
  1. Japanese Words
  2. Large Hostas
  3. Look-a-Like Hostas
  4. Hosta Names
  5. Non-US Hostas
  6. Photo Essays
  7. Plant Traits
  8. Hosta Series
  9. Small Hostas
  1. Hosta Species
  2. Top Rated Hostas
  3. Unstable Variegation
  4. White Margin Hostas
  5. White Medial Hostas
  6. Yellow Hostas
  7. Yellow Margin Hostas
  8. Yellow Medial Hostas

1) An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (1996 Vol. 27 No. 2) states that, "H. 'Blue Angel' is one of the best large blue-leaved hostas. The leaves are more pointed and less seersuckered than those of H. sieboldiana 'Elegans' . I happen to think the leaves are a good blue color; there are other big hostas with bluer leaves...it is a faster grower than H. sieboldiana 'Elegans' ...an exciting new sport of 'Blue Angel' ...H. 'Guardian Angel' is a blue-leaved hosta with an attractive, wide center variegation....Not surprisingly, 'Green Angel' is the green sport."

2) An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (1997 Vol. 28 No. 1) states that, "There already is a blue hosta with the leaf curling character of 'Stetson'. It is a seedling of H. sieboldiana (not H. sieboldiana 'Elegans') with pollen parent unknown. The leaf blades are canoe shaped, even more curled on the sides than 'Stetson'. Its very fitting name is 'Blue Canoe'...an exciting new introduction of Gwen Black who gardens in...England."

NOTE: H. sieboldiana is now considered to be a cultivar H. 'Sieboldiana'.

3) An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2000 Vol. 31 No. 1) states that, "H. 'Blue Mammoth'...The hosta's name has blue in it, but the leaf looks mighty green in the article's photo."

4) In an article in The Hosta Journal (2001 Vol. 32 No. 1), Tom Micheletti, former President of The American Hosta Society took on the task of listing the "Classic Hosta Cultivars" through the year 2003. He decided to divide these into categories including: Green, Blue, Yellow (Gold, White-Margined, Yellow-Margined, White Medio-Variegated and Yellow Medio-Variegated.

No other genus in the plant kingdom has as many blue-leaved variants...Grandaddy of the blues would be H. sieboldiana 'Elegans'. H. 'Tokudama' would be the other parent that has passed along the blue leaf characteristics.
 
Classic Blue Hostas
bullet H. 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' has large cupped corrugated leaves and is distinctive when viewed in any garden.
bullet H. 'Azure Snow' is a large blue with white-backed leaves.
bullet H. 'Baby Bunting' is a mini blue.
bullet H. 'Big Daddy' has large upright held, cupped and corrugated leaves.
bullet H. 'Blue Angel' is the winner of numerous awards, and beautiful specimens have been seen in countless gardens.
bullet H. 'Blue Arrow' a nice upright blue with arrow-shaped leaves, whose parentage is unknown.
bullet H. 'Blue Boy' starts out the season blue, but quickly loses its blue coloration.
bullet H. 'Blue Cadet' is not one of the bluest, but distinctive nonetheless.
bullet H. 'Blue Dimples' is confused in the trade with H. 'Blue Wedgwood'. Both are distinctive hostas in the garden.
bullet H. 'Blue Mammoth' is a large selection from H. 'Elegans'.
bullet H. 'Blue Moon' is a small powdery blue that is one of the better of the Tardiana Group.
bullet H. 'Blue Seer' has very puckered blue leaves.
bullet H. 'Blue Umbrellas' is a cultivar that doesn't stay blue through much of the season, but the large, down-turned leaves are identifiable in any garden.
bullet H. 'Blue Vision', H. 'Bressingham Blue' and H. 'True Blue' are other selections from H. 'Elegans' that are very blue and puckered.
bullet H. 'Fragrant Blue' is the first to combine powdery-blue leaves and fragrant flowers.
bullet H. 'Hadspen Blue' has nice round leaves that hold their color well into the season.
bullet H. 'Halcyon' is one of the bluest of the blues well into the season.
bullet H. 'Krossa Regal' another upright growing hosta with pointed, gray-green leaves.
bullet H. 'Love Pat' has very distinctive cupped, puckered blue leaves.
bullet H. 'Sea Lotus Leaf' is one of Mildred Seaver's more distinctive large blue hostas.

 

5) An article by Steve Chamberlain (well-known hybridizer of the Academy Series) in The Hosta Journal (2002 Vol. 33 No. 3) states that, "My six favorite blues are Hosta 'Deep Blue Sea', 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd', 'Camelot', 'Silvery Slugproof', 'Bill Dress's Blue', and 'Blue Angel', but most of them do not grow rapidly."

6) In an article in The Hosta Journal (2003 Vol. 34 No. 3), hybridizer Randy Goodwin was asked to select his top five favorite blue and yellow hostas. He responded with the following:
Favorite Blue Hostas
H. 'Halcyon' - The benchmark for blues...Whenever I see a new blue hosta, I take a leaf and place it next to 'Halcyon' as my standard. H. 'Winfield Blue' another consistent blue.
H. 'War Party' - Holds its bloom well into late summer...resembles a plant from the Tardiana Group except it has a larger growth habit with a mature clump spreading over 4 feet.
H. 'Blue Angel' - Deservedly popular in Indianapolis gardens...The size and color make it a classic.
H. 'Blue Betty Lou' - Upright growth, leaves that are characteristic of H. sieboldiana and a powder blue bloom, has been a favorite since I first saw it.
H. 'Blue Blush' - Finding a smaller hosta with good blue color plus a decent growth rate is difficult. H. 'Blue Blush' fills this need.

7) An article about favorite blue hostas in The Hosta Journal (2006 Vol. 37 No. 2) reported the responses of the following hosta hybridizers:

bullet Charles Tuttle - "H. 'Buckeye Blue' has to be up there in the top five."
bullet Bob Balitewicz - "My favorite is 'Yankee Blue'." 
bullet Kent Terpening - "H. 'Winfield Blue'. I also vote for 'Venetian Blue' and 'Blue Jay' and 'Deep Blue Sea' and ..."
bullet Mary Chastain - "Several garden visitors have stated that 'Lakeside Color Blue' is the bluest hosta they have ever seen" 
bullet Virginia and Brian Skaggs - "What is the bluest? What time of day? What time of year? The color is different under different lights and different times of the year. Everyone's eyes see colors differently too. Tough call!"

8) An article by Rick Goodenough in The Hosta Journal (2012 Vol. 43 No. 1) states that, “While ‘Leaping Lipizzan’ has some blue tones early in the season, ‘Dover Downs’, ‘Breeder’s Cup’ and ‘Suffolk Downs’ all have stronger early season blue. H. ‘Dover Downs’ features leaves with a more elongated form and a nice point on the tip, as well as wonderful wavy edges.”

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