Probably the first "Series" of hostas was created by hosta pioneer Mildred Seaver. She named 66 of her introductions with the first name "Sea" as in 'Sea Lotus Leaf'.

Many originators have followed suit in using a key identifying word or phrase i.e. moniker, for their hosta introductions. Some series have only a few cultivars while others such as the 'Lakeside' series of Mary Chastain or the "Valley's" series by Jeroen Linneman of the Netherlands include over 200 hostas.

While most series are unique to a single originator, a few series names may be used for the occasional cultivar from another hybridizer/originator. For example, the American Series from Van Wade includes a large number of hostas but there are several other plants with "American" in their name which originated elsewhere. In our series lists, we have tried to include only the names from a single originator who started the series. At times, we have two options, one for the series and one for all other hostas that contain that particular word in the name.

A few series are defined by a particular topic. For instance, the Dinosaur Series is from one originator who named the hostas after specific dinosaurs. The Gunsmoke Series includes names from that long-running television show.

As of early 2023, we have 144 hosta series listed ranging from 2 cultivars to 252.