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1) An article by
Gwen Black from
England in
The
Hosta Journal (1997 Vol. 28 No. 2) answers the question, "Which
hosta makes the most outstanding golden dazzle in the early growth?...candidates
were: 'Goldsmith', 'Gold Haze', 'Platinum Tiara', 'Golden
Scepter', 'Sea Fire',
'Golden Oriole', 'Hadspen Samphire', 'Bizarre', 'Anne Arett' and 'Granary Gold'
and on this occasion the award went to H. 'Golden Oriole' with H. 'Granary Gold'
a close second."
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2) 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.
Here is a list of some distinctive
gold-leaf (now called yellow leaf) hostas that have withstood the
test of time. |
Classic
Yellow (Gold) Hostas |
- H. 'Birchwood Parky's Gold' is a fast growing spreading
mound of pointed gold leaves.
- H. 'Chartreuse Wiggles' lives up to its name with wavy,
pointed, narrow leaves.
- H. 'Cheatin Heart' is one of the smaller gold hostas.
- H. 'Daybreak' -- who can miss this wide spreading mound of
large shiny gold leaves?
- H. 'Glory' is a glory with golden leaves combined with nice
purple flowers.
- H. 'Gold Drop' is probably one of the best gold edging
plants.
- H. 'Gold Edger' is another edger that tolerates a fair
amount of direct sun exposure without burning.
- H. 'Gold Regal' is a distinctive powdery gold with upright
held leaves, and don't forget the masses of lavender flowers
held in good proportion to the foliage later in the season.
- H. 'Golden
Scepter' is one of the many sports of H. 'Golden Tiara', this one being all gold.
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- H. 'Golden Sculpture' is a very large plant. After seeing in
the Olson garden at the 2000
AHS National Convention, I have a
renewed respect for this beauty.
- H. 'Lemon
Lime', even though it changes color as the summer
progresses, grows like a weed!
- H. 'Little Aurora' may be confused with
H. 'Golden Prayers',
but this is the cultivar that is usually encountered.
- H. 'Midas Touch' is probably the crinkliest of the golds.
- H. 'Piedmont Gold' is a distinctive large gold that has
been around for quite some time It has nice white flowers to
boot.
- H. 'Sum and Substance' -- there are those who show
disdain for this plant. But, who can refute its enormous size
and impact, especially after seeing
Van
Wade's giant?
- H. 'Sun Power' really glows in the garden with its great
form and presence.
- H. 'Vanilla Cream' has rounded leaves that have a very
smooth texture.
- H. 'Zounds' may be slow to grow, but when it's mature all
one can say is "Zounds!"
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This is quite an extensive list of
distinctive cultivars. Many have been popular either with gardeners,
landscapers and collectors for over 25 years...Their timeless beauty
is why they are still kicking after all these years. |
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3) In an article in
The
Hosta Journal (2003 Vol. 34 No. 3),
Bruce Banyai was
asked to select his top five large yellow hostas for northern regions. He
responded with the following:
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1) H. 'Gold Regal' |
- slow but majestic in leaf
presentation and bloom. Needs two to three years to become showy. |
2) H. 'Piedmont Gold' |
- again, a solid slow-grower that
becomes very large. |
3) H. 'Sun Power' |
- really lights up a shady area, taking
just a bit of sun to bring out its best qualities. |
4) H. 'King Tut' |
- hard to find, slow-growing but glows
and demands attention. |
5) H. 'Daybreak' |
- staggering when grown to perfection
and only takes a couple of years to become showy. |
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4) In an article in
The
Hosta Journal (2003 Vol. 34 No. 3),
Randy Goodwin was
asked to select his top five favorite blue and yellow hostas. He responded with
the following:
Favorite Yellow Hostas |
H. 'Sun Power' |
- Its golden-yellow color and form are
exceptional, with availability in the trade the proof. |
H. 'Golden Prayers'/'Little Aurora' |
- Will lighten any shady garden nook. |
H. 'Prairie Fire' |
- Another very bright yellow, made more
noticeable by its distinctive growth habit. |
H. 'Sea Gold' |
- A good large grower in my garden and
the color is consistent all season long. |
H. 'Daybreak' |
- Very bright. Its gloss adds to its
eye-catching appeal. It needs ample sun to bring forth its best
growth. |
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5) An Editor's note in
The
Hosta Journal (2003 Vol. 34 No. 3) states that, "Many of
these cultivars traditionally have been referred to as "golds," but
The American Hosta
Society recently made the decision to refer to them as "yellows," since
the color gold does not occur in horticulture."
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6) An article about her favorite yellow hostas by Amy Peterson in
The
Hosta Journal (2010 Vol. 41 No. 2) divides them by Size,
Form, Texture and Fragrance:
Yellow Hostas by SIZE |
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Very Large
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H. 'Solar Flare': Forms a large arching clump, creating an
impressive specimen. |
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H. 'Sum and Substance' : Makes an immense broad mound with
large golden-yellow leaves. |
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Large
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H. 'City Lights': One of the oldest yellow hostas with
bright golden color and good pest resistance. |
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H. 'Daybreak': A large widespread mound that will draw
attention from a distance. |
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H. 'Great Lakes Gold': A large, golden-yellow hosta with
distinctively rippled foliage. |
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H. 'Lemon Chiffon': Not readily available but forms a
fast-growing clump of pointed leaves. |
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H. 'Sun Power' : Classic yellow hosta that grows into a
large, dense, upright mound. Makes a great specimen plant or
focal point in the garden. |
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Medium
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H. 'Abiqua Recluse': Produces a bright spot of golden color
in the shade. Has a slow growth rate, but good pest-resistance. |
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H. 'Fire Island': One of the best in the spring with bright
yellow foliage and red petioles. |
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H. 'Prairie Fire': Develops a bright golden color with
morning sun. Has a distinctive rippled edge. |
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H. 'Sea Fire': A vigorous grower that draws attention in
early spring with its brilliant golden tones and reddish
petioles. |
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Small
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H. 'Eye Catcher': Lives up to its name with cupped, unruly,
golden-yellow foliage. |
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H. 'Lakeside Waterfall': Long, narrow yellow foliage
cascades, similar to falling water. Makes a nice, dense clump in
the garden. |
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H. 'Sea Angel Wings': Wavy, narrow yellow leaves form a
small to medium clump. |
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Miniature
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H. 'Dragon Tails': Forms a small, dense mound of narrow
rippled yellow foliage. Excellent plant for edging a garden or
for a rock garden. |
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H. 'Golden Spades': Bright yellow, oval leaves in a small
clump make this hosta a nice specimen or a flashy border plant. |
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H. 'Ground Sulphur': Grows in a low, dense mound of narrow,
golden foliage. Makes a statement at the front of a garden bed. |
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Yellow Hostas by
FORM |
Vase-shaped (Upright) |
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H. 'Gold Regal' : Classic, older variety. Useful as a
specimen plant or as a backdrop. |
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H. 'Midnight Sun': Large, semi-upright mound of yellow
foliage with good substance. Impressive as a bright specimen
planting. |
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H. 'Summer Olympics': Very bright yellow, medium, upright
hosta with nice substance and good growth. You may have to
search a bit for this one, but well worth it. |
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Cupped Leaves |
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H. 'Christmas Gold': Medium mound of intensely corrugated
and cupped yellow foliage that does very well in full sun. Slow
in growth rate, but stays strong against pests. |
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H. 'Super Bowl': Forms a very thick, seersuckered and
heavily cupped golden-yellow clump. Leaves are nearly round and
will tolerate morning sun. Not a rapid grower, but will provide
a strong focal point in the garden. |
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Rippled Edge |
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H. 'Choo Choo Train': Large plant with very pronounced,
piecrust edges. Readily available and makes a strong statement
with its rippled leaves. |
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H. 'Lakeside San Kao': Light yellow foliage with distinctive
green leaf veins provides interesting contrast that draws
attention to the large mound. Rippled leaf edging and elongated
leaves make the plant a standout. |
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H. 'Prairie Fire': Bright, medium mound, rippled and twisted
leaves. Slow to mature. Color becomes more intense during the
season. |
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Yellow Hostas by
TEXTURE |
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H. 'Aspen Gold': Medium to large yellow clump with deeply
corrugated leaves. Needs some sun to color up to bright yellow
and is very slow in its growth habit, but demonstrates good
pest-risistance and makes a strong statement in the bed. |
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H. 'Faith': Forms a medium mound of rather unruly, heavily seersuckered yellow foliage. Leaves are somewhat heart-shaped. |
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H. 'Maui Buttercups': Great small to medium clump of cupped
and corrugated leaves. You need to give this plant some time to
establish itself, but it will provide a great spot of color in a
bed. |
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Yellow Hostas by
FRAGRANCE |
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H. 'Fried Bananas': With its fragrant, pale lavender flowers
and a medium to large mound of yellow foliage, this widely
available hosta provides a nice addition. |
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H. 'Sweet Sunshine': A small to medium hosta with white
fragrant flowers. The golden-yellow, cupped and corrugated
foliage gives a somewhat unruly and disheveled look to the
mound. |
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7) An article by
Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (2014 Vol. 45 No. 2) states that, "H. 'Golden Sculpture', registered by the late
Ken Anderson in 1982, is one of the
best, large yellow leaved hostas. It makes a majestic specimen."
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