Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
don_in_colorado

H. 'Dream Weaver' vs. H. 'Dream Queen'

don_in_colorado
11 years ago

Hello, my dear enablers; can anyone tell me about either/both of 'em? I was wondering which of the two The Hosta Forum preferred, if there is in fact a discernable preference between them. Obviously they look remarkably similar and have the same parent plant; I was curious about growth speed, difficulty/ease in growing, any kind of first-hand knowledge would be great. I'm putting together an order for Green Mountain Hostas, and they have both @ 9 bucks each. It's tempting to get em both, but.... If they're that similar in a lot of ways I don't really want to buy both. Not that you can buy too many hosta, I'd just rather get something other than TWO 'Great Expectations' look-alikes. :)

Thanks very much,

Don B.
Westminster, CO.

Comments (16)

  • in ny zone5
    11 years ago

    Hi Don. You probably have seen the pictures in the Alphabet D postings. I have both, also H.'Thunderbolt', I like their leaf designs. I have no problem with either of them. In my garden 'Dream Weaver' is the slowest grower, but looks the nicest. For me it seems that 'Dream Queen' is the fastest grower. 'Thunderbolt' is to get higher by 3 inches and have larger leaves than the others.
    Bernd

  • irawon
    11 years ago

    Don, I've had all three hostas. I lost Dream Weaver, perhaps due to growing conditions. I'm moving Thunderbolt to a new location next spring as I have it located on a slope: the water may be draining away too quickly. My Dream Queen has performed the best for me. I believe that Dream Queen and Dream Weaver are sports of Great Expectations whereas Thunderbolt is a sport of Elegans. You can't go wrong with DQ, imho.

  • don_in_colorado
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the info!

  • donrawson
    11 years ago

    Beach Boy is reported to be a better grower than any of those...I'd try that one.

  • in ny zone5
    11 years ago

    $32 at In the Country. 'Beach Boy' is not in the Hosta Library. Bernd

  • don_in_colorado
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I forgot about H. 'Lakeside Shoremaster'. From what I've seen in pics, that looks quite similar to 'D. Queen' and 'D. Weaver'. At least in pics it does?

  • gogirlterri
    11 years ago

    Don-Les is unvailable at this time but I can answer for him:

    He has had no success with Great Expectations in two states and four gardens. Three ago he bought Dream Queen because he does like the Great Expectatios appearance when prime, but last year he lost that too.

    Last year he bought Dream Weaver for me to start me with my hosta container garden, hoping I will have more success. I m excitedly waiting for dormancy to break to see how she is doing. If she does well I am very tempted to try GE in pots.

    I'd helped pot up the two teeny remnants of DQ last spring, which is what has gotten me started in container hostas. They were eaten by vermin. When dug up the plant showed evidence of crown rot. He told me when he bought it the roots looked ike octopus arms. He has records showing all of the GE he'd lost looked the same way, regarding their crowns. Each had been planted at different depths and it didn't seem to matter.

    For what he spent on his GE's and DQ, I wouldn't balk at the cost of Beach Boy from what I have just read in your thread, if it is sturdier. My girlfriend has Thunderbolt and I love it. She also has GE's that are growing like weeks.

    Which brings me to ask if unusually heavy fertilization helps with growing the GE family. I feel she uses a lot of liquid fertilizer during the summer-like once a week. Her DH mixes Miracle-Gro literally by the buckets and pours it over her hostas. (He does this in the evening, of all times!) It could have to do with the volume of water too.

    I don't know if this helps or hurts, Don. All I can do is pass on the message.
    Theresa

  • in ny zone5
    11 years ago

    Here is advice about growing 'Great Expectations' from forum member 'dhaven' :

    "dhaven
    Some varieties are very picky about growing conditions, and unless they are planted in optimum conditions, they will either remain small, or fade away and die. The best example of this I know of is Great Expectations, which also happens to be my favorite hosta. A great many people have lost this one, sometimes more than once. I have three very large mature plants, and they are the prettiest thing in the garden. It took some experimentation, but there are three things that GE absolutely must have to thrive. First, and most importantly, plant it shallowly. It's going to be a very large plant, so the natural inclination is to plant it deeply, but this will kill it faster than anything else. Plant it so shallowly you are convinced that it will tip over, and you've got it right. Secondly, it likes a lot of light. Dappled shade is ideal, but it will take several hours of direct sun, either morning or afternoon. Third, it likes a lot of water. If you give a GE all three of these things, you will increase your chances of growing it into an absolutely stunning plant.
    If you want to try any of the hostas that have the reputation of being difficult, be prepared to try different locations and growing methods, and possibly go through several plants before you discover what works for that variety in your location. When you do find out what works, please share the information with the rest of us!"

  • User
    11 years ago

    This subject was brought up last year, somewhat, or it turned into that. Here is the thread ....first one....

    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0714573426103.html

    http://www.pwk.resteddoginn.ca/hosta_dreamq.php

    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg111439182431.html

    and it goes on and on....all references from our forum. I did the search with Google for
    Dream weaver queen hosta
    so much easier than searching with the forum search.

  • gogirlterri
    11 years ago

    From Les's experience it would seem that the same 3 conditions regarding the planting and caring for GE could apply to DQ, DW and Thunderbolt. Has this proved to be true?

    The answer of this question could mean a lot to the choices Don seeks help with; and how I should plan to grow mine.

    Theresa

  • in ny zone5
    11 years ago

    I would say that watering a lot and giving dappled shade is good for any hosta. I have had experience in hostas getting crown rot when planted too deep in a low lying area. Now I am generally planting high as dhaven points out to do with GE.
    Bernd

  • irawon
    11 years ago

    I thought I'd weigh in regarding Don's question:

    "I forgot about H. 'Lakeside Shoremaster'. From what I've seen in pics, that looks quite similar to 'D. Queen' and 'D. Weaver'. At least in pics it does?"

    Zilis in his Hostapedia says Lakeside Shore Master and St. Paul are similar, LSM being taller at maturity. The margin on Lakeside Shore Master at maturity is 1/2" wider than St. Paul's. Boy am I in trouble; I didn't allow my LSM enough space.

    Also, he states that Dream Queen/Weaver and Thunderbolt are similar. From the mature measurements he quotes, it's my impression that Dream Queen/Weaver and Thunderbolt are taller plants than the first group. Zilis states that Dream Weaver is taller than Thunderbolt at maturity. Dream Weaver has a wider margin than Dream Queen. Zilis didn't find that Thunderbolt had a wider margin than Dream Weaver at maturity.

    Zilis doesn't list Beach Boy. I believe that's because BB was introduced after 2008. BB looks a lot like Great Expectations to me.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Beach Boy

  • don_in_colorado
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks very much for everyone's input on this topic. It can only make my choice(s) that much easier.

    Thaks also for the heads-up on H.'Beach Boy'...Jim's Hostas also has it now, listed at $19.00; Being a hosta junkie, now I'm considering getting a couple of the varieties we've talked about...Then in the future my opinion may be of value in helping another newbie with his/her decisions......I'll post my decision(s) as I make 'em, I'm sure it'll involve more that one retailer

    Thanks Again!

    Don B.
    Currently 6 deg. F in
    Westminster, CO.

    P.S. Thanks for the GE info also, I have 2, and the one in 4 hours of morning sun was doing noticably better than the one in med. shade for the day...I'll re-site the runt in the Spring, for sure. I got this one from NH Hostas, and with all the A.M. sun, it about doubled its size in the summer...Hopefully we'll get a leap when it rises again.

  • thisismelissa
    11 years ago

    LS Shoremaster, IMO is nothing like DW/DQ.

    I have DW and Thunderbolt at GE all in the same section of the garden. Thunderbolt, IMO is the most distinctive, with the widest margin. DQ is in a completely different section, getting much less sun, and it's just not that memorable.

    After having all 3 planted in their spots since 2008, I'd say Thunderbolt is the best performer.

  • irawon
    11 years ago

    Melissa, in your opinion are they all equally blue? That is Dream Queen, Dream Weaver and Thunderbolt?

  • thisismelissa
    11 years ago

    Hard to say about DQ... it's in a shaded area, so there's less likelihood for the blue to fade.

    The other 3, to me are basically the same shade of blue/green (like that of Elegans)