Hi Funn!
I am satisfied with the look of Luna Moth too. It is a sophisticated leaf design and classic color combination. Very fashion conscious colors, only need a streak of hot pink somewhere as an accent for some designer duds.

Here is mine. To show the quick coloring up within a matter of days, I give you LM on 4-2-14

and again on 4-13-14

My Luna Moth is fairly new since I got it late last season but here is a pic of it anyway from last year. This year I am hoping it will look a little less 'weathered'. I am still waiting for the pips this year, if only it would warm up just a wee bit. It is now June and she has arrived.

This post was edited by paula_b_gardener on Mon, Jun 16, 14 at 18:41

I have two, and they're still just pips. This pic is from last year.

Don B.

Wow, truly a beauty - interesting variation in central variegation. Don, yours is outstanding! The indumentum is really prominent - verrrry nice! Adds another element to an already stunning hosta.

The rounder leaves and wider outer margin also are stunning on Paula's.
Mocc, your grouping makes each one stand out for its own merits. Simply lovely.

Glad you are showcasing your beauty, Funnthsun! It is so perfect.

Here's mine from 2013:

Vanessa

Grabbed another pic this morning, while it was wet:

Thank you, Jo, for the new vocabulary word. I did not know indumentum and now I can spell it. Not sure if I can USE it yet.

Lovely pictures of this hosta.

Jo,

Are you referring to the white leaf backs when you say indumentum? Unlike with Rhododendrons, the white color is caused by wax in Hosta, not by small hairs.

From Wikipedia: "In biology, an indumentum (Latin, literally: "garment") is a covering of trichomes (fine "hairs") on a plant[1] "

Steve

Haha Steve, I did the same thing and read the exact same line.

Thanks Jo for the word introduction and the compliment on my Luna Moth.

I love this hosta and I love to see the slight variations in everyone's photos.

here is my 2nd year plant at he end of June last year. This year 6 bullets (or pips if you like) are currently about an inch long just starting to emerge. Everything is soooo slow this year my gardens are still very barren.

Here is my Luna Moth yesterday with the middle just beginning to color up.

We've gotten 7" of rain over the last 2 days so I snapped a quick pic between raindrops.

I took pics of everything just in case there was hail in some of the storms that have been rumbling through.

DGreggory, I hear that! I feel just the same way, like mamas and papas sending their children off to the wars, taking pictures just in case, hoping not, but why might it be any different in my garden than it is in yours......it makes a person feel compassionate. I think you see the beauty even more clearly.

And that is what I did just before dark as well. Water was standing two inches deep around the new arrivals and newly repotted hosta in front of the deck. But wait, what do we have here? The pots which had been empty yesterday, with a bare green spot in the pot, were today sporting pips/eyes up to four inches tall! Whoaaa, that has to be noted. So it is in my camera right now. Just for you, I will go to the trouble of removing the SD card with 20 pictures on it to show it here while it is a mere 2 hours old at most. We had 3 inches an hour falling just before this, on top of the 4 plus inches from the previous 24 hours. I don't know how much is expected to fall, but let's say it is pretty darn WET around here.....and hail may come later? Well, at that we are remembering the options others were dealt, and we are speechless. So yeah, it could be a significant moment in life which needs to be marked, observed, and revered.

This picture is Spartacus just at nightfall. In the background is Fair Maiden. I have a better picture of FM for next time.

Lol, I've been waiting for the opportunity to use that perfect word in a perfect setting! I read about it in my Grenfell/Shadrack hosta encyclopedia originally about two years ago.

Steve, yes, exactly! " The depth of the leaf cupping allows the soft greyish-white indumentum covering the back of the leaf to be visible. " describing H. 'Deep Blue Sea'. Don's hosta shows it to perfection IMO. So beautiful.

Jim, Deb, Mocc such beautiful pictures. I'm succumbing here...

Hope all the storms blow over very quickly for all of you. Thinking of you...

Jo

Here's my 'Luna Moth' from today. I really like the look of this hosta, but I found some spring dessication (burn) on the leaves today. Does anyone else have this problem. Mines only in sun until 11 am, but we did get a sudden rise in temperature today.

I'm not photo savvy. But mine looks as great as these pics I'm seeing. Is this the hot new hosta? Sure seems to be a lot of interest here.

JMC, now that spring is here and folks are coming outdoors, we get excited about how our plants are doing. Luna Moth is a fairly new hosta but has been grown for a few years. It has a lovely unique leaf pattern with fine colors. It grows well and makes the gardener look accomplished. So what is not to like, right? We tend to GO for it with hosta....

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum, JMC. Lots of interest about many varieties of hostas here. Most of them, actually.

Don B.

Looks like 'Luna Moth' is not registered. No wonder it's not on the American Hosta Society favorites list, as plants (please correct me if I'm wrong) have to be AHS registered to be considered for voting.

Don B.

I can see from all the beautiful pictures of Luna Moth , I just have to keep my eye open for this one too. It is a very striking plant and now my want list has begun again. I did manage to get in a small hosta hit locally and picked up a Maui Buttercup , another large Independence( way bigger then the none I got last year) , an Autumn Frost and nice sized Pearl Lake. Now for my order to arrive from Hosta Choice(34 more) I may be running out of room soon. Yah yah, there is more lawn.

Can't resist this hosta! Pic from above...

OK, I think I'm done now, LOL!

It is beautiful for sure! It is so symmetrical, too.

One of my faves.

Thank you for this topic. I am not knowledgeable about hosta varieties, and my garden is packed, but I need to find room for this one, not only because it is beautiful, but the name is magic.

I have a Luna Moth hosta. But I discovered something online about the real moths. I give the link below to a YouTube video of the caterpillar and the cocoon hatching, and the mating.

I'm mentioning it because the host tree for the eggs laid by the female will be hickory trees (pecans in that family), among others. That is of interest to me and to BKAy who also has pecans in her garden.

I did not realize they live only one week as a moth. They also are active at NIGHT. Now that is interesting because I have fragrant hosta which attract pollinators at night. I'd love to think about the moths coming to my blooms in the night!
I'm pretty careful about what I squash, so now I will be even more careful to not kill the rare luna moth caterpillars which potentially could be in my pecan trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Luna Moth. caterpillar, cocoon video

I think this one has been in the ground a year and a half....possibly two? I am not even sure.