It's just gorgeous. Should be in every garden. This plant is 2 years old. It's about 4 ft in diameter.

Steve

I have 4, unfortunatley, it seems as through when I bought the first one, I picked one that isn't all that pretty color wise. My friend bought one at the same time, and it is much nicer than mine.

Two thoughts occur to me. One, isn't it Guardian Angel that turns rather monocolor by mid-season? I seem to remember researching it and then being disappointed to hear it loses its lovely color designs by July. If spring came several months early in your area like it did in mine, Guardian Angel may thing it is July and time to protect/hide her coloration.

Second thought: Is that spot maybe a bit too sunshiny for Guardian Angel? Perhaps she wants more dappled shade? I don't know for sure, but for some reason, that corner looks a bit too exposed to light to me. But perhaps not. Let's see what others have to say on that subject.

Third thought: enough water? (I lied about only having 2 thoughts on the topic.)

Kate : )

Mine looks just like steves and it is huge, too. One of my favorites. I have divided it so many time for friends and it just keeps on kicking. It loves the deep shade..

Mine's in pretty near full dappled shade. It stayed variegated all year last year. I just checked my pictures and it was still beautifully streaked in August. I did give it a lot of water. So maybe water and shade will do it.

Steve

I planted one about 3-4 years ago and it's a dud. The coloring is there...technically it's there...but it's so light and subtle that anyone would look and say it's plain green until I take they up really close and point it out.
Gayle

I do not have a Guardian Angel hosta, but I gave two to My Friend Nancy (along with her namesake plant). She said they were gorgeous. When she sends me a picture of where she planted them, on either side of My Friend Nancy, I'll be pleased to post the photo.

The plants came from Mason Hollow Hosta in Mason NH, and the subsequent order I received yesterday makes me realize they sent primo plants on both orders. Awesome. Another good source!

That coloration is amazing Steve- exactly what they showed in the auction picture. It is truly amazing!!

Nancy, what are your other three doing coloration-wise? Is it colored like Steve's at all?

Thanks for sharing. I think I will be working on getting one for my very shady part of the yard.. Can't wait!

G

Is the color pretty subtle the first couple of years, or is it pretty apparent? I bought one last year, and the hosta dealer told me the color would come eventually. Not seeing any change yet :(

Now that is a slow one for me. But then it's sharing root space with a 10' 20 yr old duetzia, so maybe that's why. It is a beautiful subtle elegant color, tho.

Sandy

I got one last year. I was just outside ooohing and ahhhing over her when I came in and saw this post. She is in a pot on the north side of the house in Zone 8 and looks just like I had hoped she would...softly stripey. She's in a 1.5 gallon pot and looking like that's just right for now.

Can anyone suggest other hostas that have this lovely muted (but not muddy) coloration?

Well, there really isn't anything else like Guardian Angel, which makes it so desirable. But there are a number of Hosta with soft colors. Here's two that I like:

Piecrust Promise (posted in the Ripples thread also)

Lakeside Symphony

Steve

Guardian Angel has a 'checkered' history of losing it's SO INTERESTING pattern, with widely varied experience.

My Wife's registration of her H. 'Beauty Queen' in 2009 is very similar, and here, at least is stable, but it's being trialed in several other gardens before it may be worth 'marketing' it.

See good ol' hl.org for pics from here.

Kathy Sorenson bought one via the Brian Skaggs memorial auction last year but lost it. We sent her another last week.

As usual, to fully ensure a stable and mature hosta to market takes many, many years.

See the infamous one that everyone is reverting to PEE DEE GOLD,

or all the failed x-rayed ones (e.g. 'Embroidery'),

or what I jokingly refer to as 'Green Revolution', one that certainly should have undergone a much longer evaluation before becoming a HOTY, huh?

Man, O Man, I sure hope H. 'Empress Wu' (which I still refer to, out of deference to the late Brian Skaggs as 'Xanadu Empress Wu', and may talk to Virginia about petitioning the powers to be to change to that . . .) stays true, woohoo!

FWIW,

hh