and here is the sort of regular variety. I think these are quite different. Does anyone have any info on these.

plantaginea has 6 inch trumpet like flowers ..

RS flowers are 3 inches ...

there is no other hosta with 6 inch flowers ... measure yours or show us a pic ...

the leaves themselves are very close to each other ..... especially in regard to color ...

i would post a pic if i could

ken

I have several pots of Royal Standard. I also have one pot of Royal Accolade and Royal Super. Royal Super is new this year and not yet full like the others.

Royal Standard has these other hosta to its credit. Most are sports.
Adorable' sport/yg
'Dee's Golden Jewel' = PP x 'Galaxy'
'Hoosier Harmony' sport/yg
'Prairieland Memories' sport/yy
'Royal Accolade' sport/yg
'Royal Charmer' sport/gw
'Royal Gold' sport/yyv
'Royal Splash' sport/os
'Royal Super' sport/gw
'Slightly Royal' sport/gw
'Willamette' = plantaginea x PP

Leaves change a lot as they mature. Look up Royal Standard in HostaLibrary and see the different photos.

But, here is a picture of one of my RS.
Younger in 2012.

And then same plant yesterday. Note the leaves changed

Might be a different camera but this one is in less sunlight than the other pot of RS. Taken May 13 2014

With more sunlight you will likely have blooms on your RS.
Like this taken August 12. 2013

Looks like your friend gave you a nice hosta.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Library

Thanks ken,

Jim, I have a pair of hosta that I bought about 15 or 20 years at Sam's Club. I think mine was labeled Elegans and the other was labeled Royal Standard. Neither is either. With those really old varieties, there is much variation in the product. I read somewhere that, at one point in the nursery business, any sieboldiana seedling was named Elegans; any Royal Standard seedling was named Royal Standard. Unfortunately, that's gossip, because I'm not sure where I read it.

I'm just saying neither of mine is what it was labeled in the early 90's. Maybe your friend bought his the same place I bought mine.

bk

This is my Elegans, or maybe it's Royal Standard

This post was edited by bkay2000 on Sun, Jun 8, 14 at 22:42

They're both lame.

Don B.

I kind of find them quite nice in a group of different colors, to each his own , I guess . What is the reason for not being liked? Some people like dandelions but I curse those on my lawn and burdock are more nasty . Hosta are all nice as far as I am concerned. Some just a bit nicer
Faye

well I will have to post a pic later then..I have what I thought was plantiginea but the leaves are larger than my hand..it is fragrant but I never measure the flowers so I will have to see this year

I like em all! I have 4 pots of Royal Standard, 1 of Royal Accolade, and bought 2 Royal Super this spring If you want fragrant seedpods, you can get it with Royal Standard much easier than with Mama plantaginea. Of course, I know the flower size is not significant compared. But I get dependably open blooms while the season has some life in it.

You look at Honeybells and it is about the same. Then a whole string of Sweet Susan, Sweet Winifred, Sweet Irene, Bette Davis Eyes......I need to catch my breath here......and then there is the awesome Invincible which has such a great track record with producing fragrant plants. Olga contributed Old Faithful which is a big green fragrant. Setting aside for the moment the long line of variegated hosta coming from Don's Guacamole and Fragrant Bouquet itself, there is one green (anything but plain) which has my total respect for both flower size and plant form....and that is Doubled Up. Bob Solberg really struck gold with that sport of Mama herself. It is awesome. If you don't have it, you should take a look. Six inch blooms dependably open.
{{gwi:1002705}}

Of course, I like greenies. In containers I have the opportunity to move two plants side by side and check out their similarities and differences. I move things around while they are small enough to deal with.

It is very true that you can remember better where things are if they stay rooted in the earth. But it is also helpful to have the same family of hosta clustered too. I'm trying that with the fragrant hosta. Plus the Striptease and the ventricosa families so far with more to follow as I learn more.

But back to the plain green plantaginea bunch. I give you a link below to MYHOSTAS.BE plantaginea list of progeny. Some are really hard or impossible to find. I like the sports of Mama herself, but those like Royal Standard ( Mama the pod parent and sieboldiana the pollen parent) are worthy to have in the garden too. They might look insignificant most of the season, only to grab your attention as they bloom.

It is my thinking, and I'm not an informed person, that as the desire to grow hosta moves south, there will be more interest in hybridizing fragrant plants which do well in a longer growing season. Some hybridizers have already tried it at least sporadically (except for Kevin Vaughn when he was younger and PAden stole that heritage away from him). With a market in the south beginning to show possibilities, I mean, why not? Look at the HOTY list and note fragrant winners every third or fourth year. We love our fragrances wafting on the twilight breezes. They are hardy plants which take a lot of sun. Of course, you need to know your grower to trust the greenie is really a fragrant. But figure that most run of the mill gardeners are going to toss the plant labels and if it isn't important why try to remember the exact name? It is only interesting to us hostaphiles with a passion for the plant. Maybe hosta in containers is the way to go in the south. And consider the ones which are "idiot proof" (casual interest at best) as the best option, which means GREEN. Look at the market for Easter lilies....huge and once a year sales....same for poinsettia.

As far as I remember, all the hosta in this picture are fragrant ones. Greens can turn golden with a lot of light. I am steeling my nerves to leave them in more sun with more water this summer. I still use my umbrellas. But around July I'll install a 10 foot tall latticed screen along the 40 foot exposed west side of the garden....to create some broken shade after about 2pm. It will be well worth it to create my "walled garden." Home to fragrant hosta....and others.

Here is the next phase of work about to begin in the "far north" end of the garden. Seedling space and golds and my potting operation behind a tall latticed screen for shade from the western sun.

What did Kermit sing? "It isn't easy being green." But Miss Piggy loved him anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plantaginea progeny

I like the ol' Royal Standard. Not a bad plant at all, in my opinion.

Don B.