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evermore_gw

Hosta of the Day - Dream Queen

Every year on the forum, we talk about Great Expectations and its lookalikes. I grow four of them: GE, Dream Weaver, Thunderbolt, and Dream Queen. My favorite, at least this year, is Dream Queen. Mine is a bit crowded by Paradigm, but she holds her own. A good grower (much better than GE in my experience), incredible substance, and a real eye-catcher. Let's compare notes again!

Steve

Comments (36)

  • User
    10 years ago

    I'm folding on this round. My Dream Queen disappeared this year, from a wee pair of leaves it put up. Now nothing. Maybe in a few years I'll try it again. Right now, I have all these other hosta that seem to appreciate what I try to do for them, rather than that ungrateful Dream Queen who died on me.

  • dg
    10 years ago

    Oooh, that's purdy, Steve! Looks to me like there are 4 different colors in her leaves: blue, green, golden yellow and a creamy white center line from the stem.

    I can't wait to see more Dream Queens ;-)

    Deb

  • bkay2000
    10 years ago

    Beautiful hosta, Evermore. I lost mine to the darling demon doglet last year.

    bk

  • on_greenthumb
    10 years ago

    Looks much better than mine - although, mine looks much better since I moved from the path of the destroying dog......I've found that despite being knocked down for 2 years, that it still comes back and is recovering nicely so far since the move....

  • hosta_freak
    10 years ago

    This is a pic from last year,but it looks basically the same this year. A slow grower,to be sure,but worth waiting for. Phil

  • Gesila
    10 years ago

    The 11 leaves of my Dream Queen sure filled this spot up nicely this year. Must not have been much to write home about in previous seasons as this is the first year that I've taken pictures of it.

    Great picture Greenthumb, it made my evening!

    Gesila

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    10 years ago

    Not close to the others posted, but it looks like some vigorous new growth and it may fill-in a lot more as the Summer goes on. The variations in coloring due to positioning, zone, soil or whatever is very interesting. Mine gets a good amount (4-5 hours from 9-1) and dappled from then on.

    Jon

  • dougald_gw
    10 years ago

    My DQ is a verrrry slow grower and not worth a pic. DreamWeaver in its second year in my garden grows well in morning sun and very acid soil. I took a pic of it instead:)

  • don_in_colorado
    10 years ago

    First year. So far so good.

    Don B.

  • jan_on zone 5b
    10 years ago

    Oh greenthumb - how sad! Makes me wonder what colour your other fingers are lol???
    Jan

  • newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
    10 years ago

    Out of the four hostas mentioned, I am really partial to GE. Here are two new additions to my garden---GE(#3) and a Dream Queen.

  • idiothe
    10 years ago

    I really don't have any trouble with GE... two of my three are very nice. I do have to divide a big chunk of blue off one one of these days. My largest and oldest for many years took a nose dive some years back - either silver maple root competition or underground damage of some sort, so it is a shadow of its former self... looks like a second year plant.

    I don't have Dream Queen. I've got a few Thunderbolt and Dream Weavers around... they are all older plants, but in lots of shade - and though pretty, they really haven't grown for me.

    My gardens are large and I'm getting older, so I've pretty much had to take a "you've got to do it on your own" approach. I'll water - it is up to them to do the rest. I think these guys want more food and light than I'm giving them. The successful GEs are in much more light.

    Pictures... must get out with the camera tomorrow if time permits. I've been busy digging and dividing for folks and haven't spent as much time observing and enjoying as I should...

  • newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
    10 years ago

    Young Dream Queen leaf.

  • esox48
    10 years ago

    Dream Queen in a birdy place.

    Thunderbolt

  • irawon
    10 years ago

    Dream Queen this year. It was a bit windy out when I took the picture. I lost Dream Weaver two years ago.

  • irawon
    10 years ago

    My GE planted in 2007, suffering from tree root competition only has 2 eyes but they're fat. I'm planning on lifting him in August and replanting him in a spin out bag now that I have some. I'll ttry to remember not to plant too deep. Hope lifting is not the same as relocating.

  • irawon
    10 years ago

    My Thunderbolt wasn't doing well on a slope, so I've relocated him. I bought a new Thunderbolt and planted him in bright shade in a northern exposure, the same as my Dream Queen. The eye in front is the old Thunderbolt. I notice a broken leaf ... it's really been windy here.

  • on_greenthumb
    10 years ago

    LOL @ Jan - My thumbs are green, but my dogs paws are not....It's definitely not looking so sad now......Very vigorous growth this year. I gave up training him out of that area and moved it.....Will take a new pic...a tribute to how great a plant this one is

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Could someone please tell me the ID of the two blue hostas with light edges that are right next to (on each side of) the beautiful Dream Queen in irawon's June 14, 2013 picture? Thank you much!

  • bkay2000
    7 years ago

    I checked irawon's ID and they did not sign up for private messages. It appears that they are not currently posting.

    It's possible that someone can give you an ID. If not, they might be able to suggest a blue hosta that will do well in your environment. You'll need to tell us where you are and what your growing conditions are (shade, morning sun, etc.).

    Good luck.

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Thanks much for your response. I'd appreciate any guesses as to what those two hostas might be. Am currently in a collection phase even though there is little room for new plants. I'm thinking they'll go into pots until I decide if they're keepers or not. It's been almost 8 years now since I got my first handful of hostas, and none of them made it in my yard. Although both flowerbeds are on the Northern side of the house, there are no trees to provide much shade, and therefore most of the plants get a good amount of sun. A year after the initial failure attempt at a hosta garden, I read somewhere on this board about Halcyon, June, and Blue Ivory being tougher plants, and they indeed have done well here in the past 6-7 years. Very little slug damage, the deer and rabbits rarely touch them, and they don't mind the sun (however, they did not do well at a relative's when they were planted on the Southern side of her house, but that was to be expected). Although the trio has been beautiful here, and would/should be "enough," looking at all these pics got me itching for new additions. Got several last fall when they had already gone dormant (leaves removed), ordered a few more this spring, and now it's a waiting game to see what they look like and how they might do here! I do have a small fence going around the biggest flowerbed now to try to keep rabbits out, and would prefer not to use any slug bait, but am willing to try some Sluggo this year. The deer still have full access to the plants, but they seem too lazy to much on the thicker ones since the next door neighbors have thinner ones :) I forgot to mention that I'm in Northeast Ohio.

  • mountainy man z8 Ireland
    7 years ago

    As a guess I'd say the one on the left is Frosted Dimples, not a clue on the other one.

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago

    Okay, thank you :)

  • sandyslopes z6 n. UT
    7 years ago

    Check out Blue Flame, as well.

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago

    Thanks so much, Blue Flame is a beauty too, but neither of the two sellers I'm getting the new hostas from has that one in stock.

  • irawon zone 5a Ottawa.ca
    7 years ago

    Good for you Mountainy man/Denis, the one on the left is, indeed, Frosted Dimples. The one on the right is Aristocrat.

    Pretty Bird, they have been good growers for me. I'm gad you like them too...they're favourites.

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago

    Thank you so much, glad you saw our posts! The third hosta behind the Frosted Dimples (the one with the light center, with the heart-shaped leaf that's quite visible) is quite pretty too from what I can see in that shot. Please let me know the ID of that one as well, if you don't mind.

    I find it interesting that in that photo your Frosted Dimples and Aristocrat both look taller than the 12-14 inches the online info says they mature to, but I guess what makes them appear taller are the three short hostas near them. I was trying to stick with medium size of around 16 inches (14-18 being preferences), but seeing all of your guys' beautiful pics, already have several newbies that are under 14 inches :) Not only that, but have gone in the other direction too! :-S We'll see how this all turns out, LOL.

  • irawon zone 5a Ottawa.ca
    7 years ago

    The third hosta behind FD is Gypsy Rose. The reason Aristocrat and FD look taller is because they're situated at the top of a mounding bed. Hope that helps.

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    7 years ago

    Beautiful, thank you again!

  • Kindness Matters (NE Ohio 6a)
    6 years ago

    irawon, don't think I can PM you, but wanted to let you know that I ended up getting two Frosted Dimples after seeing yours here :) They are still babies, and the wind has beaten the heck out of them already (should have taken pics when I first planted them!), but hope they come back nicely next year so I can share pics. Right next to them are Mourning Doves, which I also hadn't seen prior to looking at all these pics here...yeah you guys are enablers for real. Thanks :P

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    6 years ago

    Always a late starter, but it is worth the wait

    Bought 2 more for back in the Ravine. One is ripped up, should recover, but not photo worthy. The other is doing well and should mature into a nice plant.

    Planted last year.

    Jon



  • sherrygirl zone5 N il
    6 years ago

    Dream Queen has been a huge disappointment for me. I put three in different spots in the garden, they flourished for two seasons then just started fading away. The last one I'm still trying revive, I've moved it twice. It came up again this spring but I'm not hopeful.

    Sherry


  • DelawareDonna Zone 7A
    6 years ago

    I'm giving mine one last chance. I dug it up, cleaned the roots and planted it in organic soil. We shall see. It is a beautiful hosta when its performing well.

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    6 years ago

    Sherry and DD, the only sure way to guarantee that a Dream Queen will excel is to find a hawk's nest and plant it directly underneath. :-0l.


  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Have two...both about three feet or so away from each other. Look at the difference.. love it though!

    The first one is closer/earlier to get sun.