These are three books I have; not sure they have enough pics for you. Since all three are pretty old, I'm anxious to see what others recommend. I'm with you; I can't afford a book over $100.

Char
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The Hosta Book by Paul Aden

The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas by Diana Grenfell - this one may be more technical than you want

Hostas - The New Plant Library by Andew Mikolajski (consultant Diana Grenfell)

You want to save money on hosta books???
Here's a hint: Wait till the new book by Mark Zilis comes out...who knows...you may not spend any money at all for the next 2 or 3 years....lol....
Heck! that's not funny...poor Mark....(to be continued)

Melissa,
Here's my list of books which relate to hostas. Let me know of any additions or corrections. Along with those listed below, Mark Zilis of Q & Z Nursery is working on a wonderful new book about hostas. The book will contain much information. It will probably be 9" x 12" hardbound, about 1000 pages, encyclopedia format, with many photos. Mark has not decided on a title for the new book. He is trying to get it to the publisher this fall. The book will be copyrighted by Q & Z Nursery. Thank you, Don

Hosta Books (Revised 9-9-07)

Aden, Paul, editor and compiler. The Hosta Book (Second Edition). Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1994. 133 pp.

American Hosta Society. The Hosta Journal. Robert C. Olson, editor. American Hosta Society. Published three times a year. Free for AHS members.

American Hosta Society. The Hosta Adventure: A Growers Guide. c/o Steve Greene, Sudbury, MA: American Hosta Society, 2001. 32 pp.

American Hosta Society. The Silver Book. c/o Steve Greene, Sudbury, MA: American Hosta Society. The Silver Book is a now a multi-volume set entitled The Genus Hosta: List of Registered Cultivars , List of Species, and Botanical Varieties and Forms and Specioids.

Armitage, Allan. This is Gardening : Hostas. (CD-ROM) Blacksburg, VA: Interactive Design & Development, Inc., 2001.

Barrett, Rosemary. Hostas. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books Inc., 2004. 143 pp.

Bird, Richard and Tarrant, David. Hostas and Other Shade-Loving Plants. Los Angeles: Whitehouse Spelling Publications, 1999. 144 pp.

Bond, Sandra. Hostas. New York, NY: Sterling Pub. Co. Inc., 1992. 96 pp.

British Hosta & Hemerocallis Society. Bulletin of the British Hosta & Hemerocallis Society. c/o Linda Hinton, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Cultivated Plant Code. Wimborne, Dorset: Quarterjack Press, 1995.

Druse, Ken. The Natural Shade Garden. New York, NY: Clarkson N. Potter Inc., 1992. 280 pp.

Elslager, Edward, editor. HostaScience journal. Ann Arbor, MI: Edward Elslager. Published biannually.

Fisher, Eunice V. Hostas: The Aristocratic Plant for Shady Gardens. 1973. 63 pp.

Greene, Steven H. 2007 Hosta Retail Finder. Sudbury, MA: Greene Acre Sales, 2007. 169 pp.

Grenfell, Diana. Hostas. Worcestershire, UK: The Hardy Plant Society, 1993.

Grenfell, Diana. Hostas. London: Cassell, 2002. 96 pp.

Grenfell, Diana. Hostas (Wisley Handbooks). London: Mitchell Beazley, 2008. 96 pp.

Grenfell, Diana. Hosta, The Flowering Foliage Plant. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1990. 208 pp.

Grenfell, Diana and Shadrack, Michael. Timber Press Pocket Guide to Hostas. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2007. 212 pp.

Grenfell, Diana and Shadrack, Michael. The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2004. 427 pp.

Grenfell, Diana. The GardenerÂs Guide to Growing Hostas. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2001. 160 pp.

Hart, Rhonda Massingham. Bugs, Slugs & Other Thugs- Controlling Garden Pests Organically. Pownal, VT: Storey Publishing, 1991. 214 pp.

Hodgson, Larry. Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows. New York, NY: Rodale Inc., 2005. 416 pp.

Isaacson, Richard T., compiler. Andersen Horticultural LibraryÂs Source List of Plants and Seeds. (2007 Edition). Chanhassen, MN: University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 2007.

Kohlein, Fritz. Hosta (Funkien). Ulmer, UK: Stuttgart, 1993. 192 pp.

Mikolajski, Andrew. Hostas. London: Southwater Publishing, 2001. 64 pp.

Pease, Katherine. The 1999 Green Pages Hosta Directory. Kansas City, MO: (self-published). 1998. 120 pp.

Phillips, Leonard, editor. Hosta Magazine. Peabody, MA: Leonard Phillips. Published bi-monthly. Currently out-of-print.

Schenk, George. The Complete Shade Gardener. (Second Edition). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994. 311 pp.

Schmid, W. George. The Genus Hosta. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1992. 480 pp.

Wade, Van R. 2002 American Hosta Guide. Bellville, OH: Wade & Gatton Nurseries, 2002. 512 pp. Revised annually in an abbreviated format.

Zilis, Mark R. The Hosta Handbook. Rochelle, IL: Q & Z Nursery, Inc., 2000. 600 pp.

I too have The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell & Michael Shadrack. Absolutely would not want to be without it. I've use it many times. Pictures are great.

Becky

The color encyclopedia of hostas is the most up to date hosta book available, although it is not one of my favorites. I don't care for the way the book is organized (by color), the information is sometimes odd and the photos occasionally mislabeled. If your budget is tight I would wait for Mark Zilis' new book to come out. If his new one is anything like The Hosta Handbook in its breadth of information and great photography it should be worth the wait.