Before I suggest anything - Are you looking for a specific size or color? I love Journey's End, but that's no good if you need a solid color or a small plant.

I consider the site and conditions. I have trees - hence the word "vigorous" is favorable. I have different kinds of shade, calling for different types of hosta. I consider the design and how it will look with other plants. I consider how thick the leaves are so they will be rabbit resistant. I consider form, especially for those going in containers. I consider color, will it blend or contrast. I read the garden books and garden web to see how others rate the plant for performance...

Then I go to a hosta society convention and buy what ever plant strikes my fancy.

Beverly :)

Thanks for the info. I look for slug resistant, med-large,I like variegations, blue,& plants that still look good in Oct. I don't have Journey's End, will look for it.
Heather

Ha Beverly! Exactly right.

I'd recommend Yellow River (teal/yellow wavy edge) & Twilight Time (blue). They outlasted all my other Hosta this Fall, had very minimal insect or Sun damage up until the last & both are just gorgeous in detailed but neutral landscape kinds of ways.

Hi Heather,

Such a broad question :) you are brave to ask it :p

I'm only in my first year of gardening and not owning many plants yet I spent most of this summer pouring over descriptions, light requirements, slug vulnerability, availability, growth rate, relative price, mature sizes, etc. for my spring orders.

Predictably, I got antsy and ended up making a few purchases (30+) this summer without having any of the beds prepped. They all got potted up and will be planted throughout all of next season when I prep more space. And if I don't get them planted I can enjoy them in their pots until I find a suitable home in the ground :)

The problem with doing a lot of specific research is that you only have to see a certain picture once and it throws all rationale out the door as you immediately google the nearest vendor.

So as for every gardener it comes down to your needs and desires. Do you need to fill in a large bed, or are you looking for one-of's to accent existing beds or groupings ? From the sounds of it you are trying to work in a smaller space, so one-of's or showier hosta may be the ticket ?

Everything comes in to account when deciding what hosta to buy . . . but in the end we buy what we like and come to the forums to show them off and talk about them. Often times I will read about someone who snagged up a few hosta from the local garden center to post pics here and ask how well they grow for others. Impulse at its best :)

So enjoy the process of deciding or just impulsively buy what you like . . . either way as a hosta enthusiast you should rarely be disappointed. We are always here to enable you as well :p

My personal favorite hand's down is Jade Cascade . . . which is funny since I don't actually own one . . . but ohhh I will this coming spring (thank you Land of the Giants). I did not see it on your list and recommend it for a large area . . . it gets big and tall but a true stand out once it is mature.

I am also a huge fan of the white centered hostas. Half and Half, Woop Woop, Night before Christmas, and Sharp Dressed Man are four I obtained this year and all stayed strong. Not much if any of the classic burn out. I have them in dappled light so never more than 5 or 10 min bursts of direct sunlight through the canopy. I also acquired a Cascades and it did just as good as the rest of them, but it seems that in general it can be fussier, so I don't know if I would " recommend " it.

Happy Hunting :)

Ludi

Here's one of our two, at the top of the pic:

The other one with Queen Josephine and Tutu to it's left:

hh

HH, NO SPACE LEFT?
Hmmmm, I guess I'll be checking out larger pots, and maybe putting some of the small guys in the ground at my house.

But I really really want to let at least one gigantic hosta go wild. You folks with prime growing conditions, including the proper climate, do not fully appreciate how EASY it is for you to plan your gardens. But then, I can move my pots around to follow the shade or the sun, as long as my back holds out.

Extreme jealousy here. Can't wait for my Journey's End to grow up and look like yours, hostahillbilly.

Hmacflower, Look around the forum. People are always posting pictures of wonderful hostas. I'm forever adding something to my want list because of the forum. The best part is being able to ask the OP for details: Half sun? Full shade? Heavy feeder?

They'll also mention plants-to-avoid, like Carnival and Snowcap. Both are in my garden - but not for long.

When I decided to redo my garden containing a lot of duplicate generic hostas, I bought all the Hostas of the Year (except 'Praying Hands'), then took notes while reading this forum and surveyed the hostas being offered at local nurseries. Whatever I liked and had money for I bought, so instead of 35 different hostas in 2009, now 3 years later I have 190 different ones plus seedlings. Now I have no more space, but love my garden. Bernd