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steve_mass

Favorite Gold Hostas

I'd like to order a couple of medium to large gold hostas for the spring. I'm considering Zounds, Golden Scupture, and Dancing Queen. What others should I look at? I know someone mentioned Piedmont Gold. I'd like a gold that holds its color throughout the growing season, grows vigorously, and one that has interesting leaf structure as well. If you have pictures, please consider posting them here. I can always check the library, but I'd like to see what these look like in your garden. Thanks for your help.

Steve

Comments (33)

  • evermore_gw z 4/5 NB
    13 years ago

    Hi Steve,

    I really like Golden Waffles

    and Maui Buttercups

    (another) Steve

  • mctavish6
    13 years ago

    I like the golds and I like doing pictures so here you go.

    It seems like you have to choose between those that are bright in the spring and turn to green or those that start green and turn more yellow and brighter as the season goes on. It's nice to have both but I prefer those that turn more yellow. You could have Sea Fire and Richland Gold near each other for instance and when one turns from bright yellow to green the other is doing the opposite.


    You mentioned Dancing Queen which is pictured below. It is one that turns more Green like Sea Fire and others.

    Below are some of my favourites shown early, mid to late summer and in the garden to give you context with other plants. With the exception of Richland Gold and Sea Gulf Stream (both grown in almost solid shade, the other are in sun for at least half of the day.

    Rising Sun is only in it's second year and shows great promise. It's growning fast and a wonderful, shiny yellow.

    Sunpower wasn't on your list and I thought that might be bacause it was too big? It would be one of the very first I would replace if I ever lost it.

  • Steve Massachusetts
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Mctavish,
    Great pictures and info. From the above Piedmont Gold and Sea Gulf Stream really pop out. Sunpower in that last picture is also a great plant. Thanks for the lesson.

  • thisismelissa
    13 years ago

    Sea Fire is fab, but for me, it's gone completely green by mid june. That doesn't stop me from having 2 of them though.

    I like Krugerrand:

    In the below pic, Krugerrand is to the left of the tree, in front of the Goatsbeard. Another great gold is Lakeside San Kao, also shown below. Right in front of the tree, toward the front of the garden. Not huge yet, but holds color well.... nice piecrust edge. This pic was taken on July 30th.

  • esox48
    13 years ago

    Sun Power

    Golden Sculpture

  • Steve Massachusetts
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    SP and GS are great plants also. I love the leaves on GS. Is that an early picture? Will it become more gold later in the season?

  • esox48
    13 years ago

    Yes, that's an early picture of Golden Sculpture. You can see there are no scapes yet. It brightens up but is never as gold as Sun Power....Here's a later one and one from way across the yard in bright sunlight.

  • hosta_freak
    13 years ago

    Although not really a solid gold,I really like my Paradise Power,a sport of Sun Power. Here is a pic from May of this year. Take a look. Phil

    {{gwi:1104601}}

  • shade_tolerant
    13 years ago

    Lovely hosta pix everyone.
    Zounds is a slow grower for me.
    I think you asked for golds that are large, these are some of the ones I like--

    Dawn's Early Light


    Great Lakes Gold



    Golden Waffles


    Sea Gulf Stream


    Close up pic of the deeply impressed veins on SGS




  • hostadom
    13 years ago

    Of the Hostas I've seen only a few have made me say "WOW". One of them was a mature clump of Sun Power. Top of my list for large golds.
    Another factor is that it's got pretty good substance. Some of the other cultivars listed don't have much substance and with their low lying leaves they may be slug magnets(?).

  • Steve Massachusetts
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I've never seen Great Lakes Gold before. Spectacular leaf on that plant. Sea Gulf Stream also has great veining and ripples. I'm going to look for that one. And yes Sun Power is a wow plant.

  • almosthooked zone5
    10 years ago

    Looking for anothe gold upright hosta on the internet and came up with another forum posting from 2010 and more lovely golds again. I just better quit NOW but for all that are in the want and have to have list , I see more I would love to own too. I am sunk !

    This post was edited by almosthooked on Mon, Feb 17, 14 at 20:29

  • bkay2000
    10 years ago

    Great thread. Thanks for bumping it.

    bk

  • sunnywood4bChazyNY
    10 years ago

    My favorite so far is Daybreak . It loves the sun and stays yellow through the summer.

  • Steve Massachusetts
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the trip through the way back machine. I ended up buying almost all of the plants listed in this thread. There are a couple more that weren't mentioned that I found.

    High Noon. This one belongs to Matt Sanford. I bought one soon after seeing it.

    Another one that I bought after touring the Sanford Garden was Solar Flare.

    Midnight Sun, this is my plant. I looked a long time for this one and found it at Land of the Giants.

    Steve

  • bchosta 8b west coast canada
    10 years ago

    I too have been looking at solid golds recently - I am trying to balance out the variegated hostas. Flemish Gold, Little Miss Sunshine, Dancing Queen, Marrakech and Prairie Moon arrived late in September last year. I await with curiosity to see what they will produce this spring. Still to arrive via a recent order... Sea Gulf Stream, Moon Waves, and Glorious.
    BC

  • in ny zone5
    10 years ago

    After I got h.'August Moon' I gave up looking for other yellow/gold ones. It multiplies so fast in my yard, have now quite a few. Otherwise I like 'Sum and Substance', 'Key West', 'Dancing Queen', 'Sun Power', 'Choo Choo Train', 'Dab a Green'.

  • desperationfalls
    10 years ago

    Would love to get two golds in black square pots at
    top of our backyard steps. Problem is that they
    would be under a canopy of azaleas which are
    under a canopy of tall oaks. So full shade!
    Would Sun Power give me a good yellow color
    in these dark conditions? Or does Dancing Queen
    give a better popping yellow? Any help would
    be much appreciated--even suggestions of other hostas!

  • jadie88
    10 years ago

    Wow, this thread really had me thrown! I didn't notice the date, and I kept thinking, "Why is Steve acting like he doesn't a) already know all these and b) already have all these! How fun to see one of you wizened hosta gurus back when you were one of us.

    I'm pretty sure you responded to a very similar thread of my own last summer! Thanks for handing down the aquired hosta-wisdom. :)

  • Steve Massachusetts
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Pretty funny, Jadie. This thread is part of the way back machine.

    Desperation Falls, where in MA are you from. Probably a bit west of me (Millbury) since you are Z5. You can't go wrong with either Dancing Queen or Sun Power in those pots on your steps. Although I think DQ would probably give longer seasonal color. It'll do fine in full shade, especially under tall Oaks.

    Steve

  • desperationfalls
    10 years ago

    Whoops! Haven't been on gardenweb forums for about 7 years--so even though I remembered my password, I
    did not remember how to start a new posting--so I
    piggybacked onto this one. Apologies.
    However, thanks to Steve and Jadie, I've got a great
    start onto my project. How about Fire Island? Does
    this hold its gold color well in full shade?
    Thanks again. (Live just west of Boston)

  • esox48
    10 years ago

    No, Fire Island doesn't hold its gold color.

  • hosta_rus
    10 years ago

    Hi! I'm a newbie on this forum.
    I like h.August Moon. This one in my garden.


    In bloom.

    This post was edited by hosta_rus on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 19:43

  • gardens1
    10 years ago

    Welcome aboard, hosta_rus!

  • desperationfalls
    10 years ago

    Gorgeous pictures, hosta_rus! How do you keep
    sllug damage to nothing?

  • hosta_rus
    10 years ago

    desperationfalls, thanks!
    I do nothing to protect against slugs. Last year there was not a lot of slugs, so my hostas were eaten later than usual :) Also in our zone 3 hostas fully grow up in June.

    This post was edited by hosta_rus on Sun, Mar 16, 14 at 19:39

  • don_in_colorado
    10 years ago

    Welcome to the forum, hosta_rus. Zone 3? Brrrrr are you close to Siberia? Well, whatever part of Russia you live, you know how to grow hostas like a pro! Short growing season makes them grow super-fast, eh? Yes, stick around, have fun, teach, learn, enjoy pics and post more pics, please. Beautiful hostas you have, I see.

    Cheers,
    Don B.
    Westminster, Colorado, USA

  • in ny zone5
    10 years ago

    Hosta_rus, welcome to the forum! You have a nice garden showing companion plants to your hostas. Bernd

  • User
    10 years ago

    My goodness, a gold thread with some great life to it, new and old peeps, lots of stuff to swoon over.

    I have a Fat Cat on order.
    Love the picture above of Sea Gulf Stream, reminds me of a golden Niagara Falls with that rippled edge. Me, I have yet to meet a gold/yellow I did not love.

    Also, you might consider a gold middle with a narrow green margin. Now, THAT opens up a whole nuther ballgame.
    For instance, Paradise Island, and its tetraploid Volcano Island. I have both, but will not photo them here.
    Welcome Hosta R Us!!!! Great name.

  • Heather Macdonald
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the wonderful pics! I will look for Sea Gulf Stream & Great Lakes Gold...beautiful!!
    Heather

  • hosta_rus
    10 years ago

    Thank you all for the warm welcome :)
    No, I am not living in Siberia, though not far, just 500 km to the west. Summer we have a short but hot. Frost-free period of 3 months in a bad year, so everything is growing fast. Fortunately hostas like our climate :)
    I do not have a lot of allgold hostas, but I really like Sum and Substance. It glows in the autumn.

    Anne

    This post was edited by hosta_rus on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 16:46

  • bkay2000
    10 years ago

    A medium gold I really like is Birchwood Parky's Gold. It's another really old one. It holds it's color well through the season.

    Dancing Queen is really nice early, but turns green later in the season. It's not so special then. I think I would choose another one for a prominent place.

    bk

    Birchwood Parky's Gold

  • don_in_colorado
    10 years ago

    'Aspen Gold' is another nice one. It'll get more gold on it than this in a bit more sun.

    Don B.