Hostas are one of the most popular perennial plants grown in gardens today. While many gardeners grow them because of their shade tolerance, some varieties thrive in sunny sites as well. Hosta foliage offers a variety of leaf shapes, textures, and colors. The flowers of many are fragrant and bloom in various shades of purple and pink as well as white. There are hundreds of hosta varieties from which to choose and more varieties become available each year. In case you are thinking about starting a hosta collection, the Perennial Plant Association has a list of the 100 most commercially popular hostas to start you off. One problem associated with the popularity of hostas and the numerous varieties is incorrect naming. In an effort to end some of this confusion, the Perennial Plant Association has provided a list of correct names and their incorrect aliases. Listed below is a sampling from the list.
| Correct Hosta Name | Incorrect Hosta Names |
|---|---|
| Hosta 'Birchwood Parky's Gold' | 'Golden Glimmer','Parkman Shaw 391,''Golden Nakaiana' |
| Hosta 'Bold Ruffles' | Hosta sieboldiana 'Ruffled' |
| Hosta 'Bright Glow' | 'Golden Tardiana,' Hosta xtardiana T 'Golden' |
| Hosta fortunei 'Albo-picta' | Hosta fortunei 'Viridis-marginata',Hosta fortunei 'Aureo-maculata' |
| Hosta fortunei 'Antioch' | 'Yellow Boy', Hosta fortunei aurea marmorata |
| Hosta fortunei 'Aureo-marginata' | 'Gold Crown', 'Golden Crown', Hosta fortunei 'Obscura' |
| Hosta 'Golden Scepter' | 'Golden Golden Tiara' |
| Hosta lancifolia | Hosta cathayana, Hosta japonica |
| Hosta plantaginea | Hosta plantaginea 'Grandiflora,' Hosta subcordata grandiflora |
| Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans' | Hosta glauca, 'Blue Giant' |
| Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams' | Hosta sieboldiana aureo-marginata |
| Hosta tokudama | Hosta glauca, Hosta sieboldiana glauca |
| Hosta undulata | Hosta undulata medio-picta, Hosta undu lata medio-variegata, Hosta variegata |
| Hosta ventricosa | Hosta caerulea, Hosta coerulea |
| Hosta ventricosa 'Aureo-marginata' | Hosta ventricosa'Variegata' |
This article originally appeared in the June 17, 1994 issue, p. 94.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Yard and Garden, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on June 17, 1994. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.