Hosta White Feather

Product Description

We sometimes get asked for this variety. We don’t grow it, and consider it a novelty variety that is unlikely to fare well long term in the garden. Here we try and concentrate on plants that are likely to do at least reasonably well, and provide pleasure to our customers for years to come. Varieties are now often introduced as novelties, but don’t really do the genus any favours. Others plants you might encounter are Hosta Tattoo and Hosta Mango Tango. Those two varieties are exotic and struggle, even with the experts. The strange reversed variegation forms of Striptease are usually highly challenging as too. Also the popular Fire and Ice is challenging, usually goes rapidly backwards when its tissue culture vigour starts to fade. St Elmo’s fire is a favourite of mine, but needs careful sighting to do well. Other varieties seem to go ‘corky’ in the crown after a few years, when after several good years you are lucky to get a few straggly leaves, I’ve noticed this particularly with the tissue cultured cream centred Sieboldiana types. Great Expectations and similar varieties. At the moment I am trying to stabilise some good plants of Juha and Hanky Panky, but am struggling, and believe me, if I can’t grow a good one, most gardeners stand no chance! If those of us with many years of experience and accumulated knowledge leave them alone, you probably should too. Sometimes a new Hosta variety does surprise me though. When Hosta Praying Hands first appeared, I thought that would be a poor plant, but actually I quite like it now. It is certainly novel, and not the quickest of growers, but does seem to be reasonably robust long term. But White Feather – be careful!!!