Buying Hosta

Click Here to see a list of Hosta Vendors

How do you select a good hosta vendor? ASK QUESTIONS!!!!!!

1. Are they a member of AHS? If so, for how long. Sure, it's possible they could be a genius about hostas and still not a member of AHS,but if not, where did they get their info? Where did they learn about others hostas? AHS membership is a great way to learn about hostas, both for vendors and buyers.

2. Another way I judge this is by the rest of the catalog. Are there some obvious misspelled names of hostas? A couple that are commonly misspelled would be 'Francis Williams' instead of 'Frances Williams' and 'Bill Brinka' rather than 'Bill Brincka'. Same for hosta descriptions. I'm quite leery of vendors who sell H. ventricosa described as 'lovely mounds of three foot tall leaves topped with bright blue flowers." [Although we have some hostas that are close to blue under some conditions, the flowers are closer to bluish lavender. Do they sell plants under the wrong name? Some growers prefer to change certain names to make the hostas sound "better." If they'll do that, can you trust the rest of their catalog? The AHS provides a list of all registered hostas and their brief descriptions.

3. Some people compare prices. That's great, but, more importantly; you should know what you are getting for your money. What size is the plant they are selling? Here, again, it is important for you, the buyer to know something about what you are intending to purchase. If the plant is a dwarf or mini, a five division plant in a one quart pot may be a good deal. If the plant was recently treated with a chemical accelerant it may take some time to look more "normal."

4. Are the plants inspected for foliar nematodes? If so, how and when? If the plants are not properly inspected for foliar nematodes I avoid the company all together. If they don't even know when or how they should be inspected, they probably don't know why they should be inspected either. Avoid those businesses.

5. Are the hostas inspected for viruses? If so, how and why? Most hosta businesses would not be likely to have hosta viruses, but the owners should be aware of them and what to look for. Ask if they have ever seen virus-like symptoms in their nursery or any other location.

6. Ask about shipping (and handling) costs. Some nurseries may have reasonable shipping costs but hide their handling costs.

7. If the plant is registered compare the description to the registration. If their plant is not registered you are forced to either accept all the glittering that comes with promoting sales, so be careful. It may be that the originator did not think the plant was worthy of registration. If the hosta is registered the descriptions in the advertisement should be similar to that listed in the registration.

C.H. Falstad
Prime Plants TM
Holland, MI
zone 6

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