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The Chiot’s Run Hosta

April 19th, 2012

Eight years ago I started purchasing hostas for the gardens of Chiot’s Run. We’re surrounded by HUGE trees on 3 sides thus making 75 of the garden pretty shady. The first hostas I purchased were ‘Frances Williams’ and the other one I cannot remember at the moment. They lived happily in the garden for years. Each year I kept adding hostas and they lived happily multiplying slowly in the shady side gardens. Four years ago I acquired a ‘sieboldiana Elegans’ hosta. There’s something about this hosta and ‘Frances Williams’ that makes the perfect match. Ever since then the hostas set seed and tiny hostas pop up all over the garden and walkways and pretty much everywhere.

They so sweet when they’re tiny seedling, these are new ones that just germinated this spring. As you can see they’re smaller than a penny. These are the big corrugated leaf hostas, so they grow very slowly. They also have no variegation in the leaves and the color is neither the blue from ‘sieboldiana Elegans’ or the colors from ‘Frances Williams’. The leaves aren’t quite as corrugated as either of the parents either.

The second year they’re only about 4 inches all and will have one or two more leaves. The third year the leaves are bigger but still sparce. I think it will take about 6 years to mature from seed. I think next year I’ll have my first mature hosta offspring!


I wish they grew a little faster so I could use them to fill in areas along the woods, but alas they take their jolly old time (especially in the lean soil here).

I’m guessing these hostas are one of the parents of the two that cross pollinated, I could look them up and figure it out. But I think I’ll just call them ‘Chiot’s Run’ hostas.

Do you have any plants that have cross pollinated to create new varieties in your garden?

14 Comments to “The Chiot’s Run Hosta”
  1. daisy on April 19, 2012 at 6:15 am

    Dontcha just love those self-seeders? I would love to grow hostas, but I don’t think I have enough shade anywhere here. They are a handsome plant, for sure.
    They would make great plants for trading or donating to a community garden.

    Reply to daisy's comment

  2. Victoria on April 19, 2012 at 7:42 am

    We have a row of hostas that send up spectacular flowers! I love the low maintinence and high reward. I haven’t seen a lot of cross polination, but maybe I need to pay closer attention.

    Reply to Victoria's comment

    • Susy on April 19, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Don’t you just LOVE their blooms? Some of them are less lovely than others, the Frances Williams is really lovely!

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Victoria on April 19, 2012 at 6:37 pm

        Yes! And I was blown away at the height of the blooms for such a short plant!

        to Victoria's comment

  3. JennW on April 19, 2012 at 8:35 am

    Sadly we have no hostas here, yet! I’m looking forward to pulling out a dilapidated garden bed in the next few weeks and rebuilding and planting it with lots of shade loving plants since its on the north side of our house.

    Reply to JennW's comment

  4. Little Homestead in the Village on April 19, 2012 at 11:47 am

    I have inherited the family homestead and my Hostas have been here for many years (40 ?). The clumps keep getting bigger ( I have dived them) but mine have never given me baby Hostas from seed.

    Reply to Little Homestead in the Village's comment

  5. tj on April 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    …Ooo, I see a Chiot’s Run Hosta Giveaway in the future! *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* :o)

    …I adore hostas. They’re a no fuss-no muss shade lovin’ plant which as I age I seem to gravitate more and more towards those types of plants.

    …Enjoy your day you two! :o)

    …Blessings

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on April 19, 2012 at 3:57 pm

      I think you’re right, Chiot’s Run host seeds this fall, I’ll have plenty and I really don’t need any more seedlings with the number I have this spring!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  6. Feolie K. on April 19, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    You must really be a green thumb. Do you believe that some people are really lucky with growing plants and some are not? Just like me. I’m not very lucky when it comes to growing plants.

    -Feolie

    Reply to Feolie K.'s comment

  7. Donna Wilcox on April 19, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    Good for you. I don’t have any plants that have cross-pollinated. I wish I can grow hostas too, I can try when I get the time.

    Reply to Donna Wilcox's comment

  8. Texan on April 19, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    I love hostas, they do not do very well here in the part of Texas I live, simply to warm…even in the shade they suffer from our heat. I have one Hosta have kept a live for several years now in a old coal bucket. I worried after last year it might not have made it with our 110 degree days so many of them… but it did :O) it has leafed out and filled the coal bucket as it does every year :O). If I lived in a climate they liked I would have them everywhere!

    Reply to Texan's comment

    • Susy on April 19, 2012 at 7:07 pm

      The things we do for our plants! There are some people where my sister lives that put up a huge patio umbrella in their flowerbed that they put in the afternoon to protect their HUGE ‘Sum & Substance’ hosta from the afternoon sun.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. itchbay on April 21, 2012 at 3:45 am

    Crazy! I have one hosta, which I bought last year and planted next to a complimentary ginger, also bought last year.

    I have another hosta I tried to plant several years ago, which never gets past the first couple of inches of growth, and I plan on moving this year (stupid snails!). I’m so jealous of yours!

    Reply to itchbay's comment

  10. patrice wassmann on April 21, 2012 at 8:05 am

    hosta seedlings will not resemble their hybrid parents, even when mature, but they are fun and rewarding none the less!
    I LOVE hosta!

    Reply to patrice wassmann's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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