Start with the link below - Difficult to Grow Hostas. Of course, for every hosta on this list, someone will post a beautiful specimen which will entice you to buy anyway. In general, those with large areas of white in center of leaf will perform poorer than those with lots of green.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: DIFFICULT TO GROW HOSTAS

I'm digging up Fragrant Fire today and putting it in the back 40 (the woods behind my house). It's gets the "under performer" award for me.

I've only had one in the ground disappear this year and that was Diana Remembered.

I did have a few other casualties in the ground, but those can be related to an exact cause that I won't even get into.

Now for the ones in pots, I'm so upset I can't even bring myself to discuss those. But again, my fault because I left some in the gardens. Coincidentally, they were all in the same type of pots.

I have over 500 different varieties and tend to stay away from ones that others have had trouble with.

Gesila

Perhaps a better (positive) version of what you ask is - Which hosta would you recommend to collect? Another link below to an unscientific poll from last summer that answers which hosta GW Hosta Forum posters preferred.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: Top 100 poll - results

Lunar Eclipse. It gets drawstring leaves really bad and looks just plain awful.

Sandy

Spilt Milk grows just fine - I just don't find it at all attractive.

What Steve said. I have had trouble with Fantasy Island,Island Charm,Morning Light. Do you notice a theme here? These are all white -centered hostas. I also lost Cascades. Fragrant Fire,while a good grower for me,always comes up early,and I have to watch it,because of late spring freezes. Mine froze right to the ground this year,but has come back very well. Phil

I haven't had a terrible time with all white centered hostas, but Sugar Daddy has been a dud, and Eskimo Pie isn't a great grower. Carnival, Snowcap (or maybe it's Snowtop) and Barbara Ann are all just ugly. Maybe it's just my Barbara Ann (she's young), but the other two just keep getting worse.

Diana Remembered grows like a champ for me - you just never know.

Whew, I thought I'd lost one....but finally found it set aside so it was in more sun to make it emerge. I haven't noticed it was hard to grow in a container at least.

Fragrant Fire, new last year, looking nice this year. It is not a sport of Fragrant Blue, but instead of Old Faithful. It is described as having red petioles.

And Diana Remembered is doing better this year than last.
Taken 4/10/13 and is much more developed now. This shows her alone, not in a clump of other hosta.

My most difficult hosta is Eskimo Pie. I think its last tiny leaf is about to croak. I've given TLC since 2010, and nothing seems to work. So I replaced it with a nice White Elephant, which is the ONLY white centered leaf hosta that grows nicely for me. I'm not counting Golden Meadows or any others that start yellow and bleach white, just the ones which are WHITE.

The ones I had problems with last year are looking much better this year and I'm very surprised with most of them. Have I learned so much in 1 year? Or are they now acclimated to the location? We've had a cooler than normal spring, so that is something to consider. When it gets really really hot and humid, that's when I bet the decline begins. But this year I'll know more what to expect.

The list of 100 favorites is a good place to start, on a positive note too. I believe if you pay attention to the gardening zone where good results are reported, you'll not make big mistakes.

I guess it must be individual plants or location location. My 8 yr old Eskimo Pie is gorgeous. I have two Barbara Anns, one of which is 4 years old and has just tottered along. This year it is finally looking like something. The other was an end-of-the-season Lowe's purchase last fall, and it has three eyes this spring and is lush.

As for white centered hostas, Dancing in the Rain is supposed to be notoriously hard to grow, but mine looks better every year!

Sandy

"Spilt Milk grows just fine - I just don't find it at all attractive"

Perhaps it's the setting...

...or from another angle...

{{gwi:236902}}

tj

TJ, in my personal view, it's a pretty cool Hosta, but after seeing yours, it's AWESOME. My compliments to the grower (YOU, TJ)! :)

Don B.

Tokudama Aureonebulosa

Unless you are a cat and have nine lives leave it in the store. This plant took 5 years to grow 3 eyes. I moved it and it died leaf by leaf before my eyes. I dug it up so it was not too disturbed took all the soil with it because it was not that big it was pretty easy and it punished me with death.

You are going to laugh but three of my plants that just refuse to do much are typically good growers for most people.. Maybe I just bought duds !

Patriot, barely doing anything, just barely held on the last two years.

Gold standard, pips looks better this year.. But I have a couple 3-4 year old plants that could be mistaken for new one quart purchases.

Dream queen, just refuses to add a second eye. I even planted a second small plant next to it.. it died ...

Also I love thunderbolt but it is SO SLOW ....

Yeah, I know what you mean about Patriot not doing much. I had a really nice gallon sized or was it TWO gallon sized from 2011 that I potted up and last year it looked just okay, although it kept shrinking on me. This year, the plant is about 3 inches tall and has some scattered leaves and eyes that have yet to shoot up.And I put it in a really lovely pot too, which I feel is wasted on it! I can see a big move in Patriot's future.

I much prefer Minuteman to Patriot.

Oh noes, Paul! One of the hostas on the Difficult to Grow list is one of the hostas I am expecting in the mail today from Made in the Shade. Has anyone been successful with Remember Me?

'Fire and Ice' and "Cherry Berry' both refused to grow for me. 'Pilgrim' isn't very interested in thriving, and 'Vulcan' hasn't shown up yet this spring, although it is notoriously late. 'Dancing in the Rain' continues to languish. But those are young, so perhaps this growing season they will impress me.
Jan

It's not too common, but Barbara Ann was a dud for me, too.

Francis Williams never looks good, although it grows OK.

I have Gold Standard in it's second year or third year. I don't think it likes it here or doesn't like living in a pot. It always looks stressed and has that slightly virused look, even before it gets hot. It's grown well, though.

Then there's the oft repeated refrain, "the more you pay for it, the more likely it is to die".

bk

Gold Standard

bk

LOL Jan, I bought Pilgrim for 1.99. It has 57 eyes this year.

BK, you're right, I think those hostas know what you paid for them.

Hey Moc, my Fragrant Fire has looked just like yours, for 3 years!

Wondering if we can find one hosta that has failed everyone?

Gesila

Remember Me is one of my most favorites, as is Fire and Ice. They are in bright sun right now (it is still morning here) so I'll wait until later to take a photo. Both have grown well for me with no problems for many years.

I'm on my 4th GE in 10 years. I usually give up after 3 tries if I really lust for a plant, but GE keeps calling me back. I suppose I could just use it as an annual...

-Babka

When I read the forums there seem to be some I do not hear mentioned. or See anyone posting a brag pic.

I wonder if they are fleeting in peoples garden that they are not mentioned. Two I can think of that were just a fleeting moment not even a year that died for no reason. Everybody around them were happy and have been happy many years after they died.

Winfield Blue Hosta
Kabitan Hosta

It is afternoon here and I went out and took a photo of Remember Me (purch. 2008) and Fire and Ice. (purch 2001). I have never had a problem with either of them. I cannot grow GE for more than 3 years.

I think you should grow whatever strikes your fancy and see how they do in YOUR garden.

-Babka

{{gwi:989998}}

{{gwi:989999}}

Kabitan has been in my garden for years, I keep dividing it and moving it around to go under other hostas. One of my favorite little pnes as it is so adaptable. Ditto Lemon Lime.

Sandy

My Thunderbolt got smaller and smaller each year so that year four, it didn't show up at all. This is the only one I am very sure wasn't gardener error. It was with others in the same area that are doing nicely. But I've seen some great looking ones so maybe it was just a dud plant.

You have to think about zones, too. Most of the people who have been successful with Great Expectations seem to be in zone 5. As a hosta lover, you're lucky to be in 5, it seems to be the perfectly balanced spot. We can't have all those lovely things that grow in zone 6, or better yet, zones where it doesn't freeze, but nature gives us spring bulbs and hostas. I'd buy anything that catches your eye and is in your budget. Just remember to check how much sun they like before you plant. As a general rule, the less green the hosta has, the more light it needs. Anything that says plantaginea (probably messed up the spelling) likes more sun. Blues like more shade and only dappled sun if you want them to stay blue. And they all like to be kept moist.

Of course, there are exceptions. Great Escape is a mix of blue and white. It follows the blues in not liking a lot of sun. The white rim burns. If you post on the forum, there's always someone who's already growing your hosta variety and can make suggestions.

great expectations was poor for me

I would have to concur with the comment on H Great Expectations NOT living up to its name. Had similar problem with H. Thunderbolt as well. Went backwards every year until it went MIA.

dave

'Totally Awe Sum'. Just look at it.

Don B.

I lost Kabitan to squirrels digging it out of a pot. Not replacing small hosta at this point, am trying different smalls.

Joebar, since you are in zone 8 PNW, no wonder Great Expectations failed to grow for you. It was homesick for Michigan! Try things that say they are good as far as zone 9, and they probably do good for you. There are folks growing hosta in zone 8 already on the forum, and if you start your own thread about what you want to plant, you'll get a report of experience from others in your zone.

Winter Lightning, Eskimo Pie, Great Expectations and Tattoo are all duds for me. Orange Marmalade has not grown well for me even though most folks seem to grow it well. I have three Spilt Milks and is only one eye after 5 years while the other two are enormous. Loyalist and Fire and Ice have both done well in spite of the white centers but they seem to like full sun. Stained Glass is a bit of a dud.