Bright Lights
Cherry Berry

Alexa

That should be MORNING LIGHT not BRIGHT LIGHTS (I hate that we cant edit posts here)

Fire & Ice
Loyalist
Morning Light

Tim

Fire & Ice
Whirlwind
Tattoo

Silly Me: Try Cameo - it's similar to Pandora's Box, and a good grower.

Fire and Ice
Whirlwind
Praying Hands
Cherry Berry

I've had a few Great Expectation duds, but there are whole threads about that alone. My Silver Threads and Golden Needles is looking very dudly right now too. And Knockout is beautiful but it is definitely the Slug Cafe, so always looks gross no matter how much slug bait I put down.

Lainey

Cadillac;Nice for a couple years,and then just faded away.
Island Charm;just kept getting smaller,and then never came back.
Cascades- Still alive,but barely
Fireworks-Getting smaller each year; I'm going to move it to more sun. Let's face it.It isn't that big to start with!
Loyalist-It's hard to believe that Revolution came from that plant! And Independence,an even better one!
Phil

For me:

A Many Splendored Thing- reverted this year to the size of a seedling.
Foxfire Bamm Bamm
Eye Declare- came up all twisted & wrinkly with all the leaves stuck to each other.
Eskimo Pie- Jury's still out on those.
GE (of course!)
-Luis

One not mentioned so far: Spilt Milk.

Problems with: Pandora's Box (although I've just transferred a surviving eye to a container), Fire & Ice.

Great success with: Great Expectations, Whirlwind. Go figure?!?

For me the bad ones are (were :-( )
Cherry Berry
Knockout
Brim Cups
Whirlwind
Eskimo Pie Smaller than 3 years ago when I bought it
Tomahawkclaim:
I moved my Spilt Milk into more sun and it is thriving.
Also Black hills has pretty much stayed the same size for 3 years.

My Fire and Ice, Pandora's Box and Cherry Berry are doing great. But Brim Cup, Loyalist, and Captain Kirk are all about ready to get chucked. My Spilt Milk is in sun from 10 am to 3 pm and at 2 years is growing out of it's space!!! I love that one. Mary

WOW, I can't believe everyone seems to be having so much trouble with Fire and Ice. Mine is doing very well, of course it is only 3 years old.
Completely disappeared:

Warwick Curtsy
September Sun

Slug feast:
Gosan Gold Midget ( I never ordered it a grower sent it free with an order, now I know why!

Fire and Ice
Great Expectations

I'm reading all of this with interest! I have no problem with Knockout-always beautiful;Whirlwind-just keeps getting more beautiful every year;September Sun-grows very well for me,and this year is no exception;no problems at all with Brim Cups,in fact I just added a third one to a drift of them;I didn't mention Morning Light,which has been a dud,being so small this year as to look like a seedling! Red October,while it grows well,is a real slug magnet this year,and I can't even find a slug near it! Phil

Agreeing with many and quoting Luis, "GE (of course!)"
Revolution
Cherry Berry
Whirlwind
Summer Music
Brim Cup

Lost 'em all over the years!

I guess I can feel better, since I have done very well with GE. One got huge after a slow start, but got hit hard by voles this winter. He's in a pot now, and looks to be recovering nicely. My other one was purchased at the same time, and given to my mom. Her house had terrible soil, so it didn't really do much. When she passed away, I dug it up and it seems to be improving each year at my house.

Tokudama Flavocircinalis
Thunderbolt - smaller each year and this year doesn't exist.
Brother Ronald - 3 leaves after six years.
Liberty - too much shade - must move
Cherry Berry - Almost gone
Sultan - going
Medusa - gone

I've found more sun works best for almost everything. After losing a few trees to gall, some turned into behemoths. These are definitely 'shade tolerant' - they do NOT thrive in shade.

Westy

My Summer Breeze, Whirlwind, Revolution are doing great!!
GE is about smaller than a TC cell tho, will try moving it away from where the Maple tree roots cant find it (unfortunately that will be in the middle of the road!).

I put down Osmocote in the spring and also give the Hosta Miracle grow Tomato fertilizer, the miracle grow tomato fertilizer has really helped this year.

But of course Northern Exposure probably needs some Southern Exposre to put up more than 2 eyes after 6 years!!

Paul

Sea Thunder and of course Brim Cup. Island Charm I've tried twice now but I suspect it needed more light than I could give it.
Loyalist gets smaller every year. Lunar Eclipse gets a special award for most unattractive hosta.

Barely hanging on after years (still only 1 eye each):
Fire & Ice
Remember Me
Puck

Long gone:
Island Charm
Morning Light

Janice,I moved Summer Music into more sun last year,and it's doing a lot better this year. In fact it's planted right near 'American Traveler',(you know which hosta I am talking about)!Here is a pic,but not my best angle. You can see Summer Music,behind Stiletto,and Rich Uncle,which has been a really nice growing gold hosta. Phil
{{gwi:927231}}

Actually, Phil--I love the angle of that shot!!

My 'Summer Music' hung on for about three years, getting smaller and smaller and then just didn't return!
I even moved it into less sun but it just would not be happy with me!! I guess some hosta like us better
than others, sometimes! :o)

REALLY cool shot, again!!! More?

Ditto on Brim Cup. I have Fire and Ice with a lot of melt out this year, but I am going to hang on to it.

Someone's obviously hit a nerve here.... the DUDS for me have been: Island Charm, Cherry Berry, Morning Light. Others have mentioned Revolution as a dud, but while I'm not exactly declaring it a weed, it's been darned vigorous for me and in particular the all-green sport it has a penchant for throwing, I call that one my 'Green Revolution' and it goes from 1 to 4 shoots in a year!

Whirlwind is fairly new to me from last year, but it seems to exhibit the expected Hyacinthina growth vigour so far. I was a little disappointed in Risky Business, but not near as much as Tattoo, and I'm not sure about Fire Island either. While I don't have GE, I do have its derivative Dream Queen and while it won't set a record for the fastest grower, it's nice and steady, and will always find a place in our garden...

Color Glory, for sure. . .She can't even take morning sun here. I put her behind my potting shed and told her that she couldn't come out till she behaved herself. . lol

I have been noticing a trend,here. It seems all the ones we have trouble with,are centrally-variegated hosta! I do have one really good grower fitting that description,however. It is Lakeside Love Affaire. See pic. This hosta,gets big really fast. Phil
{{gwi:933444}}

Colour Glory. I've moved it twice, and though the colours are heavenly, it has never had a summer without problems.
Snow Cap. The only hosta I've ever chucked. Ugly everywhere it was placed.
After bragging about my GE on this forum. I find this year it has somehow diminished in size.
I hated Cherry Berry at the beginning for its weak, slug prone growth, but it has won me over. It's a seriously lovely hosta, even before there is any cherry colour to look at and I'm thinking of adding more. Stands out for me in the garden, and is now virtually slug proof.
Fire and Ice has always done well here. It's a stalwart little grower, very attractive, and many visitors comment on it. Northern Exposure was the first hosta I ever bought for myself after seeing a mature specimen in someone's garden. It just sat here for several years, in a state of suspended animation. The same size every year. But last year - whoosh! Big, bold and beautiful. The same as Black Hills, which finally became wonderful last year, only to be trampled by the dog.
I have moved Morning Light and was very surprised by how much root that hosta had grown. It may just be slow, so I'm waiting and hoping.
I tried planting Silver Threads and Golden Needles in a garden, where it started pining and melting away. I rescued it and put it in a pot and it has yielded several divisions.
Lakeside Elfin Fire is a bit of a pooper - never amounts to anything much.
And I've never been able to grow a Krossa Regale for love nor money. No matter where I have placed it, this one always seems to be between my dog and the chipmunks and squiirels it persists in chasing from the front porch. It grows multiple eyes with a very few torn and ragged leaves.

Getting the most votes thus far:

Fire & Ice - 7
Cherry Berry - 6

Brim Cup - 5
Morning Light - 5

4 votes each:
Loyalist
Whirlwind
Island Charm
Great Expectations

Fire & Ice
Loyalist
Dancing in the Rain
Robert's Rapier (gave it a good drink of round up to put it out of its misery)

I'm through with white centered hostas.

Gorgeous picture, hosta freak. Does it stay white centred? I am feeling the stirrings of plant lust.

two golden tiaras that haven't done anything and great expectations is looking more like lackluster expectations...

If you're talking about Lakeside Love Affaire,yes,it does. It comes up cream colored in the center and then turns white,with more sun. This is one beautiful hosta to see,in person. Phil

Phil, that's nice to know about LS Love Affaire. . I just planted one last year. . Thanks for the thumbs up!
Sidney

Good to see you posting, Sidney! Seems like you took a break last year or am I just
really even worse in 'remembering' than I think!! Could be!

I tried to email you from an address I have from a couple of years ago--hope it got to you!!!

Janice

PS--Phil--not one to love a hosta with alot of white, especially in the center, but that LSLA
is mighty awesome!!! I might have to cave and buy one despite the name and the white!
Okay--it's on my 'list'!

Janice. . we had constant out of state guests coming in last year. Seems one set would leave and shortly came visit from others. I had to do my housework in the middle of the night so I could get some gardening done in the early morning. I didn't get to take many pictures either. . What a year!
Yes! I did get your email. . even though I got to my email every few days. . lol

Blue Moon

I'll be suprised if it even comes back next year.

So far, I'd have to put Loyalist on my dud list. Seems to get smaller every year. Also Brim Cup. The first two years it did the "drawstring" thing. I moved it, and last year it looked good. I thought I had solved the problem. Then this year, drawstringing again. Cherish has almost died a couple of times, but this year it seems to be doing better. The jury is still out on Ice Age Trail and Eskimo Pie.

I'll name Blue Shadows, an older variety with a reputation for being difficult. It really is a beautiful subtly shaded hosta, but mine has shrunk to an almost dwarf size.

Duds:
Cherry Berry
Fire and Ice
Hidden Cove (plant arrived looking sick, Plant Delights claimed it was just end of the season. Still looks sick 3 years later.)

Gone:
2 GE's
Morning Light
Sea Sprite

Bumping up this post - Great reading for some of us newbies as we search the shelves for closeout hostas at our favorite providers. I have recently bought 3 of the so called duds. I have recently bought 3 of the so called duds.

Montana Aureo
Montana Aureo
Montana Aureo

ps. My Morning Light didn't do anything either. Last year I grew it in a pot sitting in water in the hot sun. Here is a picture in Sept. It might be worth a try? Unfortunately I lost it this winter along with 60+ others but that was not because of the plant but because of whaterver did in so many of those of mine in pots

Oh no! I just bought 3 of the duds, did not plant yet :
1 Fire&Ice, 2 Dancing in the Rain. As poster 'fenceberry' states, plants with center white leaves might be difficult.
Though Undulata Mediopicta is doing fine in half day sun, not in semi shade.

When I looked at the hosta library, these and other white center ones like Sea Thunder (bought that too) require part sun to light shade, and as usual water and a good soil.

Perhaps people with problems did not provide these settings, especially the sun?
I would appreciate any comments!
Bernd

I have two Fire and Ice because I LOVE the look! But one is fading fast as the summer progresses and the other seems to be hanging in. Same garden site, not more than 20 feet apart. Who knows? I am bracing myself for the one to disappear one day.

But newbees should NOT give up! Plant them! You might just do well. For each person here who is having trouble, I'll bet as many more are doing just fine.