mine would also have been my gunthers prize ... because i was there when gunther won the auction for it.. from bob solberg .. for something over 3 grand ... it was the indy convention in what.. 98??

i think i ended up ordering it from gunther ... but it took a few years.. before it was available ... back then.. it couldnt be TCd ... if in fact.. it can be now???

ken

besides....it has prize in the name.. lol ...

Totally cool story Ken. You were present during a part of hosta history.

It took me three years to find Gunthers Prize for sale. I called Bob Solberg but he didn’t have any. Bob referred me to Van Wade but his didn’t make it through the previous winter. After trying practically every hosta dealer out there Jeff Miller of Land of the Giants sold me piece along with Blizzard, Dorothy Benedict, Sum Cup O Joe Streaked and Confused Angel. It was a streakers delight!

I don’t think they’re able to TC it, hence it’s rarity.

How large has your become? Mine is about 3’ wide but I’ve given a few pieces of it away. The color seems to get better every year and seems to color up more with sun.

Bloodline

my favorites are my blusher seedlings

Favorites of mine include:

Abiqua Drinking Gourd

Paradise Joyce with Krossa to the left up and Robert Frost to the right.

Blue Angel, my biggest

debra

All my minis are treasures! I love them so much. But I think my most prized hosta and the one I fret most about is this one. It came from a division of a plant that originally grew in my great-grandmother's yard in Indiana.

Popmama, that looks like Tokudama flavicircalis. It is special to continue to grow something that your mother gave you. I have learned never to let any of the plants truly be my favorite. I tell them all that they are my favorites, though there are a few that I am secretly not enamored with. For me, the plants change so much over the season. Touch of Class came home on my lap...

Mac, very nice! I think I got a 2-gallon spontaneous Snake Eyes sport of Striptease 3 years ago for a whooping $12.99 US. :)

Thanks and nice find undertheoaks! The deal of the century to boot!

I’m fortunate enough to live only a few miles from Andy Torvinen who introduced Snake Eyes and was able to get a piece from his original plant. I didn’t expect it to get as big as it has, it’s a good 3’ wide....well not right now but was last year. I’m betting it’s close to 4’ this year.

Ben Vernooij - I had never heard of it. Bought it my first spring in Ohio 4 years ago. I love the colors on it, especially how it holds the yellow if it doesn't get too much sun. I've moved it 4 times, but it doesn't seem to mind. It has looked good everywhere, but its like a pioneer for an area and then I decide to upgrade that area, so it gets moved. Late last summer, I pulled it up (again) still inside its spin out bag to plant something else. I just left it in the bag out of the ground for a while while I figured out where to put it. I thought I had left it to over winter in the shed, but this spring I could only find one plant in a spin out bag and I couldn't figure out if it was Rainbow's End (also lifted) or Ben Vernoiij. Turns out it is Rainbow's End and I couldn't figure out what I did with Ben Vernooij. I had already decided to replace it if it didn't show up somewhere. Here it is in its 2nd location in 2016 (lower left) after I lifted it to put it in a spin out bag after I learned about Maple tree roots.

Then in mid June 2017, same spot reflecting the light it really glows, Upper right.

Then in a new spot mid July 2018 with Rainbow's End. This is when I learned to place the spin out bag seam facing away from the maple tree as a root had infiltrated the bag. Good thing I decided to move it.

Same spot 2019 with High Society added.

And where I found it this year, right in the middle of my new bed (bottom center of pic)

And a leaf shot from last year

Sigh. I just tried to pick a couple of favorites. Can’t do it. As I was scrolling through pics I was like “Gotta do that one. Can’t forget that one. Ooh, I look for that one every year“

I’m pathetic:(

Oursteelers, it's like "Who is your favorite child?" ...

June is a favorite because I have managed to move her 3 times ... well at least division of the same plant.

But I have lost favorites... too sad to talk about...sigh...

Must consol myself ... where is the checkbook?

'June' is my absolute favorite Hosta. However, 'Gunther's Prize' is also probably my most "prized" Hosta. This photo from last summer shows an eye of 'Gunther's Rim' that needs to be removed (don't remember if I removed it or not). Just coming up now here in NJ

Nice pics everyone, thanks for sharing. That leaf shot of Ben Vernooij is stunning Steve. You have a great two for one there woodnative, that’s a gorgeous Gunthers Prize and Gunthers Rim is a nice surprise.

With more snow forecasted here in Michigan tomorrow it’s uplifting to see all of this hosta eye candy.

I have a bunch of future favorites. I just need to grow them longer. Here's a couple that I bought in 2016. pictured in 2019. Hanky Panky - Very colorful and I love the color switcheroo it does.

Happy Dayz does look a lot like Forbidden Fruit early, but I think it matures to a different look with wider edges and more streaking in to the middle. Plus its a strong grower that has looked great every year.

My all time favorite hosta is my first So Sweet. It's one I accidentally bought three of in my first mail order. So I just stuck all three in one pot and said, "Oh well". Of course, it blossomed quickly with three hosta in one pot.

They moved it to the second spot on the So Sweet page of the Hosta Library. I think it's the only photo I have in the hosta library.

It looks good all season, and we have a long season. It was one of only 6 or 7 of my ninety-something hosta that survived the rhizoctonia root rot.

I know it's plebeian, but it might be Kevin Vaughn's best hosta.

bk

Everyone's favorites are so lovely! Thank you for sharing. I love me some Ben Vernooji (two!), June (one), Happy Dayz (two!) and So Sweet (one). Bkay, that is a great photo! So sweet is the companion to my Touch of Class further up this thread. It has never looked as glorious as yours, but So Sweet is definitely a winner!

Here are some prized hostas of mine.

Unruly Child last year, one I never would have gotten if I had not seen it in person. It may be a bit hail-damaged in this pic. It is a perfect plant.

My Sportsball, which I think is Snake Eyes or Erotica, year 2, nearly 2 years ago. It was a young plant, which made the leaves longer, narrower compared to now.

And this year, yesterday and still opening up. Changed a lot, but still wows.

Parisian Silk last year

Warwick Comet

An Ben Vernooji. I thought no one else had heard of it. I had a pair of them at the front steps. Picture from yesterday..

That Unruly Child is a stunner! I don't believe I've seen it before. AND...it's a Tony Avent hosta, which means it might do well for me. How old is it?

bk

Thanks, bkay. I stumbled upon that Unruly Child at one of the Avent's open house garden events summer of ...(looking into Plant Delights Nursery account)....2017. It was discounted 20% and was bursting out of a 3 QT pot. It looked like that when I got it. The hostas from Avent's Plant Delights Nursery are gorgeous. I told you that I had to carry Touch of Class home on my lap, because it was too big to fit in the footwell of the car and too gorgeous to strap into the back of the wagon. When I bought Beyond Glory, I had to walk sideways while I carried it because I could not see over the leaves, $24

Love your Hanky Panky progression pics Steve. I too enjoy it’s color changes throughout the season. If only I could remember where I moved it to last year. Something to look forward to as the hostas emerge.

Your So Sweet is a perfect specimen bKay. It looks great in a pot also.

All of your hosta look great undertheoaks but I especially like Warwicks Comet....great color, shape and texture.

I like this hosta on the left but damned if I know what it is

Goodness Gracious in the front

Dorothy Benedict, it’s a slow grower for me

Mac, such a lovely garden! That’s what I want mine to look like when it grows up! Here is my favorite hosta last season.

sherry

Mac, your garden looks heavenly. Well done!

Sherry, your Sagae picture makes me smile. When I first got really into Hostas about 4 years ago, I fell in love with Sagae based on a picture like yours. I did not know that hostas came in different sizes. I bought one right away. It was so tiny when it arrived, and remained tiny for the next 2 years. Um, it is not tiny any more.

Thanks sherry and undertheoaks. It’s been fun seeing all of your gardens also, especially when it’s so dreary out here.

Had to share one more after posting it on another thread. Devils Advocate.

Mac, your hostas really look fabulous, better than the pictures in the Hosta Library. Well done!

Thanks undertheoaks, last year was a great year for hosta’s here. No frost damage at all. This year will be another story but thankfully hosta are quite resilient. Many of my hosta’s are 3-5 years + in the garden and really coming into their own. They get better looking every yea........gotta luv it.

Mac, I wonder if that NOID for you could be Robert Frost?????

djacobz, I have been thinking of that NOID, too. Robert Frost is stunning. I stumbled on a picture of American Halo, which reminded me of Mac's NOID, too.

I think undertheoaks got it. I did purchase American Halo a few years ago but haven’t ever purchased Robert Frost......but after looking it up I want want now! Thanks a lot djacobz, just what I need, another hosta 😃 I was thinking it might be All That Jazz but I think it’s American Halo.

Cool! I may have been wandering through the alphabet on Sebright's website the other day and stumbled upon American Halo. Allegedly. Because I would obviously not be shopping for more hostas.

I really like my Risky Business. Can’t pass by it without taking a moment to admire it. stays looking consistently beautiful through the whole season.

Probably my most prized Hosta is GL Blue Banana, also love Pineapple Upside Down Cake and also prized Paradise Joyce. I may be the only one with this…… never see anyone else post this one.

debra

Mac, that NOID does look like American Halo as well. Mine is bluer though, probably less sun than yours.

debra

Umm, it is a tough question really. When we were moving I did not want to leave even a single one. My collection grew since I started growing host from seed and now borders on too much to manage. Many of my hostas have stories attached to them and connections to people. That is a different value. The one I am looking to see if it sends variegated eye again is Quiet Wyatt. I got it from Naylor's creek Gary way back when he released it. It is a gorgeous hosta and produces great seedlings.