Hostaphile vs Hostaholic?
- John Plant
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
How many Hostas have you got? Does it really matter? Who cares anyway?
Do you need to have more? Do you have to have that new variety? Can you resist?
Have I got too many? How many is too many? Should you stop now? Undecided?
So which category do you fit into? Yes, there is more than one! Are you a Hostaholic or do you feel more like a Hostaphile?
I probably fall in one of these categories myself. Let’s see!
If you are unsure, try a list of pro’s & cons for each category.
A Hostaphile is an avid enthusiast, collector or expert of Hostas.
In most collectors minds they probably fit into the Hostaphile category. They have numerous Hostas, but they are all neatly displayed and professionally labelled, sitting pretty in their weed-free borders. He or she can probably name them all, possibly their parentage and sports, how big they get at maturity, what colour & when they flower, as well as the originator. They can take you around the garden and expounds the virtues of each and every one. They know everyone that they have and are always on the look-out for any new & exciting varieties of Hosta.
Should you need to identify a Hosta that grandmother gave you a piece of, there are the type of Hosta expert that you need to find. The problem with this is that all you want is the Hosta name but end up with a 20min discussion of where to plant it for optimum performance and what to expect at any given time of the year. In fact, a Hostaphile doesn’t seem to understand that your interest in Hostas is not quite the same as theirs.
To deep dive into Hosta information and use the American Hosta Society Register. https://www.hostaregistrar.org and explore thousands of varieties and extract the required information for the variety you are looking for.
A Hostaholic, on the other hand can still have their Hostas neatly displayed and definitely all well labelled, in their gardens, but can make do with any type of label made from pieces of wood, or coloured plastic strips, using permanent marker pens which of course are only permanent for maybe a couple of years, if you are lucky.
They still know them all by name, but don’t necessarily know their parentage or flower colour or any other factors pertinent to Hosta identification. They are all very happy to give provide expounding the virtues of each variety, but you will be prompted to help pulling weeds as you go.
Whilst Hostaholics definitely love their Hostas their minds are not 100% focused on showing their gardens.
If you want Hosta identification, the chances are that they won’t know. In their minds they have a memory of where they are planted in the garden, rather than details of the Hosta itself.
They are similar to Hostaphiles when it comes to acquiring new varieties but will move mountains to get it. The thrill is in the acquisition, especially if the Hosta is new to the industry, or if not yet available ensure they don’t miss out when it does become available, even if that takes a couple of year or more.
In purchasing Hostas, Hostaholics will buy Hosta willy nilly, doesn’t care about maturity size because they will plant closer together knowing they can move them to make room for another new Hosta.
A Hostaphile will consider each Hosta variety, check its parentage and merits before buying. They are quite meticulous in their choices knowing what will do well or not in their area. If it doesn’t generally do well, they won’t buy it.
With the Hostaholic, they will buy it anyway, and if it isn’t good for their area, they buy it anyway and somehow thinking ‘this time will be different’. It rarely is.. how many people have bought Hosta White Feather thinking they will be the only one with a perfect specimen in their garden and be the envy of the Hosta world. Very few I think!
So again, I ask, which one are you? You may be both! At one time. Towards the end of the summer season, you take yourself off and scour gardens centres and nurseries within a 100-mile radius. If you saw a Hosta with a name that you didn’t have, you had to buy it. You may be the sort of person that waits until the new varieties are included on a website, with us Rewela Hostas that is usually around early November. Then as soon as you can, you buy them whilst they are still available. New varieties to the market don’t last too long.
You may have bought a particular variety in one garden centre, and because it looked a bit different, you bought it again in the next garden centre, not remembering you already had this variety. Always room for one more.
When we get new varieties, they are all potted up or planted, all fully labelled within a day or two. This is probably a sign of a Hostaholic, but then we do run an on-line Hosta sales business, so that is essential.
We have around a thousand varieties of Hosta in the garden and in display pots but will buy more when the opportunity arises. Most of these are newish varieties, as the ‘older’ varieties are becoming harder to find.
Age & wisdom can push you from being a Hostaholic who has to have them all, to being a partial Hostaphile.
So, which one are you? Hostaphile or Hostaholic? Which one am I? Neither or both. I am a new breed of Hosta collectors. Not defined by a title, but by a condition, (No, it’s not a disease). There is no cure for what I have, and I don’t care. I wear the badge proudly.
Where do you stand? Just answer YES in the appropiate box below. Or both if you are not sure!!
Are You Phile or Holic ?
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At Rewela Hostas, we are delighted to provide a diverse selection of Hostas suitable for collectors, experienced growers, and beginners alike. As a small family-run Hosta business we are more than happy to share our expert advice on everything related to Hostas. Shop now on our on-line shop for a wide range of Hostas, from new varieties to classics.
Shop for Hostas HERE
John Plant
Rewela Hostas
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