From Publishers Weekly
This illustrated collection features 750 varieties of hostas: those "exotic, luxuriant-leafed perennials," as HRH The Prince of Wales describes in his preface, that have spread their way into gardens and greenhouses everywhere. Originally cultivated in Japan, the hardy plants form a protruding lily-like bloom among clumps of heart-shaped leaves in a rainbow of hues—from the "Blue Clown" to the "Gold Regal" to the slightly variegated sage and white "Abba Irresistible." In entries organized by color, hosta specialist Grenfell reviews the special needs and features of each, also offering advice on designing beds and containers and combating pests and diseases. Appendices include hardiness zone maps for Europe and North America, suggestions for how to use and where to see hostas, and a glossary. Shadrack’s sumptuous photographs form a bright centerpiece for this comprehensive guide.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Book News, Inc.
The Prince of Wales introduces this treatment of these popular perennials by members of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society. After tracing their natural history, cultivation, niche in garden design, and nemeses, the authors describe some 750 species organized by color (green/blue/variegated) with color illustrations showing their diversity. The volume includes color hardiness zone maps and international hosta resources.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Description
Hostas have come a long way since Thomas Hogg Junior sent his first shipment from Japan to his family’s Manhattan nursery in 1862. They are now consistently voted the gardener’s favorite perennial and it takes merely a glance to understand why. Their clean lines, sumptuous leaves and elegant flowers offer great potential for striking specimen plantings and also make them the most accommodating of companion plants. With the advent of tissue culture and the rise of specialist nurseries, the range of hostas available has increased rapidly, and now gardeners are faced with a bewildering choice of over 4000 species and cultivars. The core of this encyclopedia is a fully illustrated collection of the world’s finest hostas handpicked by leading specialist Diana Grenfell. This valuable resource provides a full description and color photograph for more than 750 plants, equipping hosta lovers to judge esthetic merit and to choose the right plant for a particular situation. Organized by color, the encyclopedia is tailor-made to satisfy quests for the perfect glaucous blue or a cheerful yellow to light up a dark corner. Mike Shadrack’s enticing photographs capture the qualities of each hosta that make it distinctive and uniquely desirable. Since hostas vary greatly in their individual requirements, the fine-tuned advice in the cultivation chapter will enable growers to raise their plants to a very high standard. Readers will be fascinated as Grenfell vividly recounts expeditions by collectors, breeders and nursery owners to study hostas in the wild, and charts their introduction to the West. Informative sections on hosta classification and botany, gardening ideas, advice on pests and diseases and a quick-reference list of the best hostas for different purposes add depth to this comprehensive review of the present-day hosta. This book will delight all gardeners and find a treasured place on the bookshelves of hosta enthusiasts everywhere.


About the Author
Diana Grenfell, a co-founder of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society, is the author of The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas, The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hostas and The Gardener's Guide to Growing Daylilies. She operates the well-known nursery, Apple Court, at Lymington in Hampshire with her husband, Roger Grounds, author of The Plantfinder’s Guide to Ornamental Grasses. Michael Shadrack has been a member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society for twelve years and is currently their Chairman and Bulletin Editor. He is also a member of the American Hosta Society. His interest in photography has led to a library of nearly 3200 hosta images, many of which have been published in books, magazines and catalogues. He regularly gives talks and lectures on hostas in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hostas have come a long way since Thomas Hogg Junior sent his first shipment from Japan to his family's Manhattan nursery in 1862. They are now consistently voted the gardener's favorite perennial and it takes merely a glance to understand why. Their clean lines, sumptuous leaves and elegant flowers offer great potential for striking specimen plantings and also make them the most accommodating of companion plants. With the advent of tissue culture and the rise of specialist nurseries, the range of hostas available has increased rapidly, and now gardeners are faced with a bewildering choice of over 4000 species and cultivars. The core of this encyclopedia is a fully illustrated collection of the world's finest hostas handpicked by leading specialist Diana Grenfell. This valuable resource provides a full description and color photograph for more than 750 plants, equipping hosta lovers to judge esthetic merit and to choose the right plant for a particular situation. Organized by color, the encyclopedia is tailormade to satisfy quests for the perfect glaucous blue or a cheerful yellow to light up a dark corner. Mike Shadrack's enticing photographs capture the qualities of each hosta that make it distinctive and uniquely desirable. Since hostas vary greatly in their individual requirements, the fine-tuned advice in the cultivation chapter will enable growers to raise their plants to a very high standard. Readers will be fascinated as Grenfell vividly recounts expeditions by collectors, breeders and nursery owners to study hostas in the wild, and charts their introduction to the West. Informative sections on hosta classification and botany, gardening ideas, advice on pests and diseases and a quick-reference list of the best hostas for different purposes add depth to this comprehensive review of the present-day hosta. This book will delight all gardeners and find a treasured place on the bookshelves of hosta enthusiasts everywhere.

SYNOPSIS