Asked on Aug 06, 2017

I've dug up some baby hostas to give away....

Louise
by Louise
I realized that I have what seems like more than one kind. Most of my hostas are the ones with ridges in the leaves, but some of the babies I dug up don't have the ridges. Does anyone know what the smaller-leafed, non-ridged ones are?
These are what I call ridged leaves and most of my hostas are this kind.
These are smaller leaves and without ridges. Do you know what these are called? None of my large, fully grown hostas are this kind so I'm confused about where they came from. Maybe they're not even hostas?
  11 answers
  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Aug 06, 2017

    You got cut off, what did you realize?

  • CeCe813 CeCe813 on Aug 06, 2017

    They are both hostas, although maybe the leaves appear differently if they have not reached full size? Check out Plant Delights nursery for the most amazing collection of hostas, it might help you identify what you've got. The website is plantdelights.com if you are interested. Be forewarned, you have probably never seen so many different varieties of hosta!

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Aug 06, 2017

    Perhaps they are some kind of hybrid. Who knows what can happen in plant DNA. You can see some have mild ridging on them and the back looks the same as the other ridged hostas do, perhaps they just need more growing time. They do look like they are a lighter green and the leaves look not quite as wide. Perhaps it could be a different kind.

  • Pbr28359456 Pbr28359456 on Aug 07, 2017

    There are over 2000 varieties of hostas, my favorite plant.....so easy to grow and split......love shade but the brighter color variety will do fine with some sun.......our son bought an old house then tore it down to build his own and hostas keep popping up.......if we can use them, we transplant, otherwise dig down to get roots out so they don't pop up again....possibly that is what's happening with your hostas....

    • Cathy Messer Cathy Messer on Aug 07, 2017

      I believe it is closer to 4000 varieties! And they are coming up with new ones yearly.

  • Chris Crawford Chris Crawford on Aug 07, 2017

    Quite often, a hybridized plant will reproduce throwbacks to its original variety losing its hybridized features.

    looks like that’s what has happened here.


  • Mary Clark Mary Clark on Aug 07, 2017

    Looks a little like Lilly of the Valley. Did you dig up in the spring?

  • Pbr28359456 Pbr28359456 on Aug 07, 2017

    its been several years since my master gardener classes and it was over 2000 then....if they are going to come up with more plants of something, glad it is hostas.......hydrangeas another one I can't get enough of......

  • Kim Kim on Aug 07, 2017

    They are all hosta plants, different varieties...

  • 9530106 9530106 on Aug 07, 2017

    http://www.plantsgalore.com/Hostas/plant/index-plant-texture.htm This does an excellent job of explaining the leaf texture. Hope it helps you.

  • MARTINA MARTINA on Aug 08, 2017

    I have different types of hostas, but some bugs have been eaten the leaves. How or what can I do to get rid of this problem. I would like to use a natural remedy, do you have any solution?

    • Cathi Cathi on Aug 11, 2017

      Crush egg shells around your hostas, keeps the slugs off that are most likely eating your hostas...it's like crawling on broken glass to them!

  • Lynn Lynn on Aug 08, 2017

    There is actually over 8000 different types of Hosta plants. Place crushed egg shells around your hostas to kill the ear wigs.