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The leaves of hostas are, perhaps, the trait which first attracts interest by most gardeners. Flowers are a secondary characteristic occasionally involved in the selection of hostas but there are several other factors which combine to help hostas fulfill specific design criteria in the garden.

 


We classify hostas according to their mature clump size which usually develops by the time the plant is 5 or 6 years old. Generally there are five classifications based on clump height, width and leaf surface area.


Given the same growing conditions, different hostas grow at different rates from fast to medium to slow.


Although there are several variations, hostas tend to be mound-like, upright or rhizomatous in form.

We have a list of some hostas that are noted as having more than the typical number of genes in their DNA. Those with twice as many genes are called tetraploid hostas. Along with naturally occurring mutations, two chemicals have been used to artificially induce this genetic change.

 


This design trait is generally classified as coarse, medium or fine.

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