The American Hosta Society is now sponsoring The Hosta Helper. Hostas are the number one selling genus of herbaceous perennials for the landscape in the U.S. today. The Hosta Helper is an American Hosta Society benefit and provides our members with information on everything related to the genus Hosta including cultivars, species, originators, traits such as leaf color, size, flower color, variegation and landscape uses. 

This website specializes in all things associated with the "Friendship Plant", the Hosta. Thanks to Don Rawson, Past-President of the West Michigan Hosta Society, for creating this site back in the 1990s. He gathered a lot of good information on a few hundred hostas to share with other gardeners. Around 1999, Don turned the site over to Ralph Heiden so that Don could devote more time to his own hosta garden. Since that time, Ralph greatly expanded the number of hostas to over 15,100 names (including duplicates and invalid ones). Ralph Heiden turned over the Hosta Helper to The American Hosta Society in 2024.

At our last count (early 2024) we have 59,341 individual pages in The Hosta Helper website. To help you navigate this much information more effectively, we have created a large Site Map page which includes links to all major sections and minor units of the website.

There are probably more than 12,000 different hostas with 6,722 cultivars registered with The American Hosta Society through 2023. Determining which ones fit the needs of your landscape can be a daunting task for the home gardener.

What are the traits that set one hosta apart from another hosta? Well, that is a complex question. We have tried to simplify some of that information in our

Hosta Helper Collection - So far, we have included information on over 15,000 cultivar and species names in our database. This includes both registered and non-registered plants along with duplicate, incorrect or out-dated names. We also display 9,200 pictures of 4,232 different hostas that we have taken in public and private gardens, nurseries and at 17 National Conventions of The American Hosta Society. Over 3,000 of the pictures have been donated for display by 33 generous hostaphiles. You can find our complete listing of pictured and non-pictured hostas in alphabetical order in our Hosta Cultivar Section.

Starting in about the 1930s, gardeners started becoming involved in using hostas in the landscape. Early pioneers such as Liberty Hyde Bailey and Eunice V. Fisher started organizing information and hybridizing hostas. Way before them, plant explorers such as Philip von Siebold were exploring Asia and discovering hostas in the early 1800s.

We have created over 400 short biographies for people who have contributed to the world of hostas in some way. This ranges from writing books about them like W. George Schmid's The Genus Hosta and Mark Zilis' The Hostapedia to people who have hybridized new cultivars such as Dr Ralph (Herb) Benedict and Mary Chastain.

Visit the Hostaphiles section to become familiar with this group of wonderful people who have chosen to become leaders in hybridizing, promoting and educating others about hostas.

With all the variety in sizes, shapes and colors of hosta leaves, stems and flowers, the possible number of combinations becomes mind boggling. To bring some organization to this chaotic problem, we have created a hosta database with information on all of the relevant hosta characteristics by cultivar and species. Also listed in the database are data on originators and hosta registrations.

As with many species of popular plants, hosta enthusiasts have joined together to form numerous international, national and local hosta groups to share their knowledge and joy in hosta gardening. 

Key to the hosta fan is The American Hosta Society which provides members with two printed versions of their wonderful publication, The Hosta Journal and one Online The Hosta Journal each year. They also hosta an annual convention in various parts of the country where you can meet other enthusiasts and see magnificent tour gardens.

The AHS offers many awards to its members for their contributions to the organization. They produce annual Hosta Popularity Poll results and are the home of the International Registrar for the Genus Hosta.

In addition to the national organization, there are many state, local and regional organizations devoted to hostas. There are also international groups such as the British Hosta and Hemrocallis Society and The Dutch Hosta Society.

Although hostas are often considered "low maintenance" plants, they are best when given at least some loving care. Also, in recent years, several pests and other problems have become more common as the number of hostas has multiplied in our landscapes.

Our Hosta Care pages will give you tips on pest problems, companion plants for hostas, planting, propagation, and much more.