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  1. In 1977 at the Robert Savory nursery Golden Tiara was developed. From this very beautiful medium sized hosta a diverse range of hostas have been developed. From its’ introduction Golden Tiara was a must have hosta, being one of the first small to medium hosta to have a gold margin. Plants would change hands in America for upwards of $50.00. The variety has been widely produced and is now available around the world at very reasonable prices. Golden Tiara is now grown in many gardens because of its’ extremely fast growth rate, an added benefit is the prolific number of purple flowers it produces from mid-July to mid-August.

    1998 was a year in which several sports were registered with the American Hosta Society. Amber Tiara; Crystal Tiara; Gilded Tiara; Grand Prize and Heavenly Tiara being registered by Walters Gardens Inc.

     

    Amber Tiara (Walters Garden Inc. 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Medium to bright gold , slightly wavy leaves of good substance. Leaf size 4” x 3”. Purple flowers.

    Crystal Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Yellow centred leaves turning creamy white by late summer, with chartreuse margins. Leaf size 4” x 21/2” . Purple flowers.

    Diamond Tiara (Mark Zilis. T & Z Nursery 1985) Sport of Golden Tiara. Green centred leaves with broad white margins, ovate, slightly wavy, of average substance. Plant size 18” x 42”. Leaf size 5” x 4”. Pale purple flowers.

    Emerald Scepter (Mark Zilis 2003) Tissue culture of Golden Tiara. Gold centred leaves turning creamy white by late summer with chartreuse margins. Plant size 9” x 23”. Leaf size 4” x 21/2”. Pale purple flowers.

    Emerald Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc 1988) Sport of Golden Scepter. Gold centred leaves with green margins, ovate, smooth texture. Plant size 17” x 35”. Leaf size 41/2” x 31/2”. Purple flowers.

    Flame Tiara (J. van Ostrand 2004) Sport of Amber Tiara. Creamy white centred leaves with gold margins. Purple flowers. Not commercially available.

    Gilded Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Chartreuse centred leaves with narrow yellow margins. Not commercially available.

    Glen Tiara (V. Serafin 2003) Sport of Golden Tiara. Green centred leaves with gold margins. Slightly larger and rounder leaves than Golden Tiara. Medium purple flowers.

    Gold Heart (Terra Nova Nurseries NR) Sport of Grand Tiara. Light yellow centred leaves turning creamy white by late summer with chartreuse margins.

    Golden Scepter (R. Savory 1983) Sport of Golden Tiara. Golden leaves, ovate, slightly wavy of average substance. Plantsize 14” x 35”. Pale purple flowers.

    Golden Tiara (R. Savory 1977) Sport of hosta Nakaiana. Green centred leaves with golden margins, ovate, slightly wavy, slightly corrugated of average substance. Plant size 16” x 39”. Leaf size 41/4” x 31/2”. Purple flowers.

    Grand Gold (R. Benedict c2002 NR) Sport of Grand Tiara. Gold leaves of thick substance. Purple flowers. Very similar to Amber Tiara.

    Grand Prize (Walters Gardens Inc. 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Green centred leaves with gold margins which turn creamy yellow by late summer, ovate, slightly wavy. Leaf size 41/2” x 31/2”. Purple flowers.

    Grand Tiara (A. Pollack 1991) Sport of Golden Tiara. Dark green centred leaves with 1” wide chartreuse to gold margins, broadly ovate, of good substance. Plant size 16” x 44”. Leaf size 5” x 41/2”. Medium purple flowers.

    Heavenly Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Light to medium green centred leaves with yellow margins which turn to creamy white by late summer, of thick substance. Medium purple flowers.

    Jade Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc c2002 NR) Sport of Golden Tiara. Green leaves. Purple flowers. Very similar to Jade Scepter.

    Jade Scepter (M. Zilis for T & Z Nursery 1988) Sport of Golden Tiara. Medium green leaves. Plant size 16” x 43”. Leaf size 41/2” x 31/4”. Purple flowers.

    Lime Tiara (M. Zilis c1990 NR) Tissue culture of Emerald Scepter. Light green leaves. Purple flowers. Not commercially available.

    Margaret Mary Tiara (D. Hovenkamp 2001) Sport of Diamond Tiara. Medium green centred leaves with wide white margins, sometimes streaked into leaf centres. Leaf size 31/4” x 23/4”. Light purple flowers. Not commercially available.

    McFly (J Stadden 2007 NR) Seedling of Diamond Tiara. Blue green leaves, ovate, slightly wavy of good substance. Leaf size 6” x 41/2”.

    Opal Scepter (B. Meyer c2000 NR) Sport of Golden Scepter. Gold leaves with creamy white streaked and mottled markings.

    Pearl Tiara (B. Meyer c2002 NR) Sport of Diamond Tiara. Similar to Diamond Tiara but with a much wider margin. Not commercially available.

    Platinum Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc 1987) Sport of Golden Tiara. Bright gold centred leaves with white margins turning chartreuse by late summer. Ovate shaped, slightly corrugated of thin substance. Plant size 11” x 29”. Leaf size 43/8” x 31/8”. Pale purple flowers.

    Ribbon Tiara (B. Meyer c2002 NR) Sport of Golden Tiara. Narrow green centred leaves with broad gold margins. Not commercially available.

    Royal Tiara (M. Zilis for T & Z Nursery 1988) Sport of Golden Tiara. Heavily twisted chartreuse margined with white centres of thin substance. Plant size 8” x 17”. Leaf size 4” x 3”. Lavender flowers.

    Russia Tiara (NR) Sport of Golden Tiara. Green centred leaves with yellow margins which change to creamy white by late summer.

    Silver Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc. 1988) Sport of Golden Scepter. White centred leaves with chartreuse to gold margins. Plant size 4” x 8”. Leaf size 31/2” x 11/4”. Scarce availability.

    Streaked Tiara (T & Z Nursery c2000 NR) Sport of Golden Tiara. Streaked foliage. Purple flowers.

    Sunny Tiara (R. Flink 2006) Sport of Golden Tiara. Chartreuse coloured leaves. Plant size 14” x 20”. Leaf size 31/2” x 21/4”. Purple flowers. Very similar to Golden Scepter.

    Teaspoon (F. Nyikos 1998) Hybrid of Birchwood Parky’s Gold and Golden Tiara. Cupped medium green leaves, ovate to nearly round, moderately corrugated. Plant size 11” x 24”. Leaf size 23/4” x 21/4”. Pale lavender flowers.

    Topaz Tiara (Walters Gardens Inc. 1998) Sport of Grand Tiara. Chartreuse centred leaves with green margins, broadly ovate of good substance. Plant size 13” x 33”. Leaf size 41/2” x 3”. Medium purple flowers.

    Touchstone (R. Bowden c2002 NR) Sport of Golden Tiara. Green centred leaves with white margins. Purple flowers. Very similar to Diamond Tiara.

     

     

     

     

  2. Many people now grow miniature hostas either in a garden location; from alpine gardens, rockeries, raised beds, troughs or simply in pots. Modern gardens are often smaller in size, limiting the variety and range of plants their owners can grow. Down-sizing a garden does not necessarily restrict the number of varieties of hostas that can be grown. There are now many varieties of miniature and small hostas available, all of which will grow happily in our climate.

    If you are an enthusiast of miniature and small hostas you are likely to know of a range called ‘Mouse’ hostas. There are now over 30 varieties to collect.

    First grown in 1987 and developed by E & J Deckert of Nature’s Reign, Hampstead, Maryland in the United States of America that was a miniature blue leafed hosta called ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. This variety was a sport of Blue Cadet. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ was registered in 2000 with the American Hosta Society. In 2008 the American Hosta Growers Association  awarded  Blue Mouse Ear ‘Hosta Of The Year’.

    From these simple beginning many sports have been developed and are now commercially available.

    Listed below is the current list of ‘Mouse’ hostas. All varieties highlighted in bold green text can be obtained from North Staffordshire Hostas. Details can also be found in our catalogue.

     

     

    Blue Mouse Ears(E. & J. Deckert 2000) Almost round leaves, deeply cupped  of heavy substance produced on thick petioles. Medium blue colour. Size 9” x 12”. Leaf size 2 ½” x 2 ½”. Pale lavender hyacinth-like flowers produced on short stems.

    Blue Mouse Ears Supreme (W. Silvers 2007) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Streaked version. Blue-green leaves with yellow-cream streaks. Size 6” x 10”. Leaf size 2” x 2 ½”.

    Calico Mouse Ears (M.Zilis NR)  Sport of Frosted Mouse Ears. Rounded blue leaves with yellow streaks. Size 6” x 8”. Lavender flowers.

    Cat and Mouse (H.Hansen 2007) Variegated sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Greenish yellow with a blue-green margin. Very small and flat growing variety. Size 3” x 6”. Leaf size 2” x 2 ½”. Requires good light conditions and a well drained compost.

    Church Mouse(Walters Gardens NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Blue-green leaves, the edges have a ruffled appearance. Size 8” x 19”. Leaf size 3” x 2”. Lavender flowers.

    Country Mouse Sport of Bill Dress’s Blue. Heart shaped leaves. Blue-green centred leaves with pure white margins. Slow growing. Size 3” x 6”. Leaf size 2” x 2”. Purple flowers.

    Crazy Mouse Ears (J.Schwarz NR)

    Dancing Mouse (M.Fransen NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Small blue green leaves with wavy yellow-green margins. Size 6” x 8”. Lavender flowers.

    Desert Mouse(J. van den Top NR) Sport of One Iota Supreme. Rounded leaves that a pointed tips. Creamy-yellow centred leaves with blue-green margin. Size 7” x 18”. Leaf size 3” x 2”. Pale purple flowers.

    Forest Mouse (J. van den Top NR) Sport of Green Mouse Ears. Green leaves of heavy substance with greenish-yellow margins. Size 6” x 8”. Lavender flowers.

    Frosted Mouse Ears(M. Zilis; E. & J. Deckert 2006) Sport of Royal Mouse Ears. Thick rounded leaves. Blue leaves with a creamy margin fading to white by late summer. Slow growing. Needs mulching to avoid splash-back. Will take some sun. Size 7” x 12”. Leaf size 2 ½” x 2”.

    Funny Mouse(Fransen NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Rounded leaves, blue-green centred with white margins. Size 7” x 18”. Leaf size 3” x 2”. Lavender flowers.

    Giantland Mouse Cheese(M. Zilis; J. Miller & T. Meyer 2011) Seedling out of Blue Mouse Ears. Rounded leaves of  good substance. Outstanding bright gold leaves. Size 4” x 12”. Leaf size 2 ¾” x 2 ½”. Pale purple flowers.

    Giantland Sunny Mouse Ears(M. Zilis; J.Miller & T. Meyer 2011) Heart-shaped leaves of thick substance. Leaves medium gold colour. Size 3” x 10”. Leaf size 1 ¾” x 1 ¾”. Pale purple flowers.

    Green Mouse Ears(E. & J. Deckert 2004) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Round leaves, cupped of thick substance, green in colour. Size 8” x 12”. Leaf size 3” x 2”. Pale lavender striped flowers.

    Happy Mouse (J. van den Top NR) Sport of Green Mouse Ears. Pointed green leaves of good substance with pale green streaks.

    Holy Mouse Ears(M. Zilis; E. & J. Deckert 2006) Sport of Royal Mouse Ears. Almost round leaves. Creamy-white centred leaves with a feathered blue-green margin. Requires dappled shade. Slow growing. Size 6” x 12”. Leaf size 2” x 2”. Pale purple flowers.

    Itty Bitty (M. Zilis 2010) Sport of Green Mouse Ears. Moderately ovate cupped green leaves with yellow centres which are streaked. Size 5” x 13”.

    Jumbo Mouse Ears (H. Philips 2011)

    Little Ice Mouse (J. van den Top NR) Sport of Green Mouse Ears. Ovate wavy leaves green with narrow white margins.

    Lucky Mouse(J. van den Top NR) Sport of One Iota Supreme. Thick blue leaves with creamy-yellow margins. Moderately wavy leaves. Size 6” x 8”. Lavender flowers.

    Mighty Moe (W. Silvers 2009) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears Supreme. Green leaves with pale yellow centres.

    Mighty Mouse (Walters Gardens 2006) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Rounded  leaves with pointed tips. Blue-green leaves with pale yellow margins turning white by late summer. Moderately fast growing. Requires dappled shade. Size 4” x 8”. Leaf size 3” x 3”. Lavender flowers.

    Mini Mouse (R. Goodwin)

    Minnie Mouse (= Missie Mouse K. Squires)

    Mouse Tracks (Walters Gardens & A. Bergeron 2009) Sport of Mighty Mouse. Streaked blue-green centred leaves with pale yellow margins turning white by late summer.

    Mouse Trap (Shady Oaks Nursery NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Bright white centred leaves with a blue-green margin.

    Mrs. Mouse Ears (M. Testart NR)

    Mystic Mouse (D. Van Eechaute NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Thick round leaves chartreuse centre with blue green margins. Size 6” x 14”. Lavender flowers.

    One Iota (J. Anderson NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Dark green centred leaves with a cream edge.

    One Iota Supreme (J. Schwarz NR) Sport of One Iota. Blue green leaves streaked creamy-white.

    Pure Heart (Walters Gardens & J. Westendorp 2009) Sport of Mighty Mouse. White centred leaves narrow dark green margins. Size 5” x 9”. Leaf size 2 ½” x 2 1/2". Slow growing variety which needs tender care until established. Lavender flowers.

    Royal Mouse Ears (E. & J. Deckert 2004) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Blue-green at the base of the leaf. Streaked with gold. Size 8” x 18”. Pale purple flowers.

    Ruffled Mouse Ears(M. Zilis 2011) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Rounded leaves of thick substance with rippled edges at maturity. Blue-green to green in colour. Size 6” x 14”. Leaf size 2 ¾” x 2 ½”. Purple flowers.

    Snow Mouse(M. Fransen NR) Sport of Blue Mouse Ears. Very thick rounded leaves. White centred leaves with blue-green margins which are wider than Holy Mouse Ears. Slow growing. 7” x 12”. Leaf size 2 ½” x 2”. Lavender flowers.