# The Hosta Farm

> Open encyclopedia of every registered *Hosta* cultivar (5,648 entries) from the American Hosta Society Registry, with care guides, shade-garden design notes, and hand-painted watercolor illustrations. Free, ad-supported, no paywall.

The Hosta Farm aggregates uncopyrightable factual records from the American Hosta Society (AHS) Registry — registration year, originator, registrant, parentage (pod/pollen/sport), section class, plant/leaf/scape dimensions, notable characteristics — and adds editorially reviewed care notes, 18 legacy human-written guides (2018–2019), and 10 curated buying guides. Photos are either Wikimedia Commons (CC-licensed, with full attribution) or AI watercolor illustrations generated in-house (CC0 from us). We never reuse AHS photos (they are copyrighted by the registrants).

## Core references

- [The Hosta variety catalog (A–Z)](https://thehostafarm.com/varieties/a-z/): Complete searchable list of 5,648 registered cultivars with year, registrant, and parentage
- [Individual cultivar page format](https://thehostafarm.com/hosta-patriot-review-and-information/): Each cultivar page includes AHS registry ID, year registered, originator, registrant, section class, parentage, plant/leaf/scape dimensions, and editorial notes
- [Hosta of the Year archive (1996–2026)](https://thehostafarm.com/hosta-of-the-year/): All 30 American Hosta Growers Association HOTY winners
- [Hosta care guides](https://thehostafarm.com/guides/): 28 long-form articles covering care, design, problems, seasonal tasks, and variety lists
- [Buying guides](https://thehostafarm.com/buy/): Curated Amazon affiliate guides for live Hosta plants, fertilizers, slug control, deer repellents, companion perennials, and shade-garden tools

## Browse by facet

- [Best Blue Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/best-blue-hostas/): All registered cultivars with predominantly blue foliage
- [Best Gold Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/best-gold-hostas/): Chartreuse to deep-gold cultivars
- [Best Variegated Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/best-variegated-hostas/): Mixed-color cultivars
- [Best White-Margined Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/best-white-margined-hostas/): Crisp white-edged cultivars
- [Giant Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/giant-hostas/): Cultivars classified as giant in the AHS Registry
- [Large Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/large-hostas/): Large-class cultivars
- [Medium Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/medium-hostas/): Medium-class cultivars
- [Small Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/small-hostas/): Small-class cultivars
- [Miniature Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/miniature-hostas/): Miniature-class cultivars

## Guides by topic

- [Care](https://thehostafarm.com/guides/care/): Watering, fertilizing, dividing, mulching
- [Design](https://thehostafarm.com/guides/design/): Shade-garden composition, companion plants
- [Problems](https://thehostafarm.com/guides/problems/): Slugs, deer, voles, HVX virus, leaf damage
- [Seasonal](https://thehostafarm.com/guides/seasonal/): Spring emergence, fall cleanup, winter mulch

## Common questions answered

- [Are hostas poisonous?](https://thehostafarm.com/are-hostas-poisonous/): Hostas contain saponins toxic to dogs, cats, and horses
- [Hostas for sun](https://thehostafarm.com/hostas-for-sun/): Sun-tolerant cultivars and acclimation
- [Hostas for shade](https://thehostafarm.com/hostas-for-shade/): Full-shade performers
- [Hostas diseases](https://thehostafarm.com/hostas-diseases/): HVX, crown rot, anthracnose
- [How to divide and transplant Hostas](https://thehostafarm.com/how-to-divide-and-transplant-hosta/): Timing, technique, aftercare

## About

- [About The Hosta Farm](https://thehostafarm.com/about/): Editorial team, sources, methodology
- [Contact](https://thehostafarm.com/contact/): Email and questions
- [Privacy policy](https://thehostafarm.com/privacy/): GDPR/CCPA-compliant
- [Cookie policy](https://thehostafarm.com/cookie-policy/): Consent and IAB TCF v2.3
- [Terms](https://thehostafarm.com/terms/): Terms of use

## Data sources and attribution

- **American Hosta Society Registry** (https://hostaregistrar.org/) — primary source for cultivar facts (registry IDs, year, registrant, originator, parentage, dimensions). Factual data is uncopyrightable under Feist v. Rural (1991).
- **Wikimedia Commons** — CC-licensed photographs of cultivars, with per-image attribution on each cultivar page.
- **The Hosta Farm** — original watercolor illustrations (AI-generated text-to-image), CC0 / public domain from us.
- **American Hosta Growers Association** (https://www.hostagrowers.org/) — Hosta of the Year list 1996–2026.

For citation: "The Hosta Farm (https://thehostafarm.com), encyclopedia of *Hosta* cultivars."