H. ‘Gentle Giant’
Hosta ‘Gentle Giant’ is a registered cultivar () .
| Year registered | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Section class | I-2 (Giant) |
Last checked against the AHS registry:
Overview
'Gentle Giant' is a plain blue giant registered in 2005 by P. Black, who is credited as originator, namer and registrant; Sebright Gardens introduced it. The record names 'Frances Williams' as the pod parent and lists the pollen parent as unknown. What the registration does describe in detail is the leaf: intensely blue-green, nearly round, deeply cupped, moderately twisted, folded and corrugated, dull on both surfaces. That is a heavily textured leaf rather than a smooth plate.
In the Garden
The habit is registered as upright and the growth rate as fast. The registered clump is 68 in (172.7 cm) across and 42 in (106.7 cm) high, and medium lavender, tubular flowers stand on scapes of 48 to 55 in (121.9 to 139.7 cm).
How it compares
None of the three giant blues below is registered as tall as 'Gentle Giant'. 'Kong' (1990) is a touch wider at 70 in but only 29 in high, with longer, narrower leaves of 15 by 10 in and flower stems of 30 to 32 in.
'Helen Doriot' (1982) is a half-sibling: it also has 'Frances Williams' as its pod parent, crossed with 'Elegans'. It has the biggest leaves of the three, 17 by 14 in, on a clump registered at 65 in across and 28 in high, and its flowers are recorded as white rather than lavender. Pick it if a larger leaf and white flowers matter more than registered height.
'Krossa Regal' (1980) shares the upright shape but is registered at 36 in each way, with narrow blue-gray leaves and scapes of 72 in.
Flowers and other notes
In the registrant's Salem, Oregon garden it bloomed from June 10 to July 30, peaking around July 10, and it sets viable seed; the fast growth rate is the registrant's description, not a measured trial. For planting basics, see our guide to hosta care.
Sources: AHS Registry records for 'Gentle Giant' (#2049), 'Kong' (#3099), 'Helen Doriot' (#2503) and 'Krossa Regal' (#3109), hostaregistrar.org.
Size and leaf
| Clump height | 42 in (106.7 cm) |
|---|---|
| Clump width | 68 in (172.7 cm) |
| Leaf length | 13 in (33 cm) |
| Leaf width | 12 in (30.5 cm) |
| Vein pairs | 14 |
| Leaf | intensely blue-green slightly rippled margins; dull on top; dull underneath; deeply cupped, moderately twisted, moderately folded, lightly wavy, moderately corrugated |
| Flower scape height | 48–55 in (121.9–139.7 cm) |
From the American Hosta Society Registry record.
Similar cultivars
Other registered hostas in the same AHS section class (I-2, giant size):
- H. ‘Kong’ (1990)
- H. ‘Helen Doriot’ (1982)
- H. ‘Krossa Regal’ (1980)
- H. ‘Big Old Bob’ (2005)
- H. ‘Cyclops’ (2005)
- H. ‘Lakeside Whispering Leaves’ (2005)
Related guides
Registration data: AHS Registry #2049. How we check this data.