Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #434449 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 600 pages

Customer Reviews

The New Bible for Hosta Gardeners

Okay, so this book isn't in stock. Well, it's worth the wait.

Mark Zilis aptly combines a decade of scholarly research with concise writing in a well-conceived handbook format. It's ideal for any hosta fan.

The author knows his hostas and provides 288 in-depth hosta listings with photos and brief descriptions of a thousand more!

If you are a hosta novice, you will be surprised to learn all the subtleties of hostas and if you are a collector, the parenting history and industry tales will prove quite interesting.

Zilis tells it as it is: if a hosta is prone to tearing, sun scorch or slugs, he says so. Talk about up-front, he even points out the downside of one of his fifty hosta introductions (I happen to adore it anyway).

Whether you are a hosta newbie or connoisseur, this is an excellent resource. With it's slim profile, take it to the local botanical garden and read the listings while you are viewing their hosta collection.

Or when you are bidding online for a Aureonebulosa or Frances Williams, use his hosta name index - very handy when you don't know a Tokudama from a Sieboldiana. Everyone isn't a horticulturalist but this esteemed wholesale nursery owner recognizes reader needs with this thoughtful addition to his handbook.

And for folks new to hostas, don't let the above Latin names dampen your interest. Mark Zilis has fifty pages of hosta basics in bite-size chunks. This book is easy to grow into as you become a hosta fanatic, so buy it now.

Mark Zilis, thanks for this comprehensive book; it's the first one I grab when I think hostas.

The Hosta Handbook
I think this is an excellent book for finding hosta varieties. I have found 3 hostas in it that I could not otherwise identify.
It is easy to read and includes specific elements of each hosta in order to make ID easier. Only caution: mark your pages you want to reference frequently. It can be tricky finding the variety you need because of multiple listings in the index. Otherwise great book!

The last word in hosta reference books
Zilis's book is excellent. More than just pretty pictures, he gives solid information on the varied world of hostas. Climate, plant quirks, personal observations, as well as leaf size, color, growth habits and more. This book is superior and makes the other hosta books in my library look like simple picture books.

If you're going to buy a solid hosta reference book, buy this one.