Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ after I brought it home on 4-23-17, #321-8.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’
I brought my Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ home from Lowe’s on April 23, 2017, along with several others. I made a new shade bed and was buying plants for it.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ is a tetraploid form of Hosta ‘Orange Marmalade’ introduced by M. & J. Fransen. It has thicker leaves and wider margins. Scroll down to “For Further Reading” links and click on American Hosta Society to read how it was created. Very interesting!
I take a lot of photos during the growing season to get a record of how the plants do throughout the summer. As you scroll down to view the photos, please forgive the untidiness of the bed. There is a lot to do on the farm so sometimes the grass can get ahead of me. Also, since this is a new bed, there is plenty of open areas that will eventually fill in. I also amended the soil with “the Good Stuff” which is decomposed cow manure and hay from where the cows were fed last winter. There are always plenty of grass and weed seeds that come along.
THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-31-17, #339-20.
The leaves on this plant are very nice! They are thicker and have more color than Hosta ‘Orange Marmalade’, which is also on my wishlist.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-6-17, #342-2-2.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly in Liliaceae).
Origin: Introduced by M. & J. Fransen.
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-8b (-40 to 15° F).
Size: 18-24” tall x 24-36” wide.
Spacing: 30” apart.
Flowers: Lavender flowers in June-July.
Light: Light to full shade.
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil.
Water: Average water needs once established.
Propagation: Division every 3-5 years.
Uses: Attracts hummingbirds, shade garden, containers, etc.
Tolerates: Dry shade and high humidity.
Resistant: Slugs and snails.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-11-17, #343-22.
The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ got along fine in its new surroundings and did very well.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 10-11-17, #382-37.
2017 was my first year with Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ as a companion. It did very well in the summer heat and was understanding of a little neglect. Hopefully, it will survive the winter and return in the spring. Then I can add more photos and we can get to know each other better.
<<<<2018>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-13-18, #425-20.
We made it through another winter and the first part of January was very cold. Hosta thrives in northern states where there is a lot more snow than here, so as long as they had a little mulch I knew they would be OK. The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ was actually one of the first for its leaves to unfurl.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-6-18, #436-29.
Cool temperatures hung on for a while, but eventually, the Hosta started doing better and looking good.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-17-18, #443-45.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-9-18, #456-14.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ sending up a bud…
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-14-18, #459-32.
I always have more photos than words…
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-14-18, #459-33.
NICE!
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-20-18, #461-13.
I took photos and took measurements of the Hosta on June 20 and 21. Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ measured 11 3/4″ tall x 18″ wide when the above photo was taken.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-20-18, #461-14.
The buds on this Hosta are very tight and clustered together while others are more open. The flower stem is very stiff and was 20″ tall when the above photo was taken
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-21-18, #462-9.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ has very bright creamy white leaves with irregular green margins and the largest is currently 5 1/4″ wide by 9″ long. As you can see in the above photo a firefly is resting on a leaf. We have more fireflies than I have seen in MANY years
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 7-29-18, #487-5.
The above photo was the last I took of the Hosta in 2018. The Japanese Beetles invaded the Chinese Elm trees this shade bed was under and changed the light from shade to more sun. So, after that, I had to water more frequently and their leaves burnt somewhat. That doesn’t make for good photos. So, we will have to wait for 2019 for more photos.
<<<<2019>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 3-24-19, #556-3.
The past winter wasn’t near as cold as last winter but we did have more snow. We would have mild temps followed by snow and cold temps. This happened several times over the winter which is not necessarily good for some perennials. I could not find Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ (and three other Hosta) when I first checked on March 7 and 10. I thought this was kind of strange because they were up on March 3 last year. On March 24 I found one that had been covered by more soil over the winter so I thought the other three may be the same. However, that was not the case. I was looking behind their labels and the other three Hosta were in front of their labels. GEEZ! SO, I did find Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ just starting to emerge even though I did have to run my fingers through the soil to find it.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-7-19, #558-18.
The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ was looking much better by April 7.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-20-19, #560-17.
By April 20 the Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ is off and running!
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-23-19, #562-13.
Looking very good by April 23.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-5-19, #566-36.
By May 5, temps had been getting warm enough for the Hosta to start growing much better.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-25-19, #576-41.
The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ was looking AWESOME on May 25.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-5-19, #583-20.
I noticed there was a bud on June 5.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-9-19, #585-14.
The stem is growing and the plant is looking GREAT!
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ bud on 6-14-19, #589-7.
WE HAVE A FLOWER!
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 8-11-19, #613-18.
August 11 was the last day I took photos of the plants in the shade bed. They had a great summer despite the Japanese Beetle invasion which wasn’t bad in 2019 as it was in 2018. It wasn’t as bad in 2019 because I had a trap right next to the shade beds. I had to keep an eye on them and water a little more often.
<<<<2020>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 3-30-20, #681-20.
Spring was in the air when the above photo was taken on March 30 and the Hosta have been “working on it”. Most of them have been poking out of the ground for a while and now are beginning to turn green. They are a bit slow sometimes when cool temps linger, but as soon as it gets warm enough they will start growing better. It seems like they are waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-1-20, #682-2.
Sometimes you may need to remove a little soil to help them out…
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-15-20, #700-15.
I was fairly busy over the summer in 2020 so I didn’t get to take many photos. The plants in the shade bed did very well and we had rain off and on. Luckily, we didn’t have much of a problem with the Japanese Beetles like in 2018 and 2019, so the shade beds stayed shady…
<<<<2021>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 6-27-21, #805-10.
2021 Wasn’t a good year for the Hosta here. Normally, the deer only nibble on the H. ‘Potomac Pride’ when the Hosta starts growing in the spring then leave them alone. In 2021, they kept eating their leaves and wouldn’t let several of them grow. HOPEFULLY, they won’t be a problem in 2022.
<<<<2022>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 4-21-22, #871-8.
The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ made it through the winter and was up and running on April 21 in 2022. The deer wasn’t a problem in 2022, but I was fairly busy and didn’t take any more photos of the Hosta.
<<<<2023>>>>
Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ on 5-10-23, #938-11.
I moved the Hosta to the bed on the north side of the house in the spring of 2023. There was a continual problem with moles over the winter for several years and the Hosta struggled to come up in the spring. Being on the north side of the house, I can keep an eye on them and take care of them better. The Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’ was looking very good when I moved it on 5-10-23.
I will continue adding more photos as time goes by.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on the “Like” below if you have visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 Click here for my page about the Hosta genus, growing information and sources. The links below are specifically for this cultivar. There are several good sources of Hosta somewhere toward the bottom on the right side of the page.
The Belmont Rooster 
I love your website! Thank you for sharing.
I can’t wait till I plant my own.
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Hello Debra! Thanks for visiting and I am glad you enjoy my site. I hope to hear from you again. Good luck with your planting! Take care and thanks for the comment!
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