Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 9-17-09, #35-27.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’
1974 Eunice Fisher Award Winner.
2001 AHS Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Hosta Award
2008 AHS Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit
2006 AHS Benedict Garden Performance Honorable Mention Award
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ was brought to America from Japan by Gus Krossa. It was registered with the American Hosta Society in 1980. Some information says it was registered by Alex Summers others say by his wife, Alma, after his death. If I remember correctly, I once read the plant was given to Alex Summers by Gus who then registered it.
Information from The Hosta Helper says The Hostapedia by Mark Zillis states that it “was registered as a sterile offspring go H. nigrescens… more likely a hybrid of H. rectifolia x H. nigrescens or H. rectifolia x ’Tokudama’…”
There are 23 registered sports of Hosta ‘Krossa ‘Regal’ and three registered hybrids with it as a parent. One of its most famous sports, Hosta ‘Regal Splendor’, was registered by Walters Gardens in 1987 and was the 2003 American Hosta Growers Association Hosta of the Year. It also received the American Hosta Society Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-10-10, #55-28.
I bought my first Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ from Bluestone Perennials in the early 1980’s when I first moved to my grandparent’s farm after my grandfather passed away. After I left in 1987, my father was left to mowing the yard and eventually mowed off the Hosta. Then, when I was living at the mansion in Mississippi, I bought another Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ from an Ebay seller in 2009. I sold the mansion to a group who wanted to turn the mansion into a bed and breakfast and dad wanted me to return to the family farm. So, in February 2013, I gave away around 200 plants and moved back to the family farm that I had left in 1987. I brought most of my succulents, Colocasia and Alocasia, several perennials including my Hosta, and several other plants I couldn’t leave behind.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ 4-15-12, #86-39.
The Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ managed to do fairly well in Mississippi while most of the others just “hang in there”. None of the Hosta flowered in Mississippi for some strange reason.
<<<<2013 NOW IN MISSOURI>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-14-13, #148-14.
In the 1980’s I had made a Hosta bed along the northeast corner of my grandparent’s home. The house is no longer there, so when I moved back in 2013, I had to do something else. I had also built a bed around grandma’s old goldfish pool which was now shaded by three large trees that weren’t there before. So, I dug a spot there for the Hosta and Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’ I brought with me from Mississippi. The gold flowered Iris I had planted in the early 1980’s were still there!
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-1-13, #151-47.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly in Liliaceae).
Origin: Hybrid from Japan.
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-8b (-40 to 15° F).
Size: Can grow to 36” tall x 70” wide after several years.
Flowers: Lavender flowers in July-August on 3-5’ stems.
Leaves: Powdery blue-green leaves.
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 ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-3-13, #160-18.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ caught my eye in 1981 because Bluestone’s information stated it grew to over 36″ tall and had flower stems up to 6′ tall. Well, back then as now, I like really BIG plants. So, I had to have one of course. Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ has other distinguishing features such as their vase-shaped growth habit and powdery blue-green leaves.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-30-13, #165-39.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ has thick leaves which make is very slug and snail resistant. I don’t have any problems with either one here, but I did have some problems in Mississippi. This is important to know for you if you have slug and snail problems.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 8-8-13, #171-21.
FINALLY in 2013 after several years, my Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ flowered!
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 8-14-13, #174-12.
It seemed like forever watching the stem grow taller and taller.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ flower on 8-30-13, #181-38.
FINALLY!
<<<<2014>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-1-14, #228-52.
I will let you know right now, if you expect a 36″ tall plant within a couple of years, you will just have to be more patient. Although H. ‘Krossa Regal’ MAY ultimately reach that size, it will take some time. So, don’t do as I did and plant it at the back of the bed with other cultivars that will grow large faster. They will overshadow your ‘Krossa Regal’.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-12-14, #229-22.
Even though I really like this plant, I take a lot of photos during the summer and am running out of words…
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-29-14, #230-61.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-12-14, #231-62.
No doubt if you grow Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’, you will admire it for its graceful growing habit. While the leaves of other Hosta grow this way and that, this plant seems to perfectly position its leaves with a definite plan.
<<<<2015>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-4-15, #235-5.
As always, spring is an exciting time of the year. Waiting with anticipation all winter to see what has survived and what hasn’t is a real killer. It is always great to see the first sign of the Hosta emerging from their winter hibernation.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-9-15, #236-8.
It is always nice to see the clumps get larger each year. It makes you feel you have done it right.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-21-15, #243-9.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-11-15, #254-3.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-14-15, #268-27.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-27-15, #270-30.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-12-15, #271-23.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-19-16, #274-35.
During 2016 it appeared to me there was a problem… It seemed as though the clump of ‘Krossa Regal’ were getting crowded out. You can’t see it in this photo, but in front to the right is the ever-growing Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans. To the left is Hosta ‘Red October’ (in the front of the bed) and Hosta ‘Guacamole’ on the back corner.
<<<<2017>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-20-17, #320-5.
Well, I knew something needed to be done for sure because Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ was far more deserving than to be crowded out on the back row…
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-31-17, #339-22.
So, I dug a spot at the end of grandmas’ old goldfish pool. Originally, back in 1891, I had made a brick sidewalk all the way around the fish pool. I had to dig up the bricks, which somehow got buried under several inches of dirt. I moved the Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ and was happy to find it had spread. Yeah, I know! I am supposed to put them farther apart… I could have left them in one big clump but I decided to separate them a little. Later, I bought a beautiful Hosta ‘Dancing Queen’, my first yellow-gold leaved Hosta! They made great companions. I also moved the Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ to this spot because it was also having difficulties.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-18-17, #345-28.
Apparently, the Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ approved of the change. It looks so happy now!
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-24-17, #349-13.
The grassy looking plants in the background are Iris fulva I brought back from Mississippi. 🙂
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-9-17, #355-22.
The big white leaf is from another new addition. Caladium ‘Strawberry Fields’.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-19-17, #357-39.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 10-11-17, #382-39.
As cooler weather approached many of the Hosta are showing signs of winter hibernation. The Hosta Krossa Regal’ had a good summer and I hope it returns in the spring. The Caladium ‘Strawberry Fields’ was definitely a show stopper, but it was one of the first to go dormant. I saved the bulbs!
<<<<2018>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 3-3-18, #415-8.
The early part of January was very cold and we didn’t have much snow. I had a nice layer of leaf mulch on top of the Hosta to keep the ground frozen. Despite the cold temperatures, I had to start poking around in the shade beds on March 3 to see if any Hosta had started coming up. To my surprise, several of them were starting to poke through.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-13-18, #425-22.
A month later, on April 13, they were well on their way. The cold temperatures lingered on so that set them back a little bit.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-6-18, #436-31.
By May 6, Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ was looking very good.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-17-18, #443-47.
One of them wasn’t doing so good, so I moved it to another location on the north side of the house. It didn’t do well there either…
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-9-18, #456-17.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-14-18, #459-35.
I think the soil needs to be amended with some of “The Good Stuff” in 2019. (Composted cow manure which I have plenty of.)
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-20-18, #461-15.
I decided to write a post about the Hosta so I measured all of their clumps on June 20 and 21. Well, it wasn’t fair for Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ because I divided the clump…
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-21-18, #462-13.
The largest plant measured 8 1/2″ tall x 13″ wide when the above photo was taken on June 21.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 6-21-18, #462-14.
Its largest leaf measures 3 1/2″ wide x 6 1/2″ long.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 7-29-18, #487-58.
We had a bad Japanese Beetle invasion which left the shade beds a disaster. They are under one maple and two Chinese Elm trees. The beetles love the leaves on the elm trees and left the shady area with MUCH more sun. That required a lot more watering…
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 8-26-18, #499-23.
Despite the additional sun, Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ continued to do well where many of the other Hosta’s leaves were being burned.
Well, that’s it for photos of Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ for 2018. Weare looking forward to the spring of 2019 so I can take more photos!
<<<<2019>>>>
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 3-24-19, #556-5.
The winter wasn’t as cold but we did have more snow. The snow was always followed by nice temps where all the snow melted. Then, it would snow and get cold again. This happened several times. I had previously checked on the Hosta on March 7 and 10 but hadn’t noticed any of the ‘Krossa Regal’ coming up yet. I checked again on March 24 and found 2 sprouts where I had planted one of the four plants. I had divided and replanted them in a different location in 2017. One of them wasn’t doing so good, so I relocated it again. SO, there are still supposed to be three plants in this location. I found one group on March 24 but I didn’t look for the other two yet.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-7-19, #558-20.
I checked on the Hosta again on April 7 and the Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ where I checked before has grown a little more.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-7-19, #558-21.
Then I found all three. One is among a few Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chip’ where my finger is pointing, one is in the upper part of the photo in the center and the other is in the right side in the center.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal on 4-20-19, #560-19.
Well on its way for a great 2019!
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-23-19, #562-15.
Plants are growing fast this time of the year so I had to take another set of photos for a post.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-5-19, #566-38.
The Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ had absolutely no problems and was outperforming almost all of the other Hosta by May 5.
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-25-19, #576-43.
LOOKING ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ on 8-11-19, #613-20.
The Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ is a bit of a late bloomer but that’s OK. I don’t have it necessarily flor the flowers. It has AWESOME foliage!
August 11 was the last day I took photos of the plants in the shade bed in 2019. 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 ‘Krossa Regal’ on 3-30-20, #681-22.
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 ‘Krossa Regal’ on 5-15-20, #700-21.
The Hosta did great but 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>>>>
2021 Wasn’t a good year for the Hosta here. Normally, the deer only nibble on the H. ‘Potomac Pride’ when the Hosta start 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 ‘Krossa Regal’ on 4-11-22, #867-5.
Well, only one clump of the Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ came up in 2022. The deer weren’t a problem in the shade bed in 2022, but I was fairly busy over the summer and didn’t get any more photos taken of the plants in the shade bed.
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. Unfortunately, the Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ didn’t fare so well over the winter and the last remaining plant barely came up. I put it in a pot and kept it on the front porch over the summer. It barely grew and may not return in the spring of 2024. I need to find another one…
I will continue adding more photos as time goes by.
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