Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-15-12, #86-40.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’

Hosta ‘Blue Umbrellas’ x Hosta yingeri ‘Treasure Island’

This great Hosta was registered by Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery and registered with the American Hosta Society in 1995. It was selected as AHS convention plant also in 1995. It is the offspring of Hosta ‘Blue Umbrellas’ as the pollen parent and Hosta yingeri ‘Treasure Island’ as the pod parent.

There are 4 registered sports from Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ and three registered hybrids with it as a parent listed on The Hosta Helper website.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ did very good in Mississippi compared to several other cultivars that struggled there. I sold the mansion in Mississippi and moved back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013. I gave up around 200 plants but brought most of my succulents, Colocasia and Alocasia, several perennials including the Hosta, and several other plants I couldn’t leave behind.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-14-13, #148-15.

I think I bought my Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ in 2009 although, for some reason, it doesn’t appear in any photos until 2010 in a group photo. The first individual photo I have in my folders was taken in 2012 (at the top of the page). Maybe I screwed up somewhere and there are other photos in my old laptop that won’t come on. It is almost impossible because I transferred all those photos to my iMac in 2013. But still, I wonder…

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-1-13, #151-48.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ features large dark green leaves, although some websites say blue-green. It will grow to a height of around 24-36″ and clumps as wide as 50″ or more depending on if you divide. Leaves grow to approximately 12″ long x 8 1/2″ wide. It produces lavender flowers starting in July on 24-36″ stems.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-3-13, #160-19..

I first moved to the farm after my grandfather passed away in 1981. It was then when I bought my first Hosta from Bluestone Perennials. I moved from the farm in 1987 and dad had to start mowing the yard. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t have time to maintain the flower beds so they got mowed off and eventually the Hosta and other perennials died. When I moved back here in 2013, the old house was gone so the bed where the Hosta used to be was now in full sun. I had flower beds around grandmas old goldfish pool, which used to be in the sun. That area was now shaded by three big trees that weren’t there before. SO, I dug an area there for the Hosta and Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-3-13, #160-20.

Although Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ did OK in Mississippi, it thrived here in Missouri. It took off!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-30-13, #165-40.

None of the Hosta flowered the whole four summers I was in Mississippi so I was very happy when they started flowering here on the farm.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 10-25-13, #198-15.

Cooler temps and decreasing daylight in October meant the Hosta and other perennials would soon go through their winter hibernation. The winters are much longer and colder here in Missouri…

<<<<2014>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-1-14, #228-53.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly in Liliaceae)
Origin: Hybridized by Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-8b (-40 to 15° F)
Size: 24-36” tall x 50” wide
Spacing: 3-4’
Flowers: Lavender flowers in July on 36” tall stems
Leaves: Dark green leaves up to 12” long x 8 1/2” wide
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 ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-12-14, #229-23.

I always take a lot of photos during the growing season to keep a record of how well the plants do at different times. Sometimes I get a little behind weeding, so pardon the untidiness.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-29-14, #230-62.

I really like the leaves of the Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’. Dark green, corrugated, and puckered…

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-12-14, #231-63.

<<<<2015>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-22-15, #233-8.

Spring is here again at last! Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ is always one of the first to emerge after its winter hibernation and I am always happy to see it.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-4-15, #235-6.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-9-15, #236-9.

Although it is always one of the first, its large leaves seem to take a while to unfurl.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-21-15, #243-10.

I’m kind of running out of words but there are still more photos!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-25-14, #245-14.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-11-15, #254-4.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-14-15, #268-28.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-27-15, #270-31.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-12-15, #271-24.

<<<<2016>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-19-16, #274-36.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-19-16, #274-37.

<<<<2017>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-7-17, #312-9.

It’s always good to see the Hosta and other perennials come up in the spring. This is a good time to notice how much larger the clump is than the spring before. It is also a good time to make divisions.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-20-17, #320-6.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-26-17, #334-19.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-31-17, #339-23.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-11-17, #343-23.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-18-17, #345-29.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-24-17, #349-44.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-9-17, #355-23.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-19-17, #357-40.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 10-11-17, #382-40.

Cooler temperatures were coming and the Hosta started showing signs that Fall was right around the corner.

<<<<2018>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-3-18, #415-9.

It was pretty cold this past winter, especially the first part of January with several days of -10° F. I was anxious to see what was happening under the leaves in the shade bed and finally, on March 3 there were signs of life. Not all of the Hosta had started coming up yet but Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ is always one of the first to come up.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-8-8, #423-15.

The clump steadily increases in size every year.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-13-18, #425-23.

Lingering cool temps keep it slowed down somewhat.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-6-18, #436-32.

NICE!!!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-17-18, #443-48.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-9-18, #456-18.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-14-18, #459-36.

I measured all of the Hosta on June 20 and 21 and the Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ measured 20 1/2″ tall and 50″ wide.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-14-18, #459-37.

Its AWESOME dark green leaves are fairly thick, heavily veined, ribbed, corrugated, and puckered making it very slug and snail resistant. The leaves are oval to round tapering to a point. The largest leaf measured 8 1/2″ wide x 12″ long on June 20.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-28-18, #465-12.

Finally, it has buds.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-8-18, #473-8.

We had a worse Japanese Beetle invasion in 2018 than in 2017. One of the sade beds is under two Chinese Elm trees, but the H. ‘Potomac Pride’ is mainly under a maple. The beetles love the leaves on the Chinese Elm trees and changed the mostly shady area into more light. The beetles always eat the elm leaves but this year was a REAL disaster.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-8-18, #473-9.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-29-18, #487-59.

I stopped taking photos of the Hosta after the photo above was taken. The increased light was burning some of their leaves, but Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ was still looking very good.

<<<<2019>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-7-19, #551-9.

I went to see if any of the Hosta were coming up on March 7. The winter wasn’t as cold as last year and we had more snow off and on. It was a winter of a few nice days followed by snow and a few cold days. So, the temps were up and down. As I expected, Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ was beginning to come up. This Hosta is always among the first to appear.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-7-19, #558-22.

While many of the Hosta in my small collection take their time, Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ wastes no time growing once it gets started.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-20-19, #560-20.

The Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ is now ready to thrive in 2019!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 4-23-19, #562-16.

The Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ is an amazing Hosta for sure. It just does its thing and that is growing and looking beautiful! Beautiful large dark green corrugated leaves!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-5-19, #566-39.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-25-19, #576-44.

 

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ leaf on 5-25-19, #576-45.

Beautiful leaves then continue to grow throughout the season.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-4-19, #598-2.

I noticed the Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ was beginning to bud a few days before I took the above on July 4. Right on time…

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 7-10-19, #599-8.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ AWESOME as always!

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 8-11-19, #613-21.

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 ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-30-20, #681-23.

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 ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-15-20, #700-17.

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>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 6-27-21, #805-11.

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 ‘Potomac Prode’ on 4-10-22, #866-12.

Well, the Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ made it through the winter and was up and running on April 10 in 2022. But, as you can see in the above photo, the center part of the clump is missing… At least the deer weren’t a problem in 2022. However, I was fairly busy over the summer and didn’t take any more photos of the plants in the shade bed.

<<<<2023>>>>

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 5-10-23, #938-13.

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. Although the Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ was in a better location, it didn’t grow very well over the summer. It was very hot and dry… Hopefully, it will return in the spring of 2024.

I will continue adding photos and information as long as I have this AWESOME Hosta as a companion. It is definitely one of my all-time favorites! If you have an opportunity to bring home a Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’, I highly recommend you do.

I hope you found this page useful. 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.

FOR FURTHER READING:
THE HOSTA HELPER
DAVE’S GARDEN
HOSTA LIBRARY

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