Pic of the Day--Fascinator

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Feb 12, 2008 12:50 pm

Hi All--For all the talk among hostaholics about selecting plants based on subtleties of coloration, texture, variegation, etc., I think we all have to admit that we bought some varieties based simply on the name. Today's plant, Fascinator, is an example of one I got on that basis. It makes me wonder how the hosta pros go about deciding what name to put on a new introduction, realizing how that might impact the sales. Fascinator, the hosta, is a nice enough variety but I have never found myself raptly staring at it in Fascination (hmmm...the name of another hosta). It is a variety that must be viewed close up to appreciate the subtle variegation. I purchased this plant in 2000 and it has been growing in a spot that gets an hour or so of mid-day sun. It reached mature size and stabilized much quicker than most varieties, going from 28x10 in 2001 to 34x12, 44x15, 44x17, and 43x16, somewhat larger than Lemke's listing of 32x14. Slugs are only a minor problem.

Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... Fascinator
MyHostas - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Fascinator
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/f/fascinator.html

The photos are from 2003 and 2005.

thehostagourmet · Post by **thehostagourmet** » Feb 12, 2008 1:15 pm

Very nice, Hank. Looks a lot like Lakeside Symphony, but smaller(?).

George

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Feb 12, 2008 1:45 pm

George--That's right. I had a Lakeside Symphony growing close to this one but it got HVX and I had to destroy it.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 12, 2008 3:58 pm

It may not be fascinating, but it looks lovely to me! Both very nice pics and again, Hank, I appreciate all the good info and your comments on each hosta.