H. 'Praying Hands'

After humming and hawing for a few years over whether or not to add this cultivar to our assortment I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to add it as part of a trade in mid May 2012. It is a fascinating plant, no doubt about it. It looks to be a strong grower judging by the size of the division I received, and I'm looking forward to seeing it fill out. It was featured as Hosta of the Year for 2011 by the American Hosta Growers Association.

It was registered in 1996 and I have been unable to find seeded progeny, which tends to make me think it is not fertile, though I did find a couple of sports listed. Here's a description I found of the plant on the web:

Amazing! Perhaps we should call this the un-hosta, as Hosta 'Praying Hands' is the most un-hosta looking hosta to ever hit the market. Each small 18" wide clump is composed of strangely folded dark green crinkled leaves, each with a narrow cream border. Indeed a clump resembles a multitude of hands folded in prayer. The upright clumps are topped with 18" spikes of light lavender flowers in late summer. This sets a new standard for unique in the hosta world.

Here it is a few days later with the leaves beginning to unfurl a bit more. The leaves have noticeable substance to them and although not terribly clear in this shot, there is a narrow edge-variegation.