TOP-PRIZE PERENNIALS

A foliage masterpiece for shade and a late bloomer for sun

- MEGHAN SHINN

Hosta 'Skywriter' has earned accolades with its textural blue leaves on showy red-purple petioles.

EVERY YEAR, various plant-focused organizations choose species or cultivars to call out as most deserving of a spot in gardens. These award programs help gardeners navigate broad categories of plants to find those choice individuals that are most likely to shine and thrive.

In 2025, each issue of Horticulture will highlight one or two award programs and their latest botanical honorees. Let's look first at the American Hosta Growers Association's Hosta of the Year and the Perennial Plant Association's Perennial Plant of the Year.

2025 HOSTA OF THE YEAR: 'SKYWRITER'

The American Hosta Growers Association (AHGA) is made up of professionals who specialize in Hosta. Members include wholesale and retail nurseries, both mail-order and walk-in, as well as the growers that produce starter plants for these nurseries. The AHGA aims to promote interest in gardening with hostas and to share the best information on their care.

In 1996, the association established the Hosta of the Year program as a way to help nursery owners and home gardeners alike choose amid the everincreasing number of hosta cultivars. Decided by a members' vote, the Hosta of the Year must be a selection that succeeds in all regions where hostas are grown. For 2025, that plant is 'Skywriter'. (For a list of past winners, see hostagrowers.org/ Hosta of the Year.html.)

'Skywriter' is a blue hosta with a semi-upright habit that shows off the white undersides of the leaves and the purple petioles (stems) from which they unfurl. Considered a medium-sized selection, it matures to about a foot-and-a-half tall and four feet wide. The solid blue leaves have ruffled edges and pronounced corrugation. The foliage color makes a nice complement for the pale purple flowers that appear in summer.