Hosta 'Sagae' - 2000 Hosta of the Year

By Josh Spece
Last revised August 29, 2007

Most Hosta species are native to Japan where they have been cultivated and collected for hundreds of years. Over the years, many Japanese Hostas have made their way to America and with them came their odd looking, strange sounding names.

When Hosta 'Sagae' was first introduced to the United States, it was called Hosta fluctuans ‘Variegated’. That name is invalid for several reasons according to the International Nomenclature Code, so in the mid ‘90’s American Hosta growers began adopting the correct Japanese name – 'Sagae'. The correct pronunciation is “suh-ga-eh”, but a native Japanese speaker will tell you Americans can not pronounce it correctly.

Regardless of what you call it or how you pronounce it, Hosta 'Sagae' is a tried and true classic and was awarded Hosta of the Year status in 2000. It forms a large, vase-shaped plant up to 30 inches high and five feet across. The broad heart-shaped leaves are frosty grey-green with an edge that starts out bright, golden yellow in the spring and fades to creamy white by mid-summer. The leaf margins are lightly wavy and the plant as a whole is truly distinct and unmistakable! Tall, arching scapes of pale lavender flowers emerge in mid-summer.

Hosta 'Sagae' has produced a number of sports – probably the most widely known and dramatic being ‘Liberty’. Hosta ‘Liberty’ has all the same excellent qualities of its parent, but the gold margin is much wider making for a spectacular show.

Hosta 'Sagae' will take up a good deal of garden space once mature, but it is space well used!

If you don't have this hosta in your garden, you can buy Hosta 'Sagae' from In The Country Garden and Gifts.

Further Information on Hosta 'Sagae'

Hosta 'Sagae' - Hosta 'Sagae' information and pictures from the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Hosta 'Sagae' - MyHosta database entry for 'Sagae'.