"I was quite taken with the bluest ones, those with a really intense emerald green like Squash Casserole, and the very glowing golds. I love the ones with really textured leaves such as Aqua Velva and Love Pat, and the giant sized ones. I like those that form a mounded clump, those that have the flowers held well above the foliage and flower quite heavily, and the ones with a strong fragrance as I love fragrance in the garden. I don't like all the forms of variegation, but some variegated ones that appealed to me were Paradigm, Lakeside Spellbinder, Kiwi Full Monty, El Nino and Bright Lights. However to begin with I wish to select inexpensive and tougher varieties to see if they are able to grow successfully in my garden before I get too adventurous!"
Well, I'm not a good person to ask about very large hostas because except for 'Cutting Edge' (which grew much larger than I expected from its description) and 'Liberty', I don't have many really large ones. I DO love 'Liberty' and it still looks good at the end of a bad season when the slugs have run rampant.
I would ensure that you purchase your hostas from a nursery that is aware of Hosta Virus X and is buying from suppliers which test their stock. There still are many out there that are selling diseased plants. Or if you buy cheaper ones from a business which doesn't specialize in hostas, keep them well segregated until you are sure they are healthy - possibly several years.
I have found that hostas in the 'Halcyon', 'June' family generally do well and are not bothered much by slugs. This is not quite a large family. Go to:
http://myhostas.be/sports/inde... and select 'Halcyon' to see the list. They are NOT, however, all that large.
And spend lots of time checking out those nurseries on-line which have good pictures of the hostas they sell. There are many, and while you may not be able to purchase from them in Australia, their pictures can be a wealth of information. (You could also check out MY pics - link below. I've been tracking my hostas since 2008, though 2013 is not yet posted.)
Do remember, that if you plant them together, you will want to have plants that look nice together. Certainly some solid colour ones to pick up the hues of the variegated ones. Have fun as you make your choices and I'm sorry I don't have more experience with the varieties you mention.
