Jeroen Linneman (Netherlands) is one from the most reputable European hosta hybridizers. He registered (American Hosta Society - AHS) about 70 hostas and he has around 450 named own introductions. All his hostas are registered under the name 'Valley's'.

He is owner of web page www.hostavalley.eu and he present there most of his cultivars. Jeroen Linneman is winner of the Eunice Fisher Award 2019 from the AHS. He is the first person who won this Award outside of America.

We had the privilege to visited Jeroen in 2021 in his house, to see his garden and shortly also discussed about his hosta. Thank you Jeroen that you spend time with us. We enjoyed this visit very much. We also want to thank V. Chaborek, D. Grajek and Ch. Berndmeyer who allowed us to use his wonderful pictures of Jereon´s cultivars.

Proud hosta breeder shows one of his best hosta, with all typical marks of Valley´s hostas... (Photo: D. Zúbriková)

Jeroen, tell us please shortly about your hosta hobby!

I love hostas from my childhood and I started hybridizing hostas many years ago. I use mainly Hosta pycnophilla in my hybridizing program. Therefore, most of my cultivars have wavy leaves edges and red petioles. The backs of the leaves have white dust color. Between colors dominate green, yellow and blue-green. I have also many streaked hosta cultivars and several that are two-colored too. Many of my hostas often have an upright growth habit. 

Hosta beauties in Jeroen Garden. (Photo: D. Zúbriková)

Hosta valley... (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

So, you like upright growth hostas, with red petioles and wavy edges? 

Yes, exactly. That is absolutely my type of hostas. Elongated leaves and pycnophilla-looks, that I expect the great hosta should looks like. My hosta cultivars are not only good looking, but they should be also an easy to grow, hardy perennials. The pycnophilla genes are the first assumption of achieving this goal. I always plant hostas, before I gave them the name at least 5 – 6 years and evaluate permanently their quality. Hosta seedling change the look from year to year, it stabilizes, and therefore it is important do not take decision about registration of the cultivar too early. In case of streaked hosta cultivars can this process take even longer. Hybridizing of hostas is not a fast process… 

I know you have been inspired by some North American hosta breeders…

I visited USA twice, in 2005 and 2007. The reason of those visits was to take a look at the Hosta-world from the other side of the globe and get some experiences and inspirations from the famous hosta breeders living there. I wanted to meet some of the Hosta-breeders in person and establish a more person-to-person contact and talk with them about their hobby. 

As I have been in contact with some Hosta persons from America through e-mail and internet for many years, the plan was already there to visit the two parts of America where the most Hosta-breeders live, the middle and the east. In 2005 we visited Ohio and Michigan as a group from the Dutch Hosta Society and I attended a hosta convention in Cleveland (Ohio). In 2007 I spend one week near Chicago and then in Iowa plus I attended of the Midwest Convention in Davenport. The second week I spend in North-west of New York. I met my hosta friend Rod Kuenster and spend a time with Bev and Dave Stegeman, Bob Balitewicz, Brian and Virginia Skaggs and Olga Petryszyn. These visits were extremely inspiring and also very important for my future work in hostas breeding.

 Some from your hostas become “classic” already and are well known in EU and USA. Can you please introduce some from your best cultivars to our readers?

I definitely appreciate the Eunice Fisher Award, that I received for the perennial Valleys Pavlova. So, it would not be fair, do not mention this “legendary” cultivar. I registered Valleys Pavlova in 2015. It was a result from the cross pycnophylla x H. Tequila Sunrise. I like red petioles with the color going in to the leaves and yellow leaves with very wavy edges. This is a medium sized hosta with pycnophylla genes. A beauty mainly in springtime (viridescent type). Hosta collectors love it and some already have it in their hosta collections. They confirmed this is a hardy and a good growing hosta.

Hosta Valleys Pavlova showing all his advantages. (Foto: D. Grajek)

 From streaked cultivar I would like to mention hosta Valley's Waterfall. I love this hosta very much. But who would not? This is truly great hosta with nice round leaves and slightly wavy edges. Green leaves are gently streaked in creamy white. This cultivar makes an impressive clump and will be a great addition to any collection of hostas. It's also fertile and so it is the perfect breederplant for hostabreeders.

Impressive look of hosta Valley's Waterfall. (Photo: D. Zúbriková)

If you like hosta with red petioles and green leaves, Hosta Valley's Red Scorpion is the right hosta cultivar for you... Hosta Valley's Red Scorpion has green leaves, dark red legs and distinctly wavy edges of leaves. I like this cultivar as it is really easy to grown and makes a large impressive clump. This hosta has a big potential to be a classic in the future.

Red and green... Valley's Red Scorpion. (Photo: J. Linneman)

If we speak about classic, so one my hosta become really very popular. Hosta Valley's Glacier has intensely blue-green leaves (especially in the spring), yellow margin that becomes white later in the season. It is sport of hosta First Frost, with a slightly wider margin comparing to the parent plant. I love it and I registered it in 2008. Now this hosta is widely distributed in the gardens of Europe and America. 

Hosta Valley's Glacier is true classic growing in many gardens across Europe and USA. (Photo: V. Chaborek)

I could mention many other hostas that I like very much… However, every person may have his own impression about hosta beauty and therefore would be maybe better only show pictures of some my cultivars and leave reader to choose from my hostas those, he likes...

Hosta 'Valley's Sherlock Holmes' getting every year bigger and better...nice thick leaves. (Photo: J. Linneman)

  Hosta Valley's Burning Love. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

Hosta Valley's Cover Lady streaked. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

Great shape of the hosta Valley's Glossy Veins. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

 Jeroen likes yellow hostas... Hosta Valley's Fly Away. (Photo: J. Linneman)

Hosta Valley's Blue Emporer. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

 Lovely green hosta Valley's Fantastic Boys.

Valley's Brake Free. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

Jeroen took this 3 years streaked seedling from Hosta Valley's Heartbreak Hotel into the house for breeding. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

A big pycnohylla breeding result. Hosta Valley's Courtisane. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

Hosta Valley's Grand Folks. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

 Jeroen likes white backs of his cultivars... It’s like white powder. (Photo: J. Linneman)

Hosta Valley's Bull Ray (Foto: D. Grajek)

 Hosta Valley´s Super Tuesday streaked. (Photo: J. Linneman)

Hosta Valley's Love Buzz. (Foto: D. Grajek)

Hosta Valley's Purple Dust is one from the recent Jeroen introductions. This cultivar is from the cross (Hosta Valley's Ruffle Shuffle x yellow pycnophylla seedling). That means nice purple-colored veins on golden yellow leaves. The backs of the leaves have white dust color. The wavy margins also have a purple dust color. (Photo: J. Linneman)

 Hosta Valley's Ticket to Ride. (Foto: J. Linneman)

 Truly exceptional yellow - Hosta Valley's Golden Mistral. (Photo: J. Linneman)

 Hosta Valley's Wairere. (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

 Hosta Valley's Bronze Stature with very unussual yellow color... (Photo: Ch. Berndmeyer)

Also blue hostas are in the Valley´s portfolio. Hosta Valley´s Spirit in the sky is one of the best. (Photo: J. Linneman)

 New Valley's intro for 2022. Hosta Valley's Slokky Wokky. (Photo: J. Linneman)

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