being lazy.. i will ask.. is this the one that SUPPOSED to come true to seed ????

a lot of 2 leaf seedlings look like mom and/or dad ... so it might be presumptuous at this stage to come to any conclusions ...

that said.. i surely dont know why you need a greenhouse full of them ...

nor am i sure you could sell them as true to name .. short of dna testing ... or why you would go to that cost with a hosta that grows as fast as this one.. and multiplies like rabbits on vodka ....

regardless... you are proud and having fun.. and i respect and encourage that ...

keep up God's hosta work ...

ken

I believe ventricosa is the hosta that comes true to seed. And I'm just doing some experimenting with the greenhouse. I also planted some of the seedlings outside last year. I'm hoping they come back, the ones in the greenhouse went dormant but are very much alive and growing. It's neat to see how much sooner plants start growing in the greenhouse. Plus I believe I am giving them a longer growing season and with the plants outdoors and in the GH I will find out if this helps them grow bigger and better. And you are right I am proud of those little guys. I also have propagations of hydrangeas and hibiscus growing great. And hardy hibiscus doesn't start growing outdoors until late april.

That is true. There is a man that lives below me,down near the road,that has a whole hillside covered with nothing but Ventricosas. They have been allowed to freely self seed for years,and it is a sight to behold! Phil

well phil, get down the road with the camera, ask permission and post us some pix.. i would love to see that display ..

oh.. and help him out from below you ... lol .. whats that all about.. lol

ken

Ken you have to understand;I live on the side of a mountain,and his house is downhill from mine! I have some pics of that bunch of Ventricosa,I just haven't found them yet,but when I do,I will post them. Phil

i forgot about the mountain ...

but then.. your choice of words.. left a lot to the imagination ... lol ..

ken

I guess that is what I have. Probably one of the easiest ones to grow from seed. And the only one I have that has set seed that will grow. Doesn't that figure I really wish i could get my variegated hostas to set seed. I want seeds that will make many different kinds of hosta. And it figures that I would get the ones that produce all the same plants. Any suggestions on what kind to purchase to get the variegation of seed. Thanks again.

You need a streaked breeder if you want to get variegated seedlings. You can buy seeds of streaked breeders from Jims or from Hostaworks.com, or you can spend real money for a streaker that you like and try your luck. Try Ice Age Trail for a streaker that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Steve

i often wondered if steve-mass is Greene???

what he said about streaked mother plants and seed growing ...

ken

Not Greene. He's in Sudbury, MA.

Steve,you don't necessarily get variegated plants from streakers. Here is a pic of my Korean Snow,a stable streaker in my garden. And the second pic is of one of her babies.They are both up in my garden this year,but these pics are from other years. Take a look. Phil

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True. You still gets lots of "greenies." But your chances of getting a variegated seedling are greatly improved if you use a Streaked Breeder plant. That is, one that is known to set seed.

Chris at Hallson's was giving away some seed from streaked pod parents (mixed) to the first taker last month and I took him up on the offer. I also bought a pack of seeds from wavy-edged parents from Casita Azul just for fun. (I realized most of these would be plain greenies.)

I've got my first ever hostas coming up now here in my office under lights. It's a lot of fun watching them come up. I'm sure it's way to early to tell, but a few show promise of having wavy edges and chartreuse coloring--a nice combo, so I'll be watching them. Of course, the majority are green. Some of the streaked-parent ones haven't germinated yet or are JUST starting to nose up, but everything I have right now looks either green or chartreuse (one looks white, but I doubt it will survive). Out of about 50 seeds I planted, maybe one or two will show some promise. Still, it's fun to watch them. It's kind of like looking for the prize inside a Cracker Jack box--you never quite know what you're gonna get. :)

Thanks to all who contributed. And for the great pics.

Crazy!Fun!Thread!, nice to be on a group that's willing to 'let it all hang out' without getting po'd, what fun!

hh

I grew a number of ventricosa seeds 10 years ago, and though most of them look like ventricosa, there are definitely some with distinctive differences. There's one very dark green one that is quite a bit bigger than a normal-sized ventricosa, and one very shiny one that has an edged sport on it. So, be aware that most of them may look just like ventricosa,but there may be a few with other characteristics. If you go to the Hosta Library and look up Holly's Honey, you'll see that it's a ventricosa seedling, and Herb Benedict used that plant to get some other seedlings. Bridegroom is listed as a Holly's Honey seedling.

Phil, I understood your meaning; I grew up on a hilltop, and all of our neighbors lived 'below us'.
There was a garden on the Midwest Regional Convention tour last year that had a huge hillside full of ventricosa, all in bloom, and it was an amazing sight.

I can attest to ventricosa self-seeding all over the place and always coming true. I started out with one plant and now they thickly cover a dark, dank spot. And plant themselves at some distance as well.

No one has mentioned, I think, that ventricosa also has some of the prettiest flowers of any hosta--deep purple-blue and very showy. Not a fancy new one but definitely one of my top five favorite hostas.

linda p it's funny that you mention the differences in the seedlings. I just came from the greenhouse where I noticed there are differences I have some with shiny leaves and some with dull leaves. Some even have different shaped leaves. Now that makes me feel alot better. Thanks again everyone for the info.

This thread just helped me id one of my 2 no id's. My grandmother has hosta that have self sowed all over her yard and she gave me a few last year. They have the flowers that Ginny described and have grown amazingly in 1 year. They went from being puny 2-3 eyed plants to looking fully grown. I think they are among my favorites this year.

I have so many ventricosa seedlings that I pull them up as weeds and feed them to my chickens.

pull them up as weeds and feed them to my chickens.

I'm sure the chickens appreciate them, BUT, why not grow a bunch of them on and serve them up sauteed when they're still nice and tender at the unfurling stage? Serve yourself and your family, I meant, not the chickens... you might even serve them WITH chicken....just a thought...

Pieter

I think "below us" is a common southern phrase. I often heard older people (my parents and grandparents age) refer to some folks who lived "below us" and they weren't on a hillside. I'm not sure what it meant - may be it was closer to the river, maybe further from town - I'm don't have any idea. I don't remember them ever mentioning people living "above us".

However, now I'm going to call my last living Aunt (who is 86) and find out what it means.

bkay