I'm glad those girls are negative.That Elegans is a beauty.

Those really are nice. Especially now that you know they're healthy.

I am so jealous. I would love to be shopping for new plants. Our forecast is for 5-12" of snow in the next few days...

Yes it is April in Minnesota.

the first one looks more like nigrescens..

but elegans.. can vary wildly prior to maturity ...

yours is too pointed based on that pic... though it is blooming early.. and that is a good sign ....

ken

Moccasin, do you have Fragrant Blue? How has it done for you? One of the local nurseries has it and I'm contemplating it.

I'm jealous. My Lowe's only has those that I know are mislabled and still really small, although I may have picked up a Warwick Essence there earlier this year.

bk

Mocc I picked up the same plants here in Jax. Healthy. And I think we are lucky to have labeled correctly plants. Mine have doubled in size since re-pot. If you have more than one Lowe's go to the others and see what they have. Not all my Lowe's carry the same 'colors' so to speak. I also got Shade Fanfare, Francee and Albo Marginata (sp) at a different Lowe's. And here I thought that my Vendors were spoiling me. Good to hear that yours tested AOK. Paula

Sometimes I buy, sometimes I don't (Lowe's) but I nowadays I ALWAYS go see what they might have in the way of Hosta..My 2 closest Lowe's just had 'Blue Angel' 'Minuteman' 'Guacamole' 'Elegans' a green one labeled 'Sieboldiana' 'Twilight' and a couple others I can't remember at the moment. I do have some test strips, though. hmmmm :)

Don B.

Don, what I did last year was put pieces of two hosta in the test solution--combined they were the size of a quarter. So that used only ONE TEST STRIP. Today I put both in the solution as well, which still leaves me THREE test strips. If you do that, you can test a lot of the ones you named.

It was an executive decision on my part, that if the results had been positive, both hosta were going bye-bye anyway.

Ken, I'll make a note on my index card for the Elegans to compare it to Nigrescens later this year. I know nothing about either one, as you are aware I'm sure.

BKay, sorry I did not see your post a second ago, but found it in the emails.

Fragrant Blue did very well all last year, and reflushed late in the season with fresh blue leaves. It is back up this year as well, and seems to have a few new eyes, but I do not recall how many it had last year. I mentioned to Don B that I had good luck with it, but found it neutral as far as a fragrance is concerned.

Here it is in late March 2012....all 3 big guns of the plantaginea family were up early and showing color differences

and here it was in July 2012. Retained some of its blue, and put out a really blue couple of new leaves too. I moved it to shade again when I saw the color difference between old and new growth.

But, I must say that comparing Royal Standard to Fragrant Blue, I'd choose RS....it has vigor, a medium dark green color, lots of scapes that OPEN, and a heavenly scent. What's not to like......if you do not have it, I'd put it ahead of Fragrant Blue.

I'm obviously in a different climate than you, BK, but I love my Fragrant Blue. I can't say it's fragrant, I've never detected a scent from it's flowers, but it's a beautiful, fast-growing hosta. It's one of my favorite blues.

Don B.

Thanks, Don. The mystery plant is Cathedral Windows, I think. thy're still pretty small, so I may be wrong.

I already have Royal Standard. I found a really nice, full pot last fall at Jackson's Gardens. It was hit hard by the freezes this spring. It's supremely ugly right now. I hope it improves with the weather.

bk

devils advocate here..

by the time you throw in the cost of the test strip.. were they still the bargain they were cracked up to be??

ken

Yes, but Ken, you get to see it before you buy it. When you buy mail order, you never know what you're going to get. You can almost guarantee that mail order plants will be half the size of what she got. So that's part of it, too.

bk

BK, that's a great point.

Don B.

I just picked up Warwick Essence from Lowe's. The label says it will attract hummingbirds. Most of the others didn't say that. I guess it's fragrant?

Ken, BK took the words right out of my mouth. It is a treat to just go and see a growing hosta right in front of my eyes. Instant gratification, even with the condition I test each one for HVX.

And to be truthful, I forgot to look at the price. When I want something, how well it satisfies my need to have it, trumps price....unless it happens to be a Mercedes. :)

EAH, I notice that the description for most of Plant Delights Nursery hosta mention "hummingbird favorites". I do not think it requires a fragrance. Hummers supposedly love the red flowers best, so perhaps purple/lavender blossoms work as well. Most of the large plantaginea family blossoms open later in the day, so I could not estimate if that makes them better or worse as a hummer attractor.

EAH, 'Warwick Essence'...Yep, it's a fragrant.

Don B.

e-ham

you are going to have to get up to speed on the puns in hosta names ...

what does essence mean to you???? as in perfume with an essence ...

of course its fragrant.. and i dont even have to look it up..

the other clue.. is that its another green hosta.. isnt it.. of what interest would it be.. but for its.. wait for it.. essence ???

now.. you know about the hosta library.. and the link to myhosta on each page.. whats of interest here.. is that it is a marriage ... of an early blooming sieboldiana.. its blueness.. with the late flowering plantaginea .... quite a break thru.. in the day .... see link ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Followed the link from Ken, and read again the info about good ole Warwick Essence. Back in the day, it was a breakthrough. I'm realizing more all the time that getting Mama plantaginea to reproduce is a momentous occasion. She prefers to "sport" around. (right?)

I got Warwick Essence after I already had its tetraploid sport with excellent substance, Essence of Summer. Because of WE's significance I felt it worth having---part of my education.
Both seem to be doing fine.

And sorry I totally forgot to affirm that both are fragrant. Thanks for answering the question, Don B.

Essence of Summer leaf on arrival in May 2012

Warwick Essence arrived last year from near dormancy with Van Wade, and I'm waiting to see how it looks springtime fresh.