Interesting your hostas,especially GE are still putting on leaves. Down here,I get 2 flushes of leaves in March,and April,and the rest of the year,they just maintain the same leaves for the rest of the year,until frost. That's just the way hostas grow down here,or maybe up here,considering I'm at 2000ft.+ elevation. Right now hostas are just flowering their little heads off. Even though I am going to plant a few more this month,they will still not grow any more leaves until next spring. Just my situation. Phil

Hmmm- to my eyes, I am wondering if I am seeing new seedlings in with Risky Business- and Revolution. Could it be that a few seeds escaped? Or possibly a squirrel redistributed an eye or 2? The stalks from the different plants in those pots appear to come from different eyes.
It also appears that the soil is different for Great Expectations. Could it be getting more fertilizer?
Just a few guesses...

Okay. Dumb question froom a newbie. What is the 'chimera effect'?

From Wikipedia:

"Chimeras (or "chimaeras") in botany are usually single organisms composed of two genetically different types of tissue. They occur in plants, on the same general basis as with animal chimeras. However, unlike animal chimeras, both types of tissues may have originated from the same zygote, and the difference is often due to mutation during ordinary cell division.

"The best-known plant chimeras are those cultivated for their variegation. Generally the genetic difference is due to mutation in meristematic tissue of a normal plant. For most variegation, the mutation involved is the loss of the chloroplasts in the mutated tissue, so that part of the plant tissue has no green pigment and no photosynthetic ability. This mutated tissue is unable to survive on its own but is kept alive by its partnership with the normal, photosynthesising tissue."

That is the technical explanation. But just in common botanist jargon, when half the leaf is one color and the other half is a different color it is often called the "chimera effect." This happens in people too. Some people have half their torso red and the other half a normal color and this is also called the "chimera effect" but is sometimes called the "harlequin effect" as well.

I hope this answers your question. Let me know if it does not.

Now with regard to Revolution, it is all one crown. No seedlings in that pot.

With regard to the pot of Risky Business, on the left there is another hosta in the pot, I can't remember its name. But on the right is Risky Business and there are definitely plain green leaves coming out of the crown. I dug under the magnolia leaves to verify this.

Phil, you must be warmer than we are here. My hostas are still putting up their second flush and won't be finished for about 3 weeks. After that, there's no new growth.

Thanks,

Laine

Some of you growers, what is your experience with the Kiwi hostas? Are they always this fickle?

Lainey

Lainey, Revolution sporting to green is quite common, I've seen it on most everyone I've had. I refer to these sports as 'Green Revolution' and they are rather vigorous. Both Risky Business and Revolution can trace their heritage to Fortunei Hyacinthina and the Hyacinthina family is without doubt the most sporting-prone family of Hosta out there, so it's not at all surprising and quite frankly is almost to be expected.

Your GE does remind me of one of my 'Dream Queen' in terms of behaviour, DQ is a GE sport of course and by and large should behave similarly. I have 2 DQs, one in a pot and one in the ground. The one in the ground has behaved the way I'd expect it to, slow as molasses. The one in the pot however did a substantial growth spurt last year when it more than doubled the number of shoots on the crown, at which time I up-potted it and this year it's bushy looking, but the leaves are smaller than last year.

Pieter

Just a curious question,Lainey. Do you grow any of your hostas in the ground,or all your plants in pots? I notice a few others who post here,who have"collections" of hostas sitting around in the same nursery pots they came in. Is there a reason for this,and is your soil that poor that nothing will grow in it? Just curious,and now I will shut up! Phil

Phil, I obviously cannot speak for Lainey, but for me keeping a goodly number in pots is the only way I can expand my collection on my small suburban 50x100ft lot.

This picture here shows my main 'Hosta nursery' area where I keep all the divisions I make any given year and where the new arrivals get a chance to establish themselves before they either go into a larger pot and end up somewhere in the increasingly crowded backyard, or if they're really special they'll get a spot in the ground. My problem is there is no bare ground left in the back and we only have a very small piece of lawn in the front -which I have suggested several times to she who must be obeyed could easily provide enough room for a couple of nice Hosta beds and get us out of mowing grass altogether but she won't hear of it, yet.

It's not easy to see in this shot, but there are actually two levels to most of this, you can get a glimpse of it by the white buckets, that's an Undulata peaking out at the bottom one. The bottom shelf usually has the most recent arrivals/divisions because it is in essence in full shade and will reduce transpiration somewhat during those critical first weeks of getting established.

The whole stretch is covered with a clear PVC panel, providing an area where I can somewhat accelerate emergence in the spring because daytime temperatures get higher than in the yard, particularly in the part towards the back.

Pietertje, I have the solution... Make a garden in HER honor! Find things that you KNOW she'll love, things that remind you of your first date, wedding, kids, pets, trips, whatever... and a couple of Hosta that "remind me of you" (Beauty Queen, Sophisticated Lady, Fireworks, Special Gift, Love in the Afternoon), and surprise her with it! Tell her you love gardening so much because it reminds you of how beautiful she is! Like magic... new Hosta beds! :)

Phil,

I grow many hostas in the ground, but like Pieterje I live on a city lot so don't have a lot of room. My backyard has been a jungle and dog run, but recently I have staked a claim on about a third of it for hostas.

I have a severe balance problem, because I was struck by lightning back in 1995. In fact, I had a bad fall while gardening last Sunday, and had to be untwisted from my pretzel position and rescued out of the maidengrass and sumacs by my neighbor. But my point is, I just can't get out there and dig, as most folk do. So I usually chop weeds as best I can, put down landscape fabric, put potted hostas on top of the fabric, and in a year or two, the weeds are gone and there is space for me to plant the hostas. Using this method, I reduce the preparation labor by about half. Then I find someone to help dig holes and I fill them up with hostas.

Generally what you see in the photos is the toddler nursery under the magnolia tree. That is where I put pots of hostas that are less than 1 year old because it is close to the water source and I can keep them wet until they get established.

My best and favorite hostas, I give places in the native soil. Youngsters and ones I haven't grown to love, stay in the pots.

Pieterje, I like your system. It looks like a good one when a person's space is at a premium.

Lainey

Lainey,I meant no disrespect by asking that question.Please understand that I didn't know you had some sort of physical problem. I was just curious why some people collected hostas,and then didn't plant them in the landscape. Myself,I have half an acre,mostly unsuable,because of severe sloping,almost straight down,in some cases. Also,I live on a heavily wooded lot,and it is far too shady in there too grow anything,except maybe native ferns,and Trilliums. I still plant hostas on a hole-by-hole basis,and I am clearing small places here and there,to plant some more. Not all of us have 5 acres of FLAT land,like our guru,Ken has! Lol! I have to go out now and check on the garden. We had a little thunderstorm last night that just up and anchored itself over house and dumped 2 inches of rain,right on us! This,after about 2 weeks of dry-as-a-bone conditions! You just never know. Sorry if I struck a touchy subject on your planting preferences. Phil