Steve, there is only one I have which could begin to look like your foundling.

It is Lakeside Full Tide.
Do not know right now when it came out, but it has some of the piecrusting, holds itself horizontally, has a blue green leaf with good substance. It says Large, but so far this year the leaves are staying within the size you list for the NOID.

Will you get to keep it?

My guess would be something older like Green Piecrust.

i think was suggesting it is older even.. than the lakesides ...

green ripples is really old [though it looks nothing like the pic at the library]

reminds me of manhattan.. but it isnt that old ...

ken

Ever thought of a really common one like Ventricosa? It has rippled edges. Phil

If anyone can make that poor hosta better, it's you Steve!

Yes, it predates Mary Chastain, I'm sure. This garden probably hadn't been managed for 35-40 years. I don't think it is Green Piecrust, but I think it probably has GP in its breeding.

Ken, you've been on a roll lately. I agree it looks like Manhattan, but we know it can't be that. So Manhattan is a Sea Frolic seedling. Does it look like Sea Frolic? A little bit, but the leaves aren't that large. Donahue Piecrust which is the parent plant of Sea Frolic is large due to it's montana genes. I don't think it's going to be big enough to come from this line.

Vein pairs of ventricosa are 8 or 9, so that rules that out.

What about Piecrust Power. It's supposed to be a Green Piecrust OP seedling. It has 14 or 15 vp, so that's close enough for a division that has been struggling. That first picture on the Library looks kind of like it. Oh, since we can post Library pics, here it is.

What do you think?

Steve

winner winner chicken dinner

I agree it isn't ventricosa, but I have nothing better to offer. You guys have me totally outclassed.

Les

and how do YOU know.. its not a rogue seedling????

i have a bed of a couple hundred named green hosta with waves/ripples.. etc ...

its fun to guess .. but i dont know how you come to any certitude... though growing it on a bit.. and getting a nice clump might help ...

ken

Here is a pic of my garden with Ventricosa in the pic. I think people are so hung up on vein pairs that they can't see whats in front of their eyes. I have many hostas where the vein pair count is different on different leaves of the same plant. This is not an exact science,and nature will do what it will do. I have a Trillium in my garden right now that has four leaves! Just saying! Phil

{{gwi:1074180}}

Phil,

You make a good point about vp's. I asked Chris about this and he said that unless the NOID is significantly higher in vp than the target you are looking to match it with, vp's aren't important. Since ventricosa has only 8 or 9 and the NOID has 13 or more, I ruled it out. I agree it looks similar.

And Ken I think you are right that this could be a rogue seedling. It was different from everything else in the area. If it's a named cultivar, I want to know what it is. If it's a rogue seedling, then I can always call it "Steve's Folly." In either case I think it has Green Piecrust in the genes. Growing it out and seeing the flowers next Spring should help me nail down whether it is named or not.

Steve

Am I wrong? I am a rank amateur when compared to youse all. But I really enjoy trying to ID hostas and I am learning. But when I have exhausted all of my resources and have what appears to be, I have to make a decision. It's not like I can go to city hall and look up a birth certificate. I've done this with what is known as Summer Fragrance in my garden and no one has told me different. I even posted its pics here and no one suggested it isn't.

So it will be Summer Fragrance, in my order of things, until some better ID comes along.

I'm not saying you should accept what looks the closest. I am in no way criticizing anyone. But for the time being my hosta is Summer Fragrance with a *, indicating it was once an NOID. Am I wrong?

If you can't come up with some conclusive evidence of an ID, what are you going to call your old green hosta? Manhatten*?

Les

You can call a Hosta whatever you want in your own garden. As for my ID I will wait until I have more information. I want to see the flowering next Spring/Summer and I want to see what it looks like planted in the ground. I may choose to label it as a NOID with information about where it was found. Or I may decide to give it a garden name like Steve's Piecrust.

The tricky part for me will be what I choose to call it if I use it for pollen or as a pod parent. I'm not sure what I will call it then.

Steve

I wish I had something to offer, Steve. But I don't. I have my hands full right now with 20 different hostas in Bobbi's gardens and that is only those in her front yard. She never kept a tag and now, seeing mine, wants to know what she has. She has two very impressive green hostas, one for its size and the other for its characteristics. I have just downloaded Don's lists and am trying to develop a cross reference that will exclude what each isn't and narrow down the options. I'm not sure I will be able to do that. Ultimately I may have to post a NOID help.

Sometimes it can be a real challenge loving hostas. lol

Good luck; Les