Well it looks like a Sagae sport to me, it doesn't shout Liberty to me, could it be Clifford's Forest Fire?

Denis

A young Sagae? It looks to be pretty large. Can you take a side view to see the shape of the plant?

-Babka

That is an interesting guess Denis. The only thing I heard about CFF is that it is a Liberty look-a-like. In the Hosta Library the photos seem to vary greatly, but there are one or two that bear resemblance. I will do my research! Thanks for attempting to identify!

I wish I could take a side view photo for you Babka, but these are photos taken in 2014. Hostas are now just emerging here. I had a look at my photos again, but only came up with this one below. On the left is a small blue NOID, and then there is an immature Wide Brim. (Now I am having another look at this Wide Brim and it occurs to me that it may in fact be a Brim Cup due to the drawstring effect I see! I do have a mature Wide Brim and an actual Brim Cup, so I can do some comparing this spring.) On the right is a leaf of the hosta to be identified. The small blue hosta and the so-called Wide Brim in the picture were only about 12 inches across.

This was supposed to be a well known hosta and the two guesses so far are not what I purchased it as. Looks like I have a NOID. How disappointing.

Is it Wide Brim?

bk

Don't give up just yet. The bulk of the hosta growing people are still looking at bare dirt and haven't tuned in yet this year. I could take a close-up photo of of my tiny Diamonds are Forever and if I didn't tell you the age and size of the leaves, you'd think it was something totally different and related to the Liberty. There are a LOT of green ones with white edges.

Best to start with the name it came labeled with. Then, you can begin to rule that out if color, shading, vein counts, leaf shape and size, flowering time and flower color.

So, spill the beans....what was on the label?????

-Babka

Did the label read "Christmas Tree"?

Looks like Wintergreen.

Thank you for giving me your guesses. The label did not read any of the suggested names. It in fact was to be a LIBERTY! I've been underwhelmed. Last year I just thought it needed more time. I had been really looking forward to it transforming into a real beauty. But I've lost hope for that. If I had purchased it at a big box store, well then I wouldn't be so disappointed. I purchased it at a very large garden nursery that has been around a very long time.

Uh, a couple of the guesses were relatives of Liberty. Liberty is a wide-margined version of Sagae. It takes several years to develop the larger white margin, and it is a slow grower...but WORTH IT! Patience... You probably DO have a Liberty there. Ask the same question 3 years from now, if you need to.

-Babka

Babka, you really think that I will have to wait six years to love this hosta? That's a long time! I did happen to purchase another last year. The margins on it look pretty good for it being my first year plant. Maybe there is more hope for this one.

"several" to me means more than 3 years. After that, figure you got a not-so good tc. When you think about it... Some tc's are better than others. In fact some tc's are marketed as whole new plants and get different names! You are wise in getting a second one. Both my Liberty's haven't show those wide margins and I am still waiting, so I do understand your frustration.

-Babka

I have to agree, the plant that you called wide brim which might be that could be wintergreen, the bigger plant it is very hard to tell if its vase shaped or mound. It could be a Liberty. It is even hard to count the veins in the leaf. Picture this year would be great.

Babka: So, if I purchased this so-called Liberty in 2012, then this year should be the year I find out whether I truly have a Liberty? In 2012 I also purchased a Sagae from a reliable source. My so-called Liberty is smaller than my Sagae and has grown faster than Sagae.

So-called Liberty: 3 eyes (2012); 4 eyes (2013); 6 eyes (2014)

Sagae: 2 eyes (2012); 2 eyes (2013); 4 eyes (2014)

How old are your Liberty hostas?

I suppose a not so good tc is definitely a possibility.

Mrhosta: I haven't heard of Wintergreen. I looked it up and see a resemblance. I happen to have a mature Wide Brim and a Brim Cup that is a few years old and will have a better look this spring to compare. I will add Wintergreen to the possibilities list! Thanks.

I did happen to take a photo of a leaf of the so-called Liberty last year. Here it is:

The "three years to maturity" is just a generality. Large, slower growers take longer. Mine in pots always take longer. I think your plant is developing beautiful margins. Perhaps this year will be THE year. Do you have shoots yet?

-Babka

So far I don't have any shoots, but they are coming very soon Babka! I would love for it to be THE year! I will try to post a picture when it has leafed out, and you can see what you think then.

I find your comment regarding "your pots always take longer" interesting. Personally, I have thought that my pots have grown faster. I reasoned that it was because the potting soil was better and the fact that the hostas could be moved around easily to increase or decrease sun exposure. Oh yeah---I almost forgot the most important reason---no root competition!

@mr_gary just posted a new thread...which makes me think your NOID/Liberty kind of resembles his reference to Majesty. Take a look and see what you think, Newhostalady.?

I bought a single-eye Liberty in 2012. It's done little since then, which is no shock. I see two very large pips coming up now, so maybe this is the season it'll show me something.

Well, i bought a humpback whale, had it replaced under a guarantee a year later, and bought a second, non-liner last year. Might as well have been a relative of great expectations … called … wait for it … "great extinction." Hope My T rex comes back ...

Jo, I have an Invincible that I have had 5 years this spring. It just leaped. I had no idea it could look like this. It's been pretty big for two or three years. I never occurred to me that it would change after all this time. It did. The leaves are 1/3 larger than normal. It's 3+ feet wide.

Give it time to mature.

bk

Bkay, Got a pic? Excited to see it! :-)

Hi Jo. Are you referring to mr_gary's thread called Hello April? Thanks for pointing it out. I had missed reading it. I read it with interest, but found that my Majesty (or at least what I believe is Majesty) had a much wider margin and is younger. Here is a picture of it last year. This was it's second year. This hosta really stood out for me. I am really looking forward to seeing it this year.

Bragu, are you saying that both your Humpback Whales have not survived?

Bk, isn't it so great to have a surprise just like you did? I would love it if my Liberty transformed just like that. I too am interested in seeing your Invincible hosta photo if you have one.

Yes, the Hello April... you know, a lot of us have been fooled by an "immature" hosta before...there is always the possibility, and as Babka n BKay say, perhaps this is THE year for it, or next, if not. I recall Sagae took at least 5-6 years to actually leap - I remember being bowled over by it! However, the leaves only got bigger...there was the distinct shape and colour imprint of it very early on...I just can't guess at yours...it could be Liberty, but it could be any of the Sagae progeny, couldn't it? Let's hope your question will be answered this season! Whichever it may be, it IS beautiful hosta.

Sorry, Jo this is not a school picture, but it works. Would you believe that Invincible is a small hosta?

Jo, it is true that many have been fooled by an immature hosta. I do believe that this year will be the year that will determine whether this really is a Liberty or not. I will have had it for four years. I would love to have a wonderful surprise this year!

I can imagine your excitement when your Sagae had a "leap" year. Those are the special moments that keep us addicted.

My Liberty may be any of the Sagae progeny, but also perhaps a bad tissue culture. Our season has just begun. It is exciting to see what will unfold.

I just saw your Invincible hosta, bk. It's looking really lovely and healthy.

Just goes to show that quoted sizes are just a "suggestion", lol. Bkay, it looks like you fed it steroids! Amazing!

Looks incredible, bk! Or should I say looks invincible?

This is my Majesty, with a sport of Sagae which I have to remove somehow, trying to figure out how without digging it up.

having picture issues this morning

trying again

jjnave - do you have a handheld weed removal tool? I have 2 different ones that are long and narrow with very sharp knife-like tips. They work well for removing sections on the outside of a hosta without killing anything. In the picture it looks like the reverting section may be on the outside edge so using this type of tool may work for you.

I do not have one Connie, maybe I need to get one, yes It is on the outside of it, I was thinking about taking a butcher knife to it and just see if I could get it loose enough to just dig up the one side maybe. But it keeps raining and it is on a bank maybe later in the day it will dry up enough to get down there. thanks for the advise though I may run get one if the knife does not work.

Jjnave- I wouldn't do a thing yet to that beautiful Liberty. Hostas are all unstable and many of my named varieties have anomalies within the plant each year..a streaked eye or different size margins. Take notes and see if that side comes back next year with the same slightly narrow margin or if it is just some immature leaves. You don't need to cut into a hosta unless you get a solid eye on a variegated plant. The solid eye can and probably will eventually take over. Just let it grow and get more magnificent.

-Babka

Here is what my so-called Liberty looks like today. It has six good sized shoots---well, it had, until my husband dropped a shovel on one of them. The photo is of two of the shoots.

Did you drop a shovel on the side of his head? :)

It looks to be quite corrugated which Liberty doesn't have (that I have seen). My Liberty emerges smooth leaved. Curious!

The first pic of Clifford's Forest Fire on the library has a small bit of corrugation.

Sorry about your shoot, I hope you didn't whack him with that shovel lol.

Denis

This is a complete photo of the entire hosta. The squashed shoot is behind the one on the right. I think I will have to take it out of its misery, santamiller. No way it's going to recover.

Denis, thanks for giving my "Liberty" some consideration. I am not sure whether Clifford's Forest Fire is a possibility or not. It is looking more and more like what I have is not a Liberty. I am disappointed after waiting all those years for it to get larger.

No, I didn't whack my husband with the shovel, but I should have! LOL

Whatever it is I like it. It may be a tc gone wrong and you have the next big thing in hostas and you can go retire to the Bahamas!

Go whack hubby you will feel better.

Denis

So, I come back to contradict what I said yesterday RE. corrugation lol

This pic was posted by Bev Stegeman on the AHS facebook group today of her Liberty, It looks very similar to yours, with a bit of corrugation. I also saw another Liberty on there with corrugation so it seems I'm wrong about that. Mabey there are different forms of Liberty some with bumps and some without.

Denis

Thanks for the encouragement Jo. You just may be right!

I am glad you came back to contradict yourself Denis! LOL We all know that identifying hosta is difficult and serious business for us hostaholics! LOL Thanks so much for showing me the photo. I ran out to see if I could get a similar photo of my hosta to compare. So there is hope that this may indeed be a Liberty! Liberty with bumps and/or without . . . that 's very interesting. Now how can we find the answer to that!

So now I won't be retiring to the Bahamas?

Ah sure you couldn't be dealing with all that heat could ya? lol

Not much difference between the two pics is there?

No mention of corrugation when it was registered, clump was only three years old at the time.

http://hostaregistrar.org/detail.php?id=4186&Variety=Liberty

I just did a search on pintrest for Liberty which is great for hosta photos by the way and some do have the bumps and some don't, I don't know why lol

Denis

Denis, I most certainly would have been able to handle all that heat!!! LOL

I agree the two hostas are very similar. Thanks for linking the hosta registry. It is interesting that no corrugation is mentioned.

So, of course, I too had to go to pinterest and look at the Liberty there. And you know what happened---I started to look at that---and then this---and before I knew it---I ended up who knows where! LOL

I went to find my Hostapedia and found that Zilis said Liberty is "moderately rippled." So I just may have a moderately rippled Liberty! Goodbye Bahamas! LOL

But, but, but, Denis...You can't grow hostas in the Bahamas! : (

Interesting note Denis, regarding the "bumps". In 2013 I posted a pic of JUNE which we all know, has beautifully smooth leaves, but a few of the leaves on my June were showing the bumps/corrugation.

It could be possible one batch of Liberty came with corrugation, another not? Or, some smooth-leafed hostas develop corrugation but not on every leaf? If there is a mishap in a sterilized lab, who knows what results?

Right now, yours looks like Liberty in the latest pic, NHL and it certainly resembles Bev Stegeman's Liberty IMO.

Mine is a year old this year. I'll be interested to see it unfurl. :)

Sure would be nice to have those questions answered Jo. I agree that mine resembles Bev Stegeman's (only I like hers better!) LOL

My second Liberty is also one year old. It would be interesting to compare them---and other forum member's first years.