i bought one... and been given 5 or so as gifts ...

those that didnt die immediately ... as in.. committed suicide on the way home ... turned blue.. and that was the end of DB ...

i was gifted a nice one by LOTGs late last season ... it did not take winter well ... goodly??? ... but there is one nice medium division left ... no i am not taking a pic ...

all and all .. its a mythical hosta.. if you like such ... buy it ..

but with its heavy sieboldiana background.. any seedlings you get from it.. are going to be VERY slow growing ...

if you want a breeder ... you can find better ones ...

if i recall the story properly.. herb benedict grew 25000 seeds of our favorite plant... frances williams ... to find the one streaked seedling ... and he named it after his wife.. if i am wrong.. refresh my memory ...

ken

the closest that I can come is a Dorothy Benedict seedling

I have several DB seedlings, grew them from donated seeds, and like them.

Here's mine that I got from LOTG last year. It seems to be doing quite well and I look forward to seeing it mature. Great seedling Gary! I have some tiny seedlings from Jeff that I'm growing, many from DB or crossed with it, that look promising.

Mac, yours is a nice size! love all the gold in leaves, and a flower scape already! Would love to see when flowers open. Hope all your seedlings grow good and strong! Thank you for contributing to this thread.

Bernd, Looking forward to your seedling pics when they are in situ. Thank you for joining in!

Gary, a beautiful looking seedling! Nice and full with great colour and form. Thank you for posting.

Ken, thank you for your comments. I didn't hold much hope for a pic, lol, but I did enjoy your comments. Your have been very fortunate to have been gifted not only one, but 5 or more! You certainly have experience growing this one.

I don't aspire to breed hostas so that would not be the goal when acquiring a Dorothy Benedict but getting a seedling, even one from that hosta would be an event!

All I could find on the net is that Herb Benedict named a plant after his wife...your details make a much more interesting story, thank you!

I sometimes wonder if there is anything we can do to hold or promote a certain colour in our hostas, I.e., streakers, despite their DNA. If we can promote a hydrangea to stay blue by adding iron (in the form of rusty nails which worked for me years ago), I wonder if it's possible to do something similar to hostas...only to reverse colour by introducing an additive to its soil? Just wondering...

Here is my 2012 h'Dorothy Benedict' Seedling from seeds I got from Jeff Miller at LOTG hosta nursery.

Following is a picture of my hosta seedlings which I started in November of last year. Front row 3rd from the right is a seedling of the DB seedling, looking good like Mama.

Thank you, Bernd! Your DB is a beautiful specimen! Is that a blue leaf on the bottom left or is it also streaked? The seedlings look amazing! So much colour and very healthy looking! I would definitely shop at "Bernd's Nursery" if I was local! :-)

Jo, that leaf has some streaking, just checked. I notice that streaking is variable on all my older streaked seedling hostas. That is probably also true on divisions of streaked cultivars. 'Streaked' means being unstable. But variability is fun to observe.

Her is my DB

The cage is still on from last year. I have 2 nice seedlings from my first summer with her. You know it says large on the hosta library - is that not quite right? If she is only a medium it would be good to know. For example how does the size of your DB compare with, say, Abiqua Drinking Gourd?

Beverly, I agree about the size - read yesterday (some AHS articles ) that she is a smallish (medium, certainly no mention of large) hosta but you know how the sizing goes....either under or over quoted dimensions depending on who is growing it and where. We have seen what happens when fertilizer is used! Lol

I like the cage you are protecting your very pretty DB in! Where did you pick that up? I'm amazed you got seedlings in her first year but then again, why not...if you leave flower scapes up.

If happy in time it will grow large

If happy, in time, they all grow large.
Jo, I got mine like many, as a gift from LOtG.

I have seen 'Dorothy Benedict' clumps as big as a dinner table....that would be a large

Now that's what I'm talking about, a point of reference, thanks.

My data base on the HL has conflicting info re DB. It lists it as a large, then above all the photos the blurb says the plant is 14 x 9"....obviously referring not to the plant size, but leaf size?

Then Mickfield Hostas refers to this as a small plant...confusing and erroneous information..and very outdated as the info refers to 2009...FW herself is quite large, so it's no surprise that DB should also be large?

Yes very similar to 'Frances Williams' and other variegated sieboldianas. They can be slow to reach mature size

To add to this story the DB Jeff Miller had TC'd and is gifting now was from a division I acquired from a very large OS clump growing at Foxfire Gardens.

crikey .. think about it ...

a mature one.. should be THE SAME AS FW ...

as FW was both mother and father ...

or i should say.. probably more clearly ... it has the potential to be FW size ... rarely is a plant with white in it... as vigorous as one without ...

ken

While touring gardens yesterday for the MRHS Convention in Dubuque, I snapped a pic of this good sized 'Dorothy Benedict' growing in Ed Schultz's garden. That is my Hosta Honey, Marie's hand for size reference.

Allnitro, how kind of you to remember my DB thread, and to post this wonderful picture! that is indeed quite the specimen... the leaf under your Hosta Honey (love the reference) Marie's lovely hand is huge! Thank you. :-) looks like a beautiful garden tour ...

Do you by any chance happen to know how long that blue sport/reversion? has been growing there? I see maybe 2-4 blue leaves. Any idea how old that Dorothy Benedict is?

I bought my DB off the Hosta Library Auction in 2010. It was a pretty small division but grew fast. 2 years ago I divided it in half to give to my daughter.

Ruth, thank you for posting your DB photo! :-)... it looks like it is huge! and I like all the various shades of green and blue.

Have you by any chance considered separating the streaked eye(s) from the rest of the plant in the hopes to keep the streaking going?

only the little streaked piece is DB ... and it will be gone soon if not separated ...

ken

Josephine, I did not know I could do that. I noticed that the portion I gave my daughter has much more streaking than mine. After comparing my picture to the others posted here, it looks like the streaking on my plant is almost gone. I must have unknowingly given her the best portion. I am going to do as you suggested at my first opportunity. Ken- I did not know that either. Thank you both for your comments. Hopefully it is not to late to get a nicely streaked plant again.

Glad to be of help, Ruth. Seeing as it is your daughter that got the larger portion of streaks, I think you would have first dibs on getting a piece back once hers puts some beef on, right? ;-). I keep reminding my daughters "if something happens to mine, I'll get a piece back so take good care of it!" Lol

That is the understanding.

After separating out the streaked eyes before my DB reverted back, this is what I had left. If only the streaked leaves are considered DB in the plant what is the rest that has no streaking?

Ruth, I don't see a photo ? I am not up to speed on what is a reversion or sport but I think the non streaked portion of the plant is a sport. Solid coloured sports eventually take over the plant as evidenced by your photo. :-)

Sorry, I tried 3 times before this and it would not show.

It sure is pretty now that you can see it for itself. :-)

tape it up .... fast ..

btw ... the edged plant has more green.. so is more vigorous ... so it grows faster.. and eventually will take over the streaked part ... extremely common in streaked plants ...

and one reason.. they are usually smaller than the parents.. per the discussion above ...

ken

Ken, I am a novice when it comes to plants. I don't know what you mean by "taping it up". After dividing the plant and taking the picture I put a wire support around the it. Should I be doing something else?

you can just use masking tape.. to hold the leaves up while the roots get pumping.. to return water pressure to the stalks/leaves ...

the cage will do the same thing ..

i still find it confusing.. to find someone who owns DB.. calling themselves a novice ... lol

ken

I admired "a friends" DB not having any idea of cost of them. I really don't know much about plants in general. The person's response was a snotty, "This plant is to rich for your blood". It ticked me off. With Internet at our fingertips I stalked the Hosta Library auction diligently and told this person they should not judge a person's financial situation.

I guess you had the last word, Ruth for you own the plant! Great taste in hostas! :-).

Lol Ruth! Good for you :)

Fantastic plant I have always been intrigued by the picture on the Hosta Library but I would have to see one in person or else with a good picture before I spent $200 on a hosta.