without looking at the pix.. lol.. Undulata Erromena

surprised she didnt have some on the driveway .. lol ..

ken

http://www.hostalibrary.org/u/u.html

Funny you should say that - just the other day I found two new ones popping up right next to the driveway, underneath a Norway maple where I was sure NOTHING would grow. They aren't as far along as the others but they seem to be doing just fine. Thank you for the ID, by the way - undulata erromena looks just like what I've got. Anyone want one? Or 20? ;)

You can send me as many as you want. I love Hosta!

The second photo makes me think it might be Lancifolia...which has 5-6 vein pairs. At closer look yours appears to have that count. The first photo shows a plant with wider leaves and more vein pairs that looks similar to my U. Erromena.

Wait, you mean I might actually have more than one variety? That would be amazing. I see now that the leaves in the first photo seem a bit narrower than those in the second. I will have to watch their progress as they continue to mature.

Dhaven, marvellous suggestions for excess hostas. Habitat for Humanity caught my eye. Never would have thought of that! You have given me a brilliant inspiration! Imagine not only receiving a new home...but an instant garden as well.! This is a good cause to give up some hostas for....

Erromena and lancifolia

I took stock of my hostas again this morning now that they have leafed out somewhat, and you all are right - the guy in the second photo is different than all the rest (all of which still look exactly the same). So it looks like I have 34 erromena and one lancifolia. I think I'll name him Rudolph, since he's different from all of the other hostas, lol. I wonder how he got mixed in?

On a related note, I have one hosta that is growing very strangely - any idea what is going on with this one?

Upper, off-centre left? Looks like pachysandra at first glance but it's not anywhere else in that area?. Is it coming out of the hosta or beside it?

if your talking about the ring of hosta.. its called a fairy ring ... if you dig in the middle.. remove what ever is there ... and refill with fresh soil ... it will grow back into the center ...

ken

Josephine, I think that is pachysandra in the upper left - it's probably just growing beside it. I have a big bed of pachysandra elsewhere in the yard and it has randomly seeded offshoots everywhere. I was actually referring to the fact that this hosta seems to be growing in a crescent shape around something, but I don't see anything there for it to be growing around. I should probably dig and see if there's an old stump or a big rock just below the surface.

Yes Ken, that's exactly what I meant. Interesting that they call it a fairy ring! Now I'm wondering what the heck could be in the middle...

Sometimes bigger, older plants develop rot in the center. In some cases, the center of the plant dies while it survives on the edges.

dead plant is in the middle ... but its not soil.. so the H grows away from it ... hence.. adding soil back in the middle ..

btw ... it would not surprise me.. if you find a granny apple green hosta around ... and if it happens to have a 6 inch flower in august.. it will be plantaginea ... another old standard ...

ya know.. dont go complaining.. and ripping them all out.. you may come to regret destroying a carefree garden ... lol ...

ken

Oh, I'm not complaining! They are lovely plants. The issue I have is that they're all the same variety (I think), and planted very haphazardly around the yard. I will keep many that are planted in optimal locations and find good homes for those that aren't!

I have had fairy rings with the difference that there is always a shoot or more present within the ring itself. I have never seen one like yours...so barren of any green. I'd be curious too and would want to investigate to see if there is any obstruction underneath. It's almost too neat, lol.

Zilis refers to it as " Fairy Ring (Center Clump Dieback)" in his original Hosta Handbook. Happens in "old, established clumps, Fortuneis the most." Other perennials can do it too. My society garlic does it occasionally.

-Babka

I purchased a similarly planted house last summer. I've taken quite a few out, and added quite a few different varieties in... I still really like having the unifying effect of the same variety repeated throughout the yard. It keeps the new plants I've added from looking disjointed. Can't want for the larger and more interesting varieties to fill out in between.