It's happened before. Gingko Craig is a natural sport of albomarginata.

anything is possible ...

but can you rule out seedlings??? .. without digging it up

ken

I just planted it last year. I didn't notice any seedlings last year. They look too big for this year's seedlings.

Very cute, Momma and baby. I hope it stays little. What is the momma's name?

If you have voles that could be vole damage. When the little varmints eating the root that nibble on the crown. The damaged crown grows smaller immature leaves.

Hope it’s seedlings!

Momma is English Sunrise.

Haven't had any definite vole damage that I noticed. I had what I thought was just some partial frost heaving (or poor planting) with elevated crowns and little soil directly under it and no definite hole, but not in this bed. I would think vole damage would look worse than this Lakeside Keepsake, but maybe I'm in denial. This is shortly after unfurling in early May.

It's happened before. Gingko Craig is a natural sport of albomarginata.

Which albomarginata are we talking about, Jim? If you're talking about 'Undulata Albomarginata' it seems odd that one is sterile whereas GC is fertile.

The HL says the following on 'Gingko Craig':

This plant was originally purchased at a Japanese flower market as an unnamed plant by Craig. He gave it to Alex Summers who named it for Craig's wife Ginko. It is assumed to be a wild collected sport of sieboldii. Ginko Craig has two distinct leaf forms. The juvenile leaf is small, straight and has an even narrow white margin. The Wolfgang Putz photo is that of a juvenile form. All the others photos are of the mature form with much wider leaves and wider white, rippled and sometimes torn margins. The juvenile form can be maintained by frequent dividing while in a juvenile state if this is desired.

Pieter

Bonsai Hosta!

Bonsai hosta are popular in Japan. I was there in the early 1970s and fortunate enough to get into several private and temple gardens. The most striking bonsai hosta I saw was a Montana Aureomarginata, potted and about 6 inches tall as a mature plant. Japanese yards and gardens tend to be quite small, so bonsai hosta makes sense.

At that time, MA was a very rare hosta, found almost exclusively in small private gardens in Japan. If you wanted to purchase a single division, you first had to find someone willing to divide their plant, who knew you and respected you enough to be willing to sell you a division (this was seen as a very great favor), and you also needed roughly $2500 to spend. For a single division. This is why I rarely complain about tissue culture, problematic though it can be.

Agree, it is damage to the main crown and growth from side latent bud. Providing good feed might even size of leaves

Just planted it last year, so I think I'll just let it be for now. However, I went back and looked at the Lakeside Keepsake and those little leaves in the middle withered and the crown was spongey, but the leaves on each side seem fine. Do I need to dig up the plant and treat it to keep the crown rot from spreading or will the plant settle in and grow OK?

I just side dress with some compost and make sure plant is at the appropriate level with soil. For me it is more likely to happen from heaving out of the ground.

Just to throw something else out there... I have a few that look similar this year. I'm pretty sure it's because they got stepped on by tree cutters with heavy boots, probably just as that eye or two was making its way up to the surface. Other parts of the hostas are normal size. Any chance they were stepped on?

OK, I know what happened. I'll start a new thread with all the gory details.

I would be curious to hear what it may be also. I have one I don't know who it is so I call it me and mini me , I thought I may have over planted but they are getting the same flowers. Too sunny for good picture. Will be curious to know all the gory details too

Crazy for you

Gory Details