Welcome to the hosta forum gardenchick. I am no expect, but the the hosta in pic 1 looks great, nice leaf color and shape. I don’t know the name either. I have never seen any hosta with such leaf pattern .......so unfortunately I think you have a hosta with HVX. Wait for others to confirm but I think that’s what it is. So close ups of one or two of the leaves would help. You can read about HVX on the front page of the library.

debra

Steve we were co-commenting......great minds think alike! Hahaha!

gardenchick, I understand that the virus can live in the ground up to two years so don’t plant any other hostas there. I had to dig one diseased Gold Standard this spring. Like Steve said, make sure you clean your tools with a bleach mixture. Thank goodness your hosta is not too big so it shouldn’t be too bad to get out.

debra

Oh, no. Not HVX. Unfortunately, I've read about it here, and know it's not good. Depressing, as the hosta came from an actual nursery, not a big box store. Now I'm really worried about my other hostas, as I moved this one last year. I replaced it with a heuchera, however, did not bleach the tools afterwards, and have used them lots since. Hopefully my other hostas aren't infected. :(

Can you tell if it's had it all along, or if it developed after I planted it?

Its hard to tell without a closeup, but I think I see some minor dark leaf bleed in that first pic. Can you blow it up (the pic not the Hosta)

I had my Gold Standard for 10+ years and this year it had the virus.......go figure. I was careful about sanitizing my tools and have used them since with no signs on any other hostas. Good luck again. Do it right and just keep watch with other hostas. The virus does not affect other perennials from what I understand so not to worry about your heuchies.

debra

p.s. There seems to be a lot of the virus going around this year.

I cropped and blew it up a bit.

Thanks for your reply, btw. As depressing it is to know it's sick, it's good to know.

While you're looking at pics, I'll also post its close neighbour, Whirlwind. Hopefully it's still healthy.

Thanks for the welcomes, btw. And debra, so sorry about your Gold Standard. That must have been heart-breaking to discover.

It is so nice to have you with us! I just wish your welcome had not come with bad news.

Yes, it appears your Sun Power was infected when you purchased it.

To my eye your Whirlwind is still healthy.

So sorry for your troubles.

You too Debra - over ten years, ouch. We know it can happen but it still hurts. I feel for you both!

Glad to hear my Whirlwind is still healthy, as it's one of my favourites. It never get flowers though. Any ideas on why that might be?

Not enough sun or size or just to spite you.

Thanks everyone for condolences on my GS, but I have 2 others.....lol. Gardenchick I think Whirlwind looks good. i Have a Wolverine that was basically unidentfied for years because it ha never flowered. The flower color was the determining factor in identifying it as Wolverine and not the other hosta(?) that looked pretty much the same. Well, after maybe 8 years, it finally decided to bloom. Hahaha! Also young plants don’t always flower. I suppose most of the plants energy is involved in developing the root system and leaves. Just a thought.

debra

Not enough sun or size or just to spite you.

LOL. Probably. Especially since it know it's one of my favourites.

Also young plants don’t always flower. I suppose most of the plants energy is involved in developing the root system and leaves. Just a thought.

Maybe that's it. Not sure how long I've had it. At least 5 years, so hopefully it will decide to have flowers sooner than later.

You know what’s funny, I noticed on my garden walk today that Whirlwind is sending up a petiole........not sure it has ever done that and mine is about 5 years old too. There’s hope!

debra

gardenchick..just so you know..I've had one hosta with HVX (Gold Standard)..I used a test strip and it was positive..the Gold Standard next to it is still fine and it's been several years..

You know what’s funny, I noticed on my garden walk today that Whirlwind is sending up a petiole........not sure it has ever done that and mine is about 5 years old too. There’s hope!

I just went out and took a close look at my Whirlwind, and believe it or not, it's got its first ever flower scape! So I'm going to have flowers this year too. :)

gardenchick..just so you know..I've had one hosta with HVX (Gold Standard)..I used a test strip and it was positive..the Gold Standard next to it is still fine and it's been several years..

I'm now paranoid when I look at my garden, so that's reassuring. I haven't done anything with my sick Sun Power yet. Is there a best time of year to remove it?

gardenchick..I'd get it out as soon as possible just so it's not hanging over your head..my impression..all of us are always on alert for HVX symptoms..

gardenchick..I'd get it out as soon as possible just so it's not hanging over your head..my impression..all of us are always on alert for HVX symptoms.

I'll do it the next not so humid day.

I dug the diseased Sun Power out this morning. Used a shovel I don't normally use for gardening, and will disinfect it with a couple of my Lysol wipes, just to be safe. I also used disposable gloves instead of my normal gardening gloves. I stuck the plant in a plastic bag, and will throw it out next garbage day. I tried to get as many of the roots as I could distinguish from tree and lilac roots. I planted a non-hosta plant in the spot, to remember where it was, so I don't put another hosta there anytime soon.

Thanks again for replying to my post, and letting me know about the HVX. I was saddened to lose it, but glad I found out now, while it was still easy to remove, than later when it was much bigger.