Is this normal?

6 years ago

Hi Everyone, I bought three Hosta June in the Spring and quickly decided I needed one more (for the other side of my bed to create balance). They were out of stock and I put my name on the waiting list. I purchased the first one that came in but when I brought it home I realized it wasn't the beautiful blue and green colors I love (see picture). There is more of a yellowish-green tint to it (see picture) so I planted it in another area of my yard.

Put my name on the waiting list again hoping one more would come in that would look like my originals. Just got a call yesterday and another one is available (see picture). It also has that same color difference.

Is this typical of June? Every online nursery (all out of June stock) shows pictures that look like my first three and describes the beautiful blue/green coloring.

Should I wait until next year? Do they change color over time? Any advice? Please feel free to tell me if my expectations are out of line.

Thanks, Kim

Featured Answer

liquidfeet Z6 Boston

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

@kimhaber1, buy multiples if you like. It's what I have done to build my garden. I fill shaped spaces with multiples so I end up with white shaped spaces and green shaped spaces and blue clumps and yellow waves, and so on. Every here and there I place a single show-stopper. I like the designs I get. Once the hostas grow large enough to divide, I divide them and change the design, or work the new ones back into the group they came from.

Wanting to own one of each means you are a collector. Most people on this forum are collectors. Are you a collector, hoping to have as many cultivars as possible, but only one of each, displaying its ideal self, perhaps with a label for identification? Will you be purchasing 5-10-20 new-to-your-collection single hostas every spring to broaden your collection? If you see this in your future, then you should take the advice you're getting and stop getting multiples.

But perhaps that's not you. Maybe you want a number of identical Junes to fill a space because their color and size is just right for that space, and you don't want to wait 8 years for your plant to mature and be divided and for those divisions to grow. And maybe you want an even larger number of green hostas to fill another space near those Junes. And maybe some white-rimmed ones somewhere else, filling an even larger space. And who knows maybe a giant show-stopper to set in the middle of all that hosta pizzazz.

If that's you, then proudly buy in multiples. It's easier to design with odd numbers, so stick with 3 or 5 or 7. If you buy more than that it probably doesn't matter if the number is odd or even.

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
yes they do change colors.. especially the yellow depending on how much sun they get ...

they are very young ... but im still wondering if any of them are june..

sometimes it take a year or 3.. for the plants to show mature traits .. as to height..leaf width .. etc ... leaf shape.... etc ...

but color should be there regardless ...

one problem is that it probably came from a greenhouse.. and you are comparing it to one in the yard ... so light levels were very different ...

anyway.. quit buying more.. in 2 or 3 years.. you can divide one of them.. and have more ...

or, if you insist on buying more.. crikey.. buy something else ... never spend money on duplicates... lol ...

ken
djacob Z6a SE WI
6 years ago
Ken is right, the level of sun they have been receiving make a big difference in the coloration. I think the top plant is a June but I am not so sure about the other two. Although the petiole for the flower on all three is purpleish it is the leaf shape of the other two that gives me pause. They are lance shaped whereas June’s leaf is described as ovate or wider at the base and becoming thinner at the tip, kind of like a shallow heart. But your plants are young and it’s amazing how much a young plant changes as it matures. So plant one of the two for balance and plant the other somewhere else in your garden.

debra

p.s take a look at the Junes in the library and I am in agreement with Ken, don’t by another “June.” Save your money for more hostas! :-)
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kimhaber1
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks!!!!
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
6 years ago
I have no objection to buying multiples. I purchased multiples of Great Expectations. It's my favorite hosta and is a slow grower so I would be waiting years for it to be big enough to divide.
steve duggins(Z6a) - Central Ohio
6 years ago
It sure does change with time and sun exposure. Here's one from 2017 that looked a lot like your one on hold the previous year when it was new. June on top, Luna Moth to left and Touch of Class below.

and here they are this year. Touch of Class on left with June to the right.

And finally one I have in more shade.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
OPs third pic remind you of remember me????
kimhaber1
Original Author
6 years ago
Wow! Thanks.
djacob Z6a SE WI
6 years ago
Liquidfeet and popmama I think your advice is great! I have multiples myself that I bought years ago before I got the “collector” bug. I have managed to cut new beds for what I want to add. I also like symmetry and have doubles to achieve the affect with a large showy hosta in the middle. So, in the end it is YOUR garden and you will decide how you want to plant it. Good luck!

debra