Tag: hybridizing

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“What’s new?”

by Bob Solberg

I often run into high-powered plant people, much more knowledgeable than me, who ask, “Haven’t hosta hybridizers done about all you can do with hostas? They all are starting to look the same to me.” I guess that is true if you discount all the new red blushing hostas but then, the novelty may wear off even blushers one day.

            I often wonder what is the next big improvement that hybridizers can bring to their hosta seedlings. Red is not dead. Hostas can still become redder, but also the red can last all season. I’d say, Dan Heims’ ‘Liam’s Smile’ is a more dependable blushing hosta in warmer climes with interestingly more purple in the leaf veins than in the petioles. It is a new ingredient to add to the hybridizing pot.   

‘Liam’s Smile’ in North Carolina

Some hosta hybridizers think hosta flowers might be the next best thing. They are producing many new colors for hosta flowers, rich dark purples, even black, light pinks, and reds, as well as yellow and green. I have seen brown ones too, interesting but looking faded when fresh. Large, pink flowers on a blue hosta might be a showstopper.

            But flowers and red trim are accessories, much like the messy ruffles on many of the new blue hostas these days. Maybe that is where we are with the breeding right now, just a little tweak here and little tweak there. Hosta specialists might appreciate these new bells and whistles, but they may be lost on the gardening public or even high-level horticulturists.

            So, what is really new in hostas? Well, have you ever seen a yellow hosta that turns blue? Yellow hostas usually green up a little, or a lot, later in the season. They almost never have a blue cast to them. That’s different! For many years we just called it 44B, a great hybridizing hosta, a parent of ‘Ruby Earrings’ and ‘Peach Brandy’, and now I am ready to pass it along to you. It is ‘Calm before the Storm’, bright yellow sunshine in early spring and then suddenly an afternoon storm brewing. Its rich purple petioles highlight the spring yellow color and the stormy summer feel. Check it out in the shop. I think it is pretty cool!

‘Calm before the Storm’
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Let’s make more tetraploid hostas.

Blog 3 Let’s make more tetraploid hostas.

Tetraploid hostas, (those hostas that have doubled their chromosomes), you knew the topic would be visited eventually. At Green Hill Farm we believe that tetraploid hostas may or may not be the future of hostas but until we hybridize a lot of tets we will never know. To this end we have been propagating tetraploid forms of named hostas as we find them and would like to make them available to hosta hybridizers for a nominal cost so that they might have new tetraploid plants to cross.

Converted tetraploid hostas, either by the use of herbicides or “naturally” in Tissue Culture, differ from their “parents” by having thicker leaves, wider margins if variegated, a more compact habit, shorter scapes and a denser arrangement of flowers. All these are positive, (improvements), traits, but they also have shorter roots and a slower growth rate. Some like ‘Mojito’ from ‘Fried Green Tomatoes are more fertile than their parent, but some are not. The flowers are larger as are the fertile parts, pollen, and pods in these tets. There is good and bad in everything.

Here is our first offering to hybridizers. I had a choice to make, when introducing this hosta especially for hybridizing. I could name it and register it, or just introduce it under the name, “tetraploid ‘World Cup’”. I decided on the latter because I believe that hybridizing hostas should be shared and not necessarily marketed. I could have given it some name that was just a group of letters and numbers like some folks do but is that really fun? The name is self-explanatory but not a fancy name for the general public. Actually, I am not sure this plant is a good garden plant, but it will allow you to bring several traits, including gold color, extreme cupping and upright habit into your tetraploid hybridizing program.

tetraploid ‘World Cup’

So how do you get one? I have several plants of tetraploid ‘World Cup’ that I actually tissue cultured for just this purpose. See, we are having fun now. I think they are blooming size but if not this year next year for sure. All you have to do is contact me through our Order Form on our HostaHosta.com website and I will send you one. I will only charge you $20 for shipping. You will get two plants and you can start to work your magic.  

This offer is open to everyone in the United States, we can maybe make other arrangements if you live elsewhere, but please do not name this plant. It is a legitimate hosta with an illegitimate name. Feel free to pass it along in a few years when it finally increases. Tetraploids are slow! Have fun with this… that will make me smile.