Re: hosta-open DIGEST V1 #2
- Subject: Re: hosta-open DIGEST V1 #2
- From: h*@open.org
- Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 01:09:29 -0700
Glen:
>So, I am asking you botanists out there, what factors are at work
>here in keeping some hostas looking good, while other are on the way
>to their late fall oblivion?
This is a basic photoperiod response phenomenon. Probably similar to
what we see in daylilies with deciduous and non-deciduous daylilies,
although daylily people confuse it by using dormant, semi-evergreen
and evergreen.
I'm not sure that what we see in hosta is classical deciduous and
non-deciduous, but it may be. Are there any species native to low
latitude areas that stay green all year? In western Oregon some
hostas can be pretty green even into December, but eventually
inclement weather and frosts do them in. What you need to look for is
if the leaves start turning yellow and the plant undergoes normal
senescence before cold/frosts set in, which may be difficult to see in
some areas, or if the plant stays green and turns into a mussy mass at
a certain freezing temperature. Given the wide geographic
distribution of hostas it's reasonable to expect that different
species respond differently to shorting days. Unfortunately, this
photoperiod response often interacts with temperature and soil
moisture, so it isn't always clear cut. Mix all of these species up
into complex hybrids and things can get really messy.
Joe Halinar
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