Re: Hosta Flowers
- To: <hosta-open@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Re: Hosta Flowers
- From: "* C* <r*@neptune.on.ca>
- Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1998 13:59:21 -0400
>
>So. As I said before, plantaginea and its progeny, plus a few other
hostas,
>have nice flowers, though even these pale in comparison with many, many
other
>perennials and shrubs. The vast majority of hostas have flowers that are
>unexceptional in size, color, substance, form, and longevity, and none but
the
>above have any fragrance. The vast majority of people do not buy hostas
for
>their flowers, florists do not use them, they are not suitable for drying
or
>cutting. I suspect that if they were not associated with hostas, most
would
>agree that they are as ordinary as a flower can be. Not ugly, just
ordinary.
>My whole point, if I have one, is that breeding hostas for improved flowers
is
>a worthy goal. Breeding hostas for flowers that will stand on their own
>merits in competition with other flowering perennials is probably futile.
>People buy hostas because of their leaves.
Chick, no doubt you are right that Hosta flowers look ordinary for the most
part, but I regularly see plantaginea flowers taking prizes in the "any
other perennial" catagory at our local shows-now that I finally know what
they are because I am growing them myself. I agree that plantaginea is not
particularly outstanding compared to an oriental lily, but there is no
contest about it being a better flower than any of the white asiatic lilies
I know, especially when the fragrance is taken into consideration.
I suppose that plantaginea does not produce the exciting foliage variations
that many are looking for when used in crosses, but it is a shame that there
are not more large flowered hostas being developed. It should be possible
to get the best of both worlds.
As for me, I will be scouring our local plant sales this spring looking for
more $2 divisions of plantiginea since I have nothing, including the plants
you suggested, that flowers so spectacularly in partial shade.
Bob Campbell
USDA 4
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