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Told you growing hostas from seeds can be fun

11 years ago

Hosta 'Mill's Master', a six year old seedling in the Hosta Mill, Belgium.

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Comments (18)

bentleygardens
11 years ago
very nice!

Ed
don_in_colorado
11 years ago
That's beautiful, Rob. I must admit, 'Mill's Trump Suit' remains my favorite that I've seen of yours. It's the brilliant chartreuse/gold leaves that get me! :)

Cheers,
Don B.
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Do hostas grow true from seed?
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Comments (5)
depending on the hosta plant you got the seeds from, some will be blue, some yellow, and mostly green. Inniswood (open polinated) that I have grown seed from gave many yellows opposed to green (and some blues). last year I crossed Northern Exposure (pollen) with Inniswood (pod parent) and still got many yellow (about 90%). Paul
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So you've told me I dont have the hostas I thought I have...
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Leafover, I have a blue mouse ears that was labeled Love Pat, a Paul's Glory that was labeled Forbidden Fruit, a Summer Breeze that was labeled Great Escape, a Francee that was labeled as Wide Brim, an Aphrodite labeled as Plantaginea, a Gold Standard that I've forgotten what it was labeled, a September Sun that's really an "I don't know what", one labeled as Elegans that's another "I dont' know what", a Royal Standard that's an "I don't know what", One labeled as Blue Cadet that I think is another Blue Mouse Ears and now a Pizzazz, that's another "I don't know what" and I only have about 40 hosta. I've gotten mislabled plants from dedicated hosta growers, from mail order gardening catalogs, neighborhood nurseries and big box home improvement stores. I suggest you take photos of flowers if you get any this year and note when they bloomed. That would help identify the plant. Your white centered one could be any of several. It kind of looks like Dream Queen/thunderbolt/Dream Weaver, Ann Kulpa and Night before Christmas (and many more). If we saw a photo of it when it's not faded by the sun, someone might be able to ID it. Same with the white edged one. So basically, I'm suggesting that you wait until next spring when they are fully leafed out and still have good color and post them then. If you have photos and time of flowering, that would help, too. Other than that, you have to decide how important a label is to you. For some people, it's very important. It's so important that they will give away an unidentified hosta. For me, it varies. I've had some for years and years that I can't identify. I'm keeping those. I don't know about the others, yet. I suggest you post your request for ID with a topic that includes either "noid" or "ID" in the heading. Post no more than two hosta per thread to avoid confusion. Most people like to see if they can ID the unknowns, so will look at any thread with that requests a name. The more people you have look at it, the better chance you have of getting a good ID. bkay
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Hosta Seed Growing?
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oh crikey peeps ... i will yell THEY GROW IN CRACKS IN THE DRIVEWAY .... why in the heck you would waste money .. time.. and effort.. on going all foo foo.. and adding things like bone meal.. is beyond me ... bernd ... no problem with reusing media... but i recommend simply sterilization in the oven or microwave over adding chemicals ... why expose yourself... using chems as a wash rinse???? bill nash .. gotta love him.. is a rebel ... and he will try anything ... good for him ... but i would take anything with a grain of salt.. as to whether it is necessary.. or requisite.. rather than one of his experiments... surely.. whatever works.. works.. but what i have found.. is when you reduce your variables to A,B,C .... such as light, temp and water ... you can make the process so easy;.. and repeatable.. that it is fun ... when you start adding.. topic A, subsect 1, indent sub 3a .... you are making it all so complicated ... and adding so many variables.. that you are making it all to easy.. to screw up one of the variables.. causing problems ... bernd again ... i cant find a link.. but i think bone meal is made super steaming bone ... and then crushing it ... one might suggest that the production itself is a sterilization process ... hence the reason.. you couldnt find sterilized BM ... crikey.. lol ... i flashed back to being a kid ... as always.. whatever works works ... just dont make your life too complicated ... ken
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I am having fun growing roses from seed.... but need advice
Q
Comments (1)
Hi Sharon, there are MANY factors which can influence germination, including how well the variety's seeds germinate in the first place. Are you finding the seeds mold on the damp toweling or do they remain clean? Is the toweling inside a plastic bag or left open to the air in the refrigerator? Ideally, you don't want the seeds drying out prior to germination as that can delay their sprouting until the seed coat rehydrates and softens enough to allow the embyo to push itself out. Some people literally sand the seeds between two sanding blocks to reduce the thickness and hardness of the seed coats to make it faster and easier for water to penetrate it and help the embryo emerge. You can find sanding blocks in most big block stores and on line. You can also make your own with blocks or wood or sponges and sand paper. It doesn't take much to grind enough of the seed coat off to help germination. Yes, you can soak them for a few hours or even over night and that may help. You would want to towel off the extra water from them prior to spreading them on the damp toweling so it isn't so wet it fosters mold and rot. If you live where "winter" isn't sub zero and if you have the space to plant them outdoors, you may find a greater percentage germinating. You want a soil mass large enough to insulate them from any extremes in temperature. It should also be large enough to retain sufficient moisture in between waterings. The soil should drain well but be moisture retentive and of a type which doesn't "cake" on the surface which will inhibit small seedlings from being able to push through the surface. Simply using flower pots can work as long as they receive sun but won't be overheated by bright sun and any heat spikes which may occur. You don't want the soil ball to be baked dry during germination. "Dry" inhibits germination as does "hot". I've long read that they stop germinating at temperatures over 70 F, though I have observed rose seeds germinating quite well at temps well over 80 F during the day with cooler nights. Also, if you germinate outdoors, you want to cover the planting pot, box, etc. with screening to prevent rodents and birds from eating the seeds. Rose seeds are HIGHLY nutritious and a real favorite with rats, squirrels, mice and many birds. I hope it helps! Good luck! Kim
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trudy_gw
11 years ago
Brilliant colors! Way to grow....another one of my addictions, growing hosta seedlings!
beverlymnz4
11 years ago
Wow, that's a beauty. 6 years. You have patience. Nice work.

Beverly
hosta_freak
11 years ago
I have a few seedlings,but not as interesting as that one! Good job. Phil
veryblessed
11 years ago
That is one pretty hosta!! Thanks!
Gesila
10 years ago
Stunning. I love the combination of red stems and blue leaves. The ripples are a bonus!

Gesila
hostafrenzy
10 years ago
Rob, being fairly new to the world of hosta, let me ask; did that stunning seedling occur au naturale or did you 'encourage' (create?) it?

Is there a chance that seedlings will turn out a mix of nearby hosta or are they always the same as the mother plant? (my apologies to my former biology teacher).
Jon 6a SE MA
10 years ago
Great Rob, it makes me feel bad about all the seedlings I sprayed with roundup thinking they were weeds. Even the naturally fertilized seedlings are fun, and who knows, one might turn into something nice.

I assume it is a hybrid. What is the lineage?

Jon
ryseryse_2004
10 years ago
I love growing them from seed! But - I have yet to get a two-toned one no matter which ones I pick the seeds from. Any ideas on this?
Steve Massachusetts
10 years ago
Ryse,

What do you mean by two-toned? Do you mean variegated, like a blue center and a yellow/cream edge? If you want variegated seedlings you have to start with a streaked momma plant. Like this one.

Steve
rob_sneyers
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all for the nice comments.
It's very encouraging.

Hostafrenzy,
this one is a little bit in between the natural way (let the bees do the work) and real hybridizing (making deliberate crosses by hand). I started out with a hosta that had a lot of features I like, H. 'Grand Slam'. Put it apart and surrounded it with other plants I like, such as H. 'Sky Dancer'.
Harvested the seeds from Grand Slam and got a whole bunch of very different seedlings from them.
Some look more like mom, others probably like that.

I've learned some hostas give a very diverse offspring, while others produce rather uniform seedlings.
None of the seedlings however look the same as the motherplant.

Hope this helps you a bit.

Greetings from Belgium,

Rob
ryseryse_2004
10 years ago
I have often picked seeds off of two-toned (two colors - streaked) plants but have not actually made my own seeds. I will try that this summer. Thanks for the inspiration!
veryblessed
10 years ago
Steve, I really like the hosta you posted is that a named plant or one of your seedlings. It has a very unique look.
Thanks,
James
Steve Massachusetts
10 years ago
That's one of my seedlings from last year. I call it Stetson Meadows. It's just coming up now. I'll post a picture of it when it's fully open.

Steve
MadPlanter1 zone 5
10 years ago
Wow- I'd buy it. It has all my favorite things; beautiful blue color, a bit of ripple, red stems and an upright shape to show them off. No seeds on my streakers last year, but if I ever get any I'll have to plant them.
hostafrenzy
10 years ago
Thanks so much for the explanation Rob, much appreciated! Your 'Mill's Master' is absolutely stunning. Reminds me somewhat of 'Red October', only showier.
hostafrenzy
10 years ago
Thanks so much for the explanation Rob, much appreciated! Your 'Mill's Master' is absolutely stunning. Reminds me somewhat of 'Red October', only showier.

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