Mistakes...how long did it take you?

15 years ago

...to realize you had the wrong plant. I'm begining to wonder if I'm going to wake up one day and have only 5 varieties and the rest are mislabeled. I've been looking with a more critical eye since Ken pointed out that what I thought was Blue Shadows - wasn't. He was right, it was Paridigam. Maryanne then pointed out that what I had thought was Ventricosa Aureo also was not. Now I'm looking at everything. I was wondering about a Royal Standard I'd gotten last year. The leaves didn't look like my other Royal Standard but then it was pretty new. Yesterday I looked at the flowers on my Royal Standard and on Honeybells - this new one is definately Honeybells.

HONEYBELLS (sold as Royal Standard) 1 year

PARADIGAM (sold as Blue Shadows) 3 years

GOLD CROWN (sold as Ventricosa Aureo) -16 Years!

ISLAND CHARM (sold as Little Sunspot) 5 years

? - I call it Sky (sold as Abiqua Drinking Gourd ) 7 years

Replacement and the right ABIQUA DRINKING GOURD

This last one I feel pretty dim witted about. I kept waiting for it to cup. I moved it two or three times thinking the leaves would eventually widen. When I finally got the correct plant last year, the very first leaf was cupped. I looked up which big blues the nursery I ordered from carried that year and it must be either Bressingham Blue or Big Mamma. Any ideas???

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Comments (16)

woodthrush
15 years ago
Why did you call it 'Sky'? Was there any other tag with it?
Just wondering because there is an Abiqua Big Sky.
Pam
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
royal standard is more vase shaped ....

not quite as pointed as yours ... more heart-shaped leaves.... as compared to the montana look of yours ...

but the right apple green color ...

soooo.. you did right ruling it out ...

ken
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upnort
15 years ago
wrong plant? Ive probably done that to all(a whole 4) the hostas that I got before I was biten by the hosta bug. Im still researching and changing their names. I never thought about the ones I buy having the wrong name tho! OUCH! oh well, on another train of thought, its only for my pleasure that they have names, nobody coming into my yard would know one from the other. but still...that is annoying to think about.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
ooppppsss

didnt answer your specific question ...

spent 10 years waiting for honeybells to put out a fragrant flower .... lol ... probably was hyacynthia ....

ken
playinmud
15 years ago
I have a Great Lakes Gold that I have been waiting for the rippled edge to appear. Its been 3 years and not a ruffle. It was a tc, so I think it was a dud. I call if unruffled.
greenthumbz4mn
15 years ago
I've been waiting 12 years for my September Sun to stop looking exactly like my Gold Standard! One of these years, one of them is going to get moved--or worse! Mary
dbowemd
15 years ago
I bought September Sun and Inniswood at a nursery at the same time, and waited years to see a difference. Well they are both September Sun. So then I bought another Inniswood.

I bought Janet, gave pieces to family and sister's friend whose name is Janet. Going on garden tours I got to see a lot of Janet hostas, wondering if mine was right. Then as it matured it was clearly not Janet, so I bought a real Janet. My first one is most likely Inniswood. I told my sister's friend but she still wants to call hers Janet lol.
I told her we will have to get her the real one one of these days.

This so confusing!

Dave
mctavish6
Original Author
15 years ago
I'm glad I'm not alone. It's weird to think how long you can look at something and try to turn it into what you are expecting.

Pam, the reason I called it Sky was because it was blue - not very original. I think it must be either Bressingham Blue or Big Momma since those are the only big blue's offered by that nursery that year. Until I know, I guess it will stay Sky.

Here's one more I forgot to put on. This was a new one last year labeled Sea Thunder. This spring it was fortunately near my Great Expectations. I had to recognize that they were exactly the same.

Great Expectations 1 year
maryann_____chgo
15 years ago
I always hesitate to tell anyone when hosta are mislabeled, like maybe they'd be upset or embarassed, and maybe it's bad manners on a public forum. OTOH we can't have our newbies picking up wrong information from the pictures posted. It's so easy for plant tags to get switched or lost at nurseries and even in our own gardens. On a recent visit Dr. Dave gave corrected names to lots of my hostas.

Also, Merle, do you think it's proper to point out nematode damage when someone posts such a plant? And should we alert someone whose hosta has reverting leaves, such as your over=head watered h. 'June'? My thought is many heads are better than one.
jel48
15 years ago
Mary Ann, if it were me, I'd want to know those things if someone noticed them. Hey, you posted in another thread, and mentioned that I didn't answer your last email. I just don't know what's wrong with me! Other then that I'm getting older and have been forgetful for years before I could even use that as an excuse! I meant to go back and check for your email then, and forgot. NOW I remembered because I got an email from someone else reminding me I hadn't replied to her last one either! Anyway, I've got yours in front of me now and I am finally going to answer it!
hosta_freak
15 years ago
When I first got into hostas,I bought a bag of hostas,labeled Albo picta. It took years before I realized that they wree actually Gold Standards. There were 12 in that bag,and all of them are still alive. That was in 2002. Many hostas later,I realize,that you rarely get bagged hostas with the real name,that's why I want to see what I am getting,by buying hostas in pots. I still have a few un-named hostas,but I can call them whatever I like. I also bought a bag of hostas a few years back,labeled Christmas Tree. I already had a Christmas Tree hosta,so I thought,why not? They turned out to be So Sweet,and they are all still alive,as well. No more bagged hostas for me! That's why I never order hostas online. It's like"a box of chocolates,you never mnow what you're gonna get!" I know Forest Gump said it,but it's true! Just a few thoughts. Phil
sheltieche
15 years ago
This is topic I have been thinking about...
if I can not easily identify this or that hosta, maybe it is not so special and does not deserve place in my garden...
am in need to be very selective as am gardening on suburban plot and grow great amount of shady plants...
am only in second year of serious acquisition of hostas so am sure will face this problem with hostas being not what they suppose to be...
mctavish6
Original Author
15 years ago
Maryanne, I agree with Jet. I want to know. My head is in the clouds enough. I would also want to know about the nematodes etc. I'm not sure if everyone would feel this way. I'd worry that new people might be just too discouraged.

I do know that my June is sporting. I intend to move it next year where it will be watered by drippers. It's one that really shows the spots (so do my windows).

Phil, if I didn't order mail order I truly would only have a dozen varities. I've also probably gotten an equal number of wrong plants locally and from mail order. If it's a plant I'm not familiar with and I see it for a good price locally, I'll buy it. Then when I look it up in books, on the internet or whatever, I compare my plant to what it is supose to be. That's what happened with "Sea Thunder" last year. I'd never seen one, or even heard of it. It seemed very pretty and held up well in the morning sun last year. If it hadn't been in a pot near Great Expectations this spring, I might never have figured it out. I wish I could see them first, but that's just not possible.

Myrle
aka_margo
15 years ago
Last year I bought a Blue Wedgwood and Salute on clearance at a local nursery. I realized this year when they started to bloom that they were the same plant, both Blue Wedgwood. The good news is...three years ago I bought a hosta even though it had no tag. Just something about it. I realized this year it was Salute.
caliloo
15 years ago
Hey McT - I do feel your pain. I had the most bizarre looking Gold Standard for several years until someone pointed out that it was Bright Lights. SHEESH!

However, on your Gold Crown... I think Gold Crown is the same plant as H. Fortunei Aureomarginata, just marketed under the Gold Crown name. Maybe you just thought it was v. aureomarginata and it was really f. aureomarginata which would make the Gold Crown name correct after all! LOL!

Alexa
hostasformez4
15 years ago
I bought 23 new hostas in 2005 which I marked with a sharpie. By 2006 most of the markers were faded and I'm still trying to find out the proper names of at least half of them!!! So many blues look similar. I have all the names recorded and hopefully next spring they will all have matured enough for me to really tag them. I tell myself I'm not getting any more until this mystery is solved and I hope I can stick to my resolution. LOL

My new taging system is so much better than the old one so this shouldn't happen to me again.

Connie

Mistakes...how long did it take you?

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woodthrush

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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