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'Katherine Lewis' and 'Paradise Joyce'

Pieter zone 7/8 B.C.

12 years ago

I've had KL for since 2007 and ended up with a small PJ division last year. It wasn't until I saw a new shoot developing on PJ a few weeks ago that it dawned on me how similar it is to KL. Given they both are members of the 'Halcyon' family tree that is not surprising. Late July I had taken a number of KL divisions and made a mental note to self to grow PJ and a similar sized KL division side-by-side to watch them more closely for comparison purposes. Ahead of that happening I thought I'd take these two and have a look to see what sort of differences I could spot.

Here is 'Paradise Joyce' on the left and 'Katherine Lewis' on the right. I don't think we'll notice much difference at all next year when viewing these from above next year during the course of the growing season.

The difference between them would appear to be visible however on the lower portion of the petioles. KL shows a blush of maroon, PJ has none.

I'll try to remember to update this posting over the course of next year's growing season.

Pieter

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Comments (8)

idiothe
12 years ago
These two (and Olympic Sunrise) share another quality. I've often looked at them as their coloring was developing through the spring and early to mid-summer. Their coloring is often kind of speckled which can give the impression they may be virused. I've got a couple Paradise Joyce that have been accused of being HVX by knowlegeable hosta people - to the degree that I actually got out a test strip and tested one in front of the "expert" to prove it was not virus - just the coloring pattern it shows every year.
Pieter zone 7/8 B.C.
Original Author
12 years ago
It would be interesting to see pictures of that phenom. None of the pictures I took this year of both varieties show anything untoward over the course of the season.

Pieter
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Steve, yes, the big blue one is flowering right now. The other one comes up green...but then I guess most of the blue hostas technically come up green too before taking on the blue hue.. Hm. It does have a waxy look and I just know the variegation is not immediately apparent in early Spring. So it sounds like it might be Paradise Joyce...if the variegation on Katherine Lewis is apparent as it unfurls?
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Your KL is pretty and it's a really nice size for a first year hosta. If the edge stayed more blue than green, then it would really catch my eye. But whoever wrote that it's a "remarkable improvement over June" is setting up some big expectations. Seems like a lot of pressure for any hosta to try and live up to. :-)
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Donna....Paradise Joyce and Katherine Lewis are both Halcyon sports so they should be somewhat similar. Mine gets a good deal of sun also.....this is it earlier in the season ....love your Katherine Lewis by the way. It's on my list. dhaven....thanks for the comment on Stag's Leap. I know it's hard to get and stunning when mature...doing my best to nurse it along.....and LPP has been pretty steady so far. windy....SB is definitely a large and grows pretty quickly...a pretty one! Jo...Stained Glass loves the location...always shines mikgag...would love to see your SL Thanks everyone for the supportive comments....great group we have!!
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Your Guardian Angel is lovely as are all your other hostas. I have a young Paradise Joyce. I hope it will look like yours one day, but I don't have a lot of sun, so we'll have to wait and see.
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idiothe
12 years ago
What triggered that comment was just a hint of what I'm talking about in the right hand leaf in your third picture... of course, these are highly bleached by the sun, but that looks like a newer leaf and the color is a little "misty" maybe? Frustrating - I can't put my mouse on a pic to illustrate... next year, I guess!
hostaholic2 z 4, MN
12 years ago
I tested my PJ three years in a row because of that coloration and finally just accepted that it is just the color pattern. Sorry, I don't have a pic either.
cherokeewo
12 years ago
May I ask what you are using to test?
Pieter zone 7/8 B.C.
Original Author
11 years ago
First update for 2012. I have one of each of these cultivars growing side-by-side, so there will be no wondering if it's a location issue, 'Paradise Joyce' is on the left.

One of the differences noted last year was the petioles. This one here is 'Paradise Joyce' and it shows a bit more blush than last year, but still is much lighter in that regard than 'Katherine Lewis'. Also note the difference in the colour of the cataphylls between the two.

And these are the 'Katherine Lewis' pets.

Pieter
caliloo
11 years ago
They are VERY similar! I did the same experiment a few years ago. Here are mine now:

Paradise Joyce

Katherine Lewis
Pieter zone 7/8 B.C.
Original Author
11 years ago
Here we are almost a year since the original posting and I have this year's update. By this time of year it looks as if the 'Katherine Lewis' has a lighter, more green edge whereas 'Paradise Joyce's edge stays more on the blue side and both are showing a tendency towards a slight green haze in the center variegation. These two pots have been side-by-side through the past year, so differences in light exposure are not a factor.

Pieter

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