Is this Gold Standard sick?
7 years ago
This Gold Standard is on the sw corner of my porch. It's in heavy shade till about noon, 2 hours of sun around noon, and dappled the rest of the day. The sun shines on its right side, as seen in the pic. But now I'm worried it's HVX.
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Comments (11)
4 years ago
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
New 'Accidental' Mutant Sport of Gold Standard
Comments (22)Well folks, NOT ALL Gold Standard that are mottled are HVX diseased. Get to know the difference, as Ken and others have explained. And some one should explain the background history that the Dutch plant growers years ago found they had HVX infected soil but continued to send all their field grown Gold Standard around the world, due to the tremendous demand for it. Those diseased plants continue to find their way into our nurseries - it hurts to see them in nurseries everywhere I go, and more cultivars now than just Gold Standard. Early Gold Standard clumps in my mother's garden showed color changes which we concluded were just "unstable" Gold Standard: at an Indianapolis AHS Natinal Convention back in the 1980's there were probably 20-30 gorgeous Gold Standard clumps of all different colored and mottled leaves. Some of those plants probably came from Marge Soules, who would have received them from Mom. She and Marge discusssed the possibilities they wree diseased, but in fact the weaker ones always died out from poor genetics: HXV is plainly different. Note the recent American Hosta Journal article on the genetic mutations from Gold Standard (Moonlight, Richland Gold, Someting Different, Brenda's Beauty, Striptease, etc). Hope that helps. I agree with and recommend you throw away any Hosta with HVX - sterilize the soil area, not grow hosta in its spot for a couple of years. Coral Bells, Forget-me-nots, corydalis, European ginger etc. should grow well. Bruce Banyai...See MoreSomething wrong with my Gold Standard??
Comments (42)I was doing a little more reading up on HVX and found the 2007 update from hosta library. I will be posting the link for the full article. Here is a quote to the home gardener: Hosta Virus X - Fall 2007 Update by Bill Meyer "GARDENER ALERT!!! This summer I think it is time to declare a moratorium on cutting flower scapes or cutting off hail- or frost-damaged foliage. These practices are just too risky in times like these. Hosta gardeners around the world must now accept the possibility that they may have an infected plant or two in their collection. There are just too many infected plants out there to feel very safe about it. I think we should all stop these and other sap spreading practices for a period of three years while we wait and check to see if any plants are showing HVX symptoms. This could make the difference between tossing a plant or two and ruining half of our collections. If you must cut hostas, you can do it safely by cleaning your tools after each plant. Use bleach or ammonia and clean them thoroughly." I would hope that you who choose to keep infected hosta document their growth and take pictures of them every month or so from one season to the next and create a post here documenting the progression, possible improvements, or disappearance of symptoms as these hosta mature. I think it would be a fantastic learning experience for all of us if you are willing to share your findings. As far as I have been able to tell so far there has been no documentation of hosta that have been allowed to continue with the disease. All are encouraged to discard infected plants. The possibility of crossing over to other species of plants exists as well. If the hosta are given a chance to grow and develop a resistance/immunity to the virus we may never know if someone does not document the progress of the virus within their own gardens. Here is a link that might be useful: 2007 HVX Update from HL...See MoreInjured Juvie Gold Finch or sick bird??
Comments (2)Hi Lisa, I really know nothing about bird illness. The only thing I could think of was the relatively sudden change of air temperature (it's been the same here in Massachusetts - unseasonably COLD - but I bet it's even colder where you are). I did read that sudden changes in air temperature can affect birds' energy levels (a study done in Scotland). But I don't know whether the way your bird looks could be explained by something like that. Our birds here are still pretty lively and doing the usual things. Is the bird eating or drinking? Is it losing feathers? I wish that I could be more helpful. Would the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site have information? They seem to be a good place to refer to. Best of luck, I know you care so much about the birds....See MoreMature Gold Standard without blooms
Comments (14)Bruce- Nice planting and a very nice, classic cultivar (I know you have some deep connection with this one!). I don't have input as to why they did not form scapes this year. Many of my Hosta skipped a year or two or three here in NJ as we had had terrible droughts for mutliple years but that was/is not the case this year (cool and rainy......polar opposite of last year!). My Hosta are blooming well this year (those that survived.....several died off the last couple years in the heat and prolonged/repeated drought). I did want to add that 'Gold Standard' is one of the cultivars that got me "into" Hostas. It was the first I bought that was not a standard undulata or sieboldiana. I liked it because it had a nice contrast of light green and dark green, not the white/green I usually saw at that time. This was bought from Clifford Tine in NJ. Later Cliff Russell and his wife further nurtured my love for Hosta. I gained and lost several Hosta but still have a division of my early 'Gold Standard' (the parent plant still resides at my parents place in Pa.)....See More- 4 years ago
4 years ago- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
4 years ago
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
4 years agoGOLD STANDARD hosta is quite possibly the most appropriate named hosta of ALL time.
Gold Standard hosta is a gold standard of hostas.
- 4 years ago
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