Well, our winter has been fairly dry and very cold, so I don't think i've lost any. The squirrels keep knocking over my Cathedral Windows, so it may not be very nice. BUT, I have a new one on order. I don't know if it was just a bad specimen, it doesn't do well here or it was damaged somehow. I've had it since 2009 and it's never gotten big. I'm not sure I want another Orange Marmalade. It's beautiful for a month in the spring, then average for a couple of months and turns to carp for me by July 1. Paul's Glory stayed pretty all season. It's the first year, but I'm impressed. I'm also not buying any more blues (if I can restrain myself). They aren't blue here anyway. My Elegans looked terrible. Part of the wax melted, but not all and it just looked mottled and ugly. That's the only one thats ever done that, though. Blues are usually just green. Marmalade on Toast.....Hmmm. I'll try it. I already have it, so why not? Thanks everyone for the info. bk

I fully believe you are right, Ken. What we call a sport could very well be nothing more than a regressive gene popping out every once in a while. I have a cousin who had red hair; not too unusual for someone of strong Irish heritage. But no one else in the family has red hair. Was Charles a "sport" or was he showing a regressive gene? I am more inclined to believe sports are created by regressive genes that could be in either parent plant. It may have been introduced 500 years ago! Does it make a difference? I don't see where it would. If it is so rare it seems "new" and you like it - nourish it. Our little treasures are so genetically corrupted it isn't like we are saving an endangered species. So you have H. plantaginea growing in your garden. How are you going to protect against cross-pollination, thereby preserving a species? We can't grow our hostas in individual bubbles, can we? That's just my viewpoint. Les

Dr Gil Jones had a very vigorous breeding program going when I visited him in Michigan where he lived on Warwick St or the Warwick neighborhood, which is where the Warwick comes from. He was one of Herb Benedicts favorite people and breeders. When Herb gave me a hosta H.ÂGil Jones he called the plant one of his favorites. When I last talked to Dr Gil he was moving to NC, SC donÂt remember which to be near his grandchildren. Back to his breeding program, because Herb gave him so many plants before the rest of the world had them I expected a lot of plants from his program. What I expected doesnÂt mean anything but he is an interesting man with some nice plants. In fact in breeding to produce even one plant as nice as H."Warwick Comet is a grand accomplishment. I haven't created much hosta history but I have been there to witness some of it.

one of the base issues with TC ...... back in the olden days.. if you had OS stock ... it was presumably cut off gold regal ... and since all Originators Stock came from that one cutting .... we could presume it was GR .... but now that TCers name every freakin derivation on the theme.. and then name them.. who the heck knows.. basically.. the bottom line... its not worth the money for the tests ... to do anything but guess ...' if i were you.. and presuming you arent going to register it .. and sell it... i would just call it GR .... unless as noted.. over the years.. it seems to be something else .... but not the hosta named something else ... lol ... why not call it lanalinda gold??? ken