Pic of the Day--Christmas Pageant

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Mar 26, 2007 11:13 am

Hi All--Christmas Pageant is another plant that I got in 2003. Like yesterday's plant, George Smith, it was placed in a spot that gets 3-4 hours of sun a day. Unlike yesterday's plant, Christmas Pageant has been getting bigger each year. In fact, it has performed just as I would hope all new hostas would. The plant showed nice growth in each of its four years in the garden and reached its expected mature size. Starting in 2003 it measured 9x5, 14x6, 22x8, and 33x15. That put it right in line with Lemke's listing of 36x20. Slugs have not bothered any of the plants in this part of our garden, probably as a result of a routine application of Deadline MP over several years.

Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... %20Pageant
MyHostas - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Christmas+Pageant
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/c/christmaspageant.html

The photos are from 2003, 2005, and 2006.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Mar 26, 2007 11:25 am

You can take me off the email list, Hank.

I can see all of your pics just fine now.

Christmas Pageant sure did mature quickly for you!! I looks real good in that 3rd pic.

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Mar 26, 2007 11:33 am

OK. For those who are wondering about the email list that Renaldo mentioned, in addition to posting the Pic of the Day here at Hallson's and at hostapix, I also have a private email list for people who prefer that. Most of them are not members of Hallson or hostapix. If, for some reason, anyone wants to be added to the private email list, just send me a private message and I'll add you.

MikeWI · Post by **MikeWI** » Mar 26, 2007 12:15 pm

Hey that's a nice lookin' hosta. Great to hear it's a good preformer too. Oddly enuff... it's one of my fav's.

barbara · Post by **barbara** » Mar 26, 2007 4:37 pm

I like this hosta. I think it will be super looking as a mature plant. Love the wide margins. This is mine from last year, before I gave it more space...the poor thing was competing for water amongst its friends.

jgh · Post by **jgh** » Mar 26, 2007 6:26 pm

A catalog describes it as "[M/L] (Pinterics) This wonderful sport of H. 'Christmas Tree ' has dark green leaves with a very wide yellow tocreamy-white margin - twice as wide as its parent. Vigorous grower with thick corrugated leaves and topped with pale lavender flowers in June."

For those of you who may not know... Pinterics first name is Mike... which explains the fondness expressed by a previous poster!

Some pics from the wholesale order 2003 - man it must have been exciting for Mike to see these! and in the ground in 2004 and 2005. Growing nicely, same as Hank's.

: 2005

: 2004

: 2003

thy · Post by **thy** » Mar 26, 2007 6:41 pm

This one really get better and better with age. Last year the color was deeper, the margins whiter and the corrugation exelent- Mike have done good

thy · Post by **thy** » Mar 26, 2007 6:42 pm

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Mar 26, 2007 7:41 pm

Mike--I might be the only person at Hallson's that didn't know this was your introduction.

However, now that the word is out even to me, you MUST gives us all the background on the plant. When did you find it, register, parentage, etc. I mean, what the heck, you should be able to fill up a couple of pages with information.

MikeWI · Post by **MikeWI** » Mar 26, 2007 9:51 pm

Geeze-a-lou.... where do i start....

This is 'the' hosta that pushed me over the edge in to the hosta obsession. First house I bought I had a row of 4 H. Christmas Tree infront of the house. The very first one in line... kept getting wider and wider margin's after 3 or so years, maybe 4.... and it drove me nuts... it didn't look right... through off the whole 'look'. I was ready to dig it out and toss it or at best move it off to exile somewhere else in the yard.... then I got to talkin' to some hosta folk and they said I had a hosta a sportin'. So then i had to figure out what the heck that meant... got online, checked into some forums..... and found out I had something kinda neat.

Then I divided it up and that was the first year of the hosta library and they held the first H. Library Auction. I donated a div... .and it did quite well. 2 top bidders were the Naylor guys and Carol Brasheer. Ended up getting a division to both. The guys at Naylor really liked it and asked if they could put it into TC. We put together a deal.... hosta from them for the right to use mine.... and the rest is history... looking back on that deal... I lost all but one of the hosta we traded for.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Mar 26, 2007 10:59 pm

story, Mike!! I never did know how Christmas Pageant came to be. I guess I thought you might have found it when you were out 'sport fishing'. Did you come up with the name for it?

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Mar 27, 2007 12:28 am

Cool story, Mike!

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Mar 27, 2007 4:58 am

Gosh..you learn something everyday! Great looking hosta!

wzbt03 · Post by **wzbt03** » Mar 27, 2007 5:49 am

A very interesting story on a very nice looking hosta.

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Mar 27, 2007 11:11 am

Thanks, Mike. I never knew how places like Naylor handled the monetary aspects of new plants. If the plants you got had all lived, would you have felt like you were adequately compensated?

MikeWI · Post by **MikeWI** » Mar 27, 2007 1:50 pm

I chose the name... had lots of help from those around me... not the best help i guess... as they were 'non plant people' most of whom thought i should name it after my self... kinda like discovering a star or some new disease. i wanted to stick with the lineage.... parent being Christmas Tree... wanted to follow down that path. I thought of things like Lights and Candy... but they didn't have enuff.... umph for me... kinda plain. Then I remembered the movie/play "The best Christmas Pageant ever".... thought that Pageant fit well... and how cool would it be to walk into a garden like Hank's or others and get to say..."that's the best Christmas Pageant ever!!!"

As to the compensation.... i thought it was fair... they had paid for the plant and could have done what ever they wanted with it. I was more concerned that they renamed it something else... took credit for it and introduced it on their own.... Not that I ever believe J&G have done anything like this but it was something that I thought was a possibility no matter whose hands it might have fallen into. I would have purchased the plants from somebody regardless.. prices were fair. Every time I see it in a catalog now and my name attached.... i'm happy enuff. Also with some pending registrations a'commin this year or next.... I think that having my name in the trade helps give me credibility in the plants that I develope.

All in all it's been a great experience.

greenguy · Post by **greenguy** » Mar 27, 2007 9:18 pm

very neat story for a cool hosta

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Mar 28, 2007 9:54 am

Great hosta, great story. Mike, whenever I look at my Christmas Pageant, I think of you!!! I wondered if you were thinking of that play when you named it. From there, my mind goes to a pageant we did at church when my kids were little. The biggest production we had ever done...and no one remembers a thing about it except that the pastor's 6-year old son was using his shepherd's crook to try to reel in an angel's halo. As they were on opposite sides of the platform, it was quite obvious, and it went on for about the last 5 minutes of the play.
I had to move mine last year, too. It was rather swallowed up by an overgrown hydrangea, so I moved it out to the front. I'm hoping for great things this year!
Linda P

playinmud · Post by **playinmud** » Mar 28, 2007 3:30 pm

What a great thread! How exciting to actually hear the story behind the hosta. Thanks for sharing it with us Mike, I really enjoyed hearing about it.

Now I'm going to have to add that to my list. It is a great looking plant.

LucyGoose · Post by **LucyGoose** » Mar 28, 2007 9:45 pm

What a nice story for sure!! I did not know that either! How cool!!

Hallson Gardens

Pic of the Day--Christmas Pageant

Pic of the Day--Christmas Pageant

Story