Pic of the Day--Undulatta albomarginata

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Jul 11, 2007 11:00 am

Hi All--This plant, with the long Latin name, is the one that most people call "the green and white one." It doesn't seem to get much respect but somehow ends up in almost every shade garden in the country. Undulata Albomarginata has many nice characteristics, including a willingness to perform under a variety of sun conditions and a good growth rate. However, it often looks a bit worn out by late summer. We have several in our garden. Our plants are usually a few inches larger than Zilis' listing of 44x18. UA appreciates slug protection.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jul 11, 2007 3:03 pm

Yep...good in a sprint,but not in a marathon kinda hosta.

I feel sorry for it because of the lack of respect.

Yours looks great, Hank.

Spider · Post by **Spider** » Jul 11, 2007 3:47 pm

That's the one I saw around every house in MN. I like it.

What color flower?

MollyD · Post by **MollyD** » Jul 11, 2007 4:39 pm

lavender blooms

MollyD who lives surrounded by a multitude of them

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 11, 2007 5:51 pm

A lot of mine seem to be going to all green this year, or at least a couple of them have eyes that are all green. Should I pull those eyes out or wait to see what happens next year? I also took a leaf from these to the extension office, to have tested for HVX, which I was was sure they had about a month ago. Now, though, they're looking better and I wonder if it was just late spring freeze syndrome. I'm pretty much of a newbie at getting into hostas. These have been around my house for 20 years, and just the last couple of years I've started expanding my selection. This year I'm kind of going nuts for hosta - it is addicting! I'd love to put a prettier hosta in front, but there are so many of these that I hate to go to all of that work. Plus, I want to wait to see what the verdict is on HVX before I mess with them at all.
Thanks,
Nancy

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Jul 11, 2007 7:26 pm

Nancy--It sounds like your plants are sporting. That means the plant is mutating to a set of colored tissue. It happens one or two eyes at a time, and then may or may not stop producing any more sports. Most of the varieties in the trade came about as sports. You might want to dig up the clump so that you can clearly see where the eyes and their roots are located and then divide off the sported eyes. Replant them and you have a new plant with new colored foliage.

I haven't taken the time to look it up, but I think this is very common with Undulatta Univittata and then the all green sport is called Erromena.

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 11, 2007 9:54 pm

Thanks, Hank. Yes, I read about univitatta reverting to erromena, but it didn't say that albomarginata does it, too. But I figured that was possible, and was assuming that's what it was doing. Sporting sounds more interesting than reverting! I'll separate it and see what happens - it will be something different, anyway!
Thanks for your help.
Nancy

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Jul 11, 2007 10:29 pm

Nancy--I forgot to mention...you should wait until about September 1st before you divide off the sports. That gives them time to develop their own root system over the summer.

MollyD · Post by **MollyD** » Jul 11, 2007 11:04 pm

Nancy you mentioned that your plants had been with you for about 20 years? If so and if you haven't brought in any new hostas in the last ten years then I can't see how yours would have HVX.

MollyD

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 11, 2007 11:13 pm

Well, unfortunately, sometime within the past 5-7 years or so, I had a gap in the line and I bought one or two to fill in. And that's where I am seeing the suspicious leaves. So, I guess I will just wait to see what the extension office says. I hope I'm just being paranoid...
Thanks, Hank - I would probably have been out there this weekend digging them up!

jobranch · Post by **jobranch** » Jul 11, 2007 11:15 pm

I have a bunch of these and they make a very nice clump when mature, but mine also have changed color. They are mostly streaked and solid. But my large clumps still look good and they make a good background for my new hostas.

playinmud · Post by **playinmud** » Jul 11, 2007 11:31 pm

Nice pic Hank.

I have a clump under a rhodie next to the gate entering our back yard. A friend visited my mothyer and wanted to look at the gardens, so I gave her a tour. After looking at my meager 295 hostas, she spotted the hosta at the entrance and said, "Wow, now that's a beautiful hosta!" I couldn't believe it. I laughed to myself and offered to dig up a piece for her. Oh well, it is a great looking clump.

MollyD · Post by **MollyD** » Jul 12, 2007 6:45 am

I've read where it talkes about undulatas reverting to erromena but have never personally seen it. I'm looking at the places where you guys are reporting it's occurence and wondering if this change is tied in to local climates. I'm in zone 4b with summers generally under 100 max and winters as low as -20. Has anyone with a climate similar to mine seen this change in their undulatas?

MollyD

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 12, 2007 11:09 am

Molly,
I'm in a 4b - 5 zone. We have some odd little pockets of 4b surrounded by 5. I usually don't buy anything that's considered 5, just in case, unless it's something I'm swooning over. Our winters have been getting warmer, it seems, and drier. Darn ozone layer...
Yours is much nicer than any of mine, Hank.

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 12, 2007 11:10 pm

Well, I hope it's not hijacking this thread to say - I got the results for the HVX test back from the extension office. Positive for HVX. So, there goes the whole row.

Now I'm hoping one of my old ones in back doesn't have it, too, because I planted some new ones next to it before I knew about this stuff.

Darn.

MollyD · Post by **MollyD** » Jul 12, 2007 11:17 pm

Sure am sorry to hear that

MollyD

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 12, 2007 11:29 pm

I'm feeling quite morose *sigh*. I'm sure it will pass. Thanks for your sympathy, Molly.

Tigger · Post by **Tigger** » Jul 13, 2007 12:02 pm

When people around here tell me they like the look of this one, I nudge them toward Patriot, which will look good the whole season. Sorry to hear that the virus came in with your imports. You could easily salvage the ones on the ends of the row, couldn't you?

MollyD · Post by **MollyD** » Jul 13, 2007 1:04 pm

Adlesma was it on your undulatas or some newer ones?

MollyD

adlesma · Post by **adlesma** » Jul 13, 2007 2:00 pm

It was on my undulatas, looks like it is on the ones that I brought in a few years ago. I don't have any other hostas in the vicinity at all. These are only ones in my front yard. It looks like the older ones in the line are OK for now. Unfortunately, (again, before I knew any of this), I would use the same tool to trim the scapes on all of them. I was thinking of just leaving them all and being careful now, until the ones that have the virus die. Do you think that would be unsafe? I realize it might spread down the line, even if I am now being careful with tools. But I'm not sure they don't have it already anyway. I didn't send leaves from all of them, just the ones that looked suspicious.
Thanks,
Nancy