Does this look like Red Alert?

Talk about hostas, hostas, and more hostas! Companion plant topics should be posted in the Shade Garden forum.

Moderators: ViolaAnn, redcrx, Chris_W

New Topic Post Reply
User avatar
redcrx
Posts: 4872
Joined: Jun 23, 2008 4:39 pm
USDA Zone: 7
Location: Camden, New Jersey
Contact:

Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by redcrx »

When it came in (in late April) it was labeled Summer Fragrance. And it looked similar to a small Summer Fragrance. I was getting pictures the other day and noted the speckles in the leaf. My Summer Fragrance doesn't have spots and is a lot bigger now. I do have Red Alert and they look alike. Any opinion or suggestion of other options? Thanks.
Attachments
might be Red October 2010
might be Red October 2010
might be Red October 2010
might be Red October 2010
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
ImageMockingbird feeding juvenile yellow raisons - never leave home without them.
User avatar
Chris_W
Administrator
Posts: 8465
Joined: Oct 05, 2001 8:00 pm
USDA Zone: 9
Location: Co. Roscommon, Ireland
Contact:

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by Chris_W »

Hi Ed,

Yup, that does look like Red Alert. You may have gotten a better deal out of that mixup ;)
Image
User avatar
jgh
Posts: 5135
Joined: Oct 14, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Plymouth, Minnesota zone 4

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by jgh »

Good news, bad news...

Good News
I agree... looks like Red Alert... a plant with a lot of potential... the margined sport of Katsuragawa Beni. KB has been a reasonably good grower for me, attractive, with red up onto the leaf surface.

Bad news - I was talking to Hans Hansen today at the convention and mentioned the problems Walters had getting going with hostas in the Elle plugs and how a few cultivars had gotten pretty screwed up - Ken't Clovellly and Red Alert being my two best examples of it not working. (This was in the context of telling him how well most of the hostas from Walters were coming through this year in the Elle plugs...)

Bad news...
Hans says they are disappointed with Red Alert and removing it from the catalog...
User avatar
Chris_W
Administrator
Posts: 8465
Joined: Oct 05, 2001 8:00 pm
USDA Zone: 9
Location: Co. Roscommon, Ireland
Contact:

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by Chris_W »

Hmm, I wonder if they are just having too much trouble with Red Alert in TC? It seems to be a good grower overall for me.

And here is my addition:

Good News: Walters is no longer producing hosta liners in tiny elle plugs. That means future large sized Elle plugs won't have the double layer of paper, just one outer layer. I'm really liking this change, and hopefully that means better luck with their other larger sized plugs. Echinacea, Heuchera, and many other plants in the larger plugs have arrived with two layers of water holding paper and mostly rotten roots and crowns, forcing me to stop buying much of their larger plugs the past two seasons.
Image
eastwood2007
Posts: 3517
Joined: Jan 25, 2007 12:51 pm
Location: kansas, usa zone 5b

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by eastwood2007 »

Glad I got my Red Alert last year!

It seems to be a pretty good grower here, but had closed flowers last year. Very disappointing as the reason I bought it was for breeding. Nice looking plant though. Maybe since it is older this year, it will bloom...
Charla
Latitude 38.57N; Longitude -94.89W (Elev. 886 ft.)
User avatar
Chris_W
Administrator
Posts: 8465
Joined: Oct 05, 2001 8:00 pm
USDA Zone: 9
Location: Co. Roscommon, Ireland
Contact:

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by Chris_W »

Hi Charla,

I haven't had mine long enough to see them flower. Last year they were still too young. That would be a bit disappointing if they all have that trait...
Image
User avatar
Pieter
Posts: 874
Joined: May 16, 2006 9:18 am
Location: Richmond, BC @ 49°07'49.30 N Elevation: 8ft
Contact:

Re: Does this look like Red Alert?

Post by Pieter »

Chris, FWIW, it's NOT on Don Rawson's list of closed flowered Hostas. This year. 8-)

Having said that, I have a 'Venus' that never goes beyond buds. And it didn't make the list. Nor should it. My experience is simply a reflection of the environment the plant finds itself in. Things never get hot enough in my neck of the woods to get it flowering early enough before it goes into senescence. Could be the same situation with 'Red Alert'...
Pieter

"Never trust anyone who doesn't have dog hair on their clothes."

Pieter's Hosta List
New Topic Post Reply