Hallson Gardens

For the past couple of years I've obtained some nice streaked seeds from the kind people here at this forum. Fortunately, I have about 5 streaked plants from last season in my garden and 4-5 good candidates in my closet this year. But other than growing your own, where are people getting streaked hosta?

Plus, call me cheap but I just can't stomach spending $200 on the Dorothy Benedict OS that is offered at the Hosta Library. Heck, I wouldn't spend $50 for a hosta unless I really had to have it.

Is my cheapness going to get in the way of my hybridizing aspirations?

No, it's not. Additionally, you won't be using the same cutting-edge parents as many other people, so I'm guessing your seedlings won't be look-alikes as well. Work with what you have. When you see something that you know is perfect for getting the genes in your pool that you really need, you will pay the price! Later on, you'll be able to trade a piece of your more costly hosta for a piece of a different one.

I agree, your cheapness will not get in the way at all. Some of my favorite hybrids are from simple parentage that you might not guess right away. If you have a couple of good streaked plants that are fertile and want to work on variegated offspring then experiment with different pollen donors to see what you get. If you find another good seedling with streaks that you like even more then give that a try too. To me, having some good breeding stock that is unique to yourself is a great way to get started. Many people use or have used Dorothy Benedict or its offspring so why not try something different

Solid colored plants with great architecture are also nice too - they don't all have to be streaked or variegated

My best seedlings are solid colors with neat shapes, flowers or colors. These are favorites for me when I can see the traits of both parents combined into a unique plant.
My best streaked breeder plants are from seed sent to me from friends on the forum.
I have bought or been given pieces of streaked breeders but they are not really better breeders than my seedlings.
I spent the first 3 or 4 years on solid colored plants because I did not want to spend the money, just like you.
The streakers are more fun to sprout and grow, because you get quicker satisfaction... that is you know early if the streaking is present.
But the solid ones develop character over the years and keep getting better. I am crossing these unique shapes with my streaked breeder plants now in hopes of keeping the shapes but picking up the variegation.

Now I am more into streaked plants but I am really glad I started in solid colors, because the temptation to only use the streaked ones is so great now, that I rarely cross two solids any more. What would have happened if I had streakers early? I would not have my Hypoleuca x Blue Arrow, my Manhattan x Plantaginea, my Stardust x One Man's Treasure, My Pee Dee Gold Flash x Nigrescens, my Cutting Edge x Touch of Class, My Cinnamon Sticks x Chinese Sunrise, my Stardust x Green Fountain... These crosses are from about 4-5 years ago.
The list goes on.

So, the bottom line is, just do it!