Hallson Gardens

With the heat we have been having most of my hosta are not setting seed. I went out and pollinated my streakys but have gotten no pods. Even my ventricosa that usually all the flowers pollinate is not looking good. The only hosta that is setting seed with no problem is a seedling that I named Tommy. Everything else only has one or two pods. I am very dissapointed about not getting seed from my streakys.

Hi Linda,

No, we aren't seeing any seed set around here either. It is just too hot and too dry for it. To get your streakers to set seed you can try to water more when they are flowering/being pollinated, and then keep them well watered until they get seed set, but there really is no substitution for some good natural rain and cooler weather out in the garden.

Some people cut and bring their scapes indoors and put them in sugar water just as they start to flower and have better luck getting seed set that way.

I'm so sorry you folks back east aren't seeing them. Just to hot for some here but I didn't get the flowers cut off so I have some!!

Very sparse seed set here, even on some of my old reliable ones. The early blooming hostas have quite a few more pods, but anything that's bloomed in this extended eat and drought has not do me well. Some that did begin to set pods have aborted.

My Komodo Dragon set a few pods and then the stalk died. Will wait for the pods to dry and break open to see if there is any seed there. The streakys arent setting seed even when I pollinate them. Right now I cant even find any pollen to use anymore. Hopefully with the rain we have been getting will help but between rains its in the 90's.

Finally getting a few pods to set on my Swoosh. My streaky Hyacinthina is setting a pod or two. I have found most of my hosta dont have much pollen except one. Bulletproof has lots of pollen and I think that is what Hyacinthina is bred with. Woohooo With a rainy and cloudly day today I didnt get as much pollen from Bulletproof but I think I got 3 flowers pollenated. Even if I dont get to grow them myself (I dont have good luck with it) maybe somebody else can. But I think I will try to grow atleast one pod of seed.

Glad to hear you're having some success at last. I have found pollen to be in short supply, too. Mvery little of the nice fluffy stuff. I was excited to find two pods of Designer Genes X Neptune. The temps are drastically cooler now, but I have my one yr old granddaughter coming Monday to stay for the week, ans its also our county fair week. Not going to be much garden time!!

Well the flowers are done on streaky H, she has set one pod. So far there are about 6 Swoosh. I see very little seed on the other hosta. Maybe 1-3 set per clump and alot of them are done and no seed set. I do have one more streaky plant that hasnt sent up flowers yet and no idea what it is. I put some pollen in the freezer and if it does will try to pollenate with that. It is so strange not to see pods on plants that are usually covered with them. Next year I am going to save some pollen from the plants that have set alot of seed this year to use on my later flowering streakies. Will be interesting to see what happens with that.

With the cooler weather and 3 days of rain we've had I think things will start to look better for hybridizing this coming week. I have a red legged seedling that I want to work on some more and it is in full bloom right now so it will get as much pollen from everything I can find to work on it. In the past it set pods really well because it is in an area that we focus water to all the time.

Good luck with yours Linda