Pic of the Day--Thunderbolt

[Hank Zumach]

Hi All--Thunderbolt was added to our hosta collection in 2003. Over that time there has been some discussion about whether Thunderbolt and Dream Weaver are identical plants. Lemke shows them to be different varieties as does the Hostas Library. In our garden the two plants have only very minor differences. Does anyone know if it has been confirmed that the two are different? I raised this question a year ago and don't recall getting any information. By any name, the plant I purchased as Thunderbolt is a very attractive, very slow growing plant. Since 2003 it has measured 14x9, 16x8, 21x13, and 30x15. That puts it years away from reaching its registration size of 48x36. The plant is getting several hours of mid day sun. The photos are from 2003, 2005, and 2006.

[thehostagourmet]

Frank, I see no difference between the two. I think it's just a case of a plant sporting to what gives it a better chance to grow by having more chlorophyll. It can make the same "choice" in more than one location.

I had one of my potted 'Glory' Hostas decide it needed a green margin, so I relabeled it 'Old Glory' and left it at that.

George

[renaldo75]

Whether it ever gets to its registration size or not doesn't really matter, Hank - cuz yours is a beauty!!.

I got both Thunderbolt & Dream Weaver in 2003. I'm including a couple of pics from 2003 - DW is bigger by a division so looks a lot fuller. Then in 2005 Thunderbolt became a tiny TC sized plant. The next year there was no sign of it. My Dream Weaver on the other hand has done great. It was up to 3 large eyes last year & looked fantastic!! I'll stick with it.

I never could tell much difference between the 2 of them. If I remember correctly, Thunderbolt is a sport out of sieboldiana Elegans & Dream Weaver is a wide margined sport of Great Expectations. And then there's Dream Queen which I foolishly got in 2005. [I don't have to worry about it now though since it had crown problems & didn't come back last year.] It's another sport of Great Expectations that looks virtually identical to the other 2, but I think the center stays more yellow/cream.

[jgh]

As Reldon said, they are supposed to be sports from two different plants. But that begs the question - if two hostas cannot be told apart by looking at them... who cares?

I think the answer may be in the growth pattern. As we've seen with the white-edged sports from the Halcyon family, not all sports with the same coloration grow at the same rate.

Thunderbolt is a sport from Elegans... and like Elegans, it has been slow-slow-slow for me. On the other hand, every year it has such great character it makes me hang in there hoping for growth the next year. I started these from 2nd year tc in 2003. pics from 2003 and 2005.

[jgh]

Thunderbolt is slow. On the other hand, Dream Weaver is a sport from Great Expectations - which is slow. Still, catalog descriptions SAY it is faster than its parent.

My DW have been slow-slow-slow. As with T, it is so lovely that it makes it worth it.

Just to complicate matters, pictures of both of these in catalogs show them with narrower centers than the plants I've got... so the centers are narrower than traditional Great Expectations, but...

So, if you want to get rich with hostas, find a FAST-GROWING Elegans sport that has three different centers... wide, medium, and small... the elusive missing Great Expectations replacement and its narrower-centered siblings.

[eastwood2007]

I had the same experience with Thunderbolt, in that it shrank 2 years then didn't come back. The one I had, though, had much smoother and thicker leaves than the Dream Weaver I currently have. My Dream Weaver was one I got late last year that didn't get planted. I had about a dozen different ones that happened to. After they went dormant for about 2 months, I brought them into a cool spot in the greenhouse. Even then, Dream Weaver is just now leafing out...about 10-14 days behind the others. It looks good, though!

[thy]

Got both of them in 2003 and planted them 2 feet apart... and I first got problems last year Kathleen
The first years one of them cupped a bit up, the other a bit down... couldn't see any differnces last year

My DW is from Chris and have always even as one eyed been a bit bigger , somehow Chris always manage to do that, but then said some friends have a T wich have been growing extremly in their very sandy soil.. it is about 4 times the size of mine

Great pics both of you

Wasn't there someone who had a fast growing one .. wich one last year

[newtohosta-no more]

I'll chime in too. I have had Thunderbolt since.....hmmmm.....2003 , I think. I do love the hosta , but like many of you have said...it is slow, slow ,slow! I think last year mine still had one or two bigs eyes. (the same I bought it with) I don't have a pic from last year for some reason, but here's one from 2005. I just got DW last year and I'll be interested to see if I can detect any differences in appearance or growth rate.

[redcrx]

Registry - not registered

MyHostas - http://www.myhostas.be/db/hostas/Thunderbolt

Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/t/thunderbolt.html