a big blue.. lol

it is VERY HARD to ID big blues.. especially before they are fully unfurled ...

but the crinkling there.. bothers me..

are you aware of HVX ?? .. can you ID such???

ken

The first one looks like a virus infected Big Daddy. The second might be Gold Standard, but the first one is unfortunately diseased and should be thrown out in the trash. Google Hosta Virus X for more info.

The second one is Gold Standard. The first one I'm not sure of. It is a Sieboldiana type but it's not Elegans. Too rugose for Elegans. It's a gorgeous blue. Can you tell us what the size is? When it flowers and what they look like?

Steve

thank you steve! ....and NO, the blue one doesn't have a virus, it's the lighting I believe. I will check back later this summer when they get larger and flower so I can provide info.

Garden lady,

I'm a novice hosta grower. I don't have that many plants, and only a couple for more than 3 or 4 years. I would not lightly dismiss what Chris says. If Chris says it looks like hosta virus X, I'd at least test it. He knows more about the disease than most. The test strips are $32.50 for 5 at https://orders.agdia.com/InventoryD.asp?attribute_Size=5&collection=ISK+16600&loc=IN. There are photos at the hostalibrary and more info at http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/HVX.htm.

I hope Chris is wrong.

bkay

Garden lady,

I thought the light was causing that change in color also. Can you take another picture of this plant on a cloudy day? A close up of a single leaf should be enough for us to tell for sure about virus. Chris is usually right, but the light may be playing games with this picture.

BTW, it probably is Big Daddy.

Steve

The second one is a little confusing as it has both heart shaped leaves and the more strap shaped leaves. I think it looks more like Paradigm. The colors look more like Paradigm, too.

bkay

My smushed Paradigm. It doesn't really show the leaf shape well, but they are more heart shaped.

{{gwi:967666}}

My gold standard has more strap shaped leaves.
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Here are some pictures that will hopefully help for you to see the HVX symptoms. I'm afraid they are very obvious in your picture.

First, this is Niagara Falls with HVX:

Here is Phantom with HVX:

And here are some closeup pictures on your hosta:

Hopefully that helps so you can see what we are seeing.

Chris

Chris,

I can identify ink bleed and usually collapsing tissue. I can see it in the Niagra Falls because I know what that Hosta looks like at maturity. I can even see the tissue collapse in the Phantom.

I had to blow this one up to see it. Is this part of the collapsed tissue that you see?
{{gwi:967677}}

Steve

de nile is not a river near your hosta garden.. the blue one is virused ...

and i dont think the other is gold standard.. wrong leaf shape.. but it would help to wait a few more weeks for it to assume its proper clump shape ... the leaves are too cordate.. or heart shaped.. GS is more longer than wider ... its that very pointy tip that is key for me ...

its one of the gold centered ones in late summer.. paradigm is a good guess .. but there are many other versions ... of which.. i dont recall since mine are barely 3 inches out of the ground.. sept sun? ... etc ...

ken

Steve, it isn't the collapsed tissue look, it is all the strange wrinkles that follow the veins all up and down the leaves. Just about all the leaves are showing it, and I'm not talking about the corrugation. I tried to show it in the smaller pictures I posted, but in your picture it is the bottom leaf and the one that hasn't unfurled yet that show it the most.

I agree it does appear to be HVX but would wait until it is fully leafed out as hostas often have odd quirks to the foliage as they unfurl in the spring. The tell tale sign I'm also seeing are the large sunken areas on a couple of the leaves but again I'd wait a few more weeks until fully leafed out. Just my opinion but I'm not an expert.

Scott

Does anyone think that Paradigm is not correctly labeled? Sure doesn't look like Paradigm to me. Anyway, I would agree that the blue is definitely HVX. Even from the small photos, it looks text book.

Sorry :-(

Alexa

OK, I see what you are talking about Chris. It's those irregular bumps that go along a vein. Unlike the fairly regular rugosity you would expect to see.

Here's a Big Daddy from a display garden in Carlisle, MA

Steve