The plant looks nice, and the name sounds like an old black and white western... ;)

looks too blue for YR ... but it might just be a camera trick based on the cloudy day ...

ken

Yellow River is the hosta that got me inspired about hostas. It was probably a dozen years ago when I was thinking hostas might be good for all the shade in the yard. So I visited Savory's and saw this beautiful monster named Yellow River.

It does look quite blue, I like it.

This is my YR, taken this morning.

Here's a new pic from today - no clouds!

i still dont think YR has the cleandon streaking.. the third color.. usually grey ..

but the library.. doesnt vouch for me on that ... lol.. what do i know ...

do you know.. for a fact.. that this came labeled as such???

ken

does your look like mine??? == how it used to look????

Esox, I got my order from Savory this Thursday I think it was. I did not have Yellow River, just Yellow Emperor. It might grow up to be a monster too. Love the hosta I get from Savory. Your Yellow River looks great.

Yep, I'm sure this is YR. I am taking these pics with my iPhone. The color looks much richer during the day, obviously. I just went outside and took this shot and there's not much light left. The yellow margins will fade to a creamy white as the season progresses. Mine doesn't look as large as yours, but then, I'm in NC and you are in MI, LOL. Plus, don't forget mine have been neglected for a considerable amount of time. Maybe the entire leaf coloring mellows out?

This post was edited by lavendargrrl on Sun, May 18, 14 at 22:31

mine has a leaf shape.. that is longer than wide ... and come to a sharp point ...

yours borders on near the same in each direction ... and looks like a shovel head rather than sharp .... age might matter.. the hosta .. not yours .. lol ...

its something about how my leaves come to a sharp point... and yours doesnt ...

i do not know the answer.. i am kinda surprised the library pix seem to show two different plants... and i wonder if pollack ever discussed two different plants??? .. zillis ought to have noted it also ....

i am trying ... to teach you.. all of you ... to look critically at each plant.. rather than just focusing on color patterns ...

color varies thru the season.. leaf shape should not .. once unfurled ... your leaves look very different.. than mine..

ken

Hi Ken, the leaf I posted last night is not the norm on my plant. If you look at the other photos I posted earlier in this thread, you will see that the other leaves DO look like your leaf shape - at least to me they do. Of course, I haven't got as much experience as some of you on this forum. I agree with you that there appears to be varying leaf shapes in the YR photos on the Hosta Library, as well as some variation in color. Wouldn't it be safe to say that color could vary considerably based on the amount of light/direct sun a plant gets?

Here is a Yellow River that is somewhere in between Ken's very mature plant and a brand new one. I've had this for well over 5 years. The Montana's grow - s...l....o....w...l...y - for me. I think Lavander Girls plant is a Yellow River but Old Dirt's looks like it might be So Sweet.

Ken, I get what you are saying. Leaf shape should not vary once it is revealed.

The lesson is noted, and appreciated as well.

I just love that hosta. Now the list grows again. Just a beautiful looking hosta

OK, now I am totally confused. I've had this YR(?) since 2008, was purchased at a local nursery and was labeled Yellow River. I never had reason to question it before now. As mctavish says, it does resemble So Sweet. The Hosta Library says SS is a samll/med and mine is already close to 3' across and will add at least another foot. I don't recall how or when it blooms but should be fragrant by HL. It has retained this yellow all year in the past, possibly because it is in mostly shade. I did move it last fall so I'll be watching it for flower color and fragrance.

As Ken pointed out HL seems to list two different plants for Yellow River. Even has one claiming white flowers and one lavendar.

So any more suggestions other wait and see?

Just for Ken, the green color is spelled celadon. I see additional leaf colors as the summer goes on.....so the celadon color may show later in the season.....I took a bunch of leaf pics later one summer and was amazed at the number of colors.

Here's a pic of Carnival in late August.

Paul

Phil, the closeup of your Carnival leaf is awesome. I've never thought much of Carnival, but then I had not looked at YOUR plant. GREAT looking. I cannot count the number of colors.

carnival.. is actually where i learned about cleandon streaking ... one of my absolute all time faves.. in fact.. i better go see if any is left to pot up and save .. wish me luck ...

its actually a pottery term ... when one color overlays another ...

in hosta.. i think.. there are only two cell layers .. and when green overlays yellow.. or vice versa.. you get the third color grey ...

and i seem to recall.. just last week.. i asked on some post.. about how unique some sport was.. that had a third color ... with only two layers.. you cant have the third color.. other than grey.. which one might jump to the conclusion.. that it wont hold and regress .. the theorem that hosta are unstable... so why cut it out???

and you will never get me to spell it another way .. lol ..

dirt.. your are old.. by your own admission.. i cant unconfuse you.. lol ...

but i can give you my observations .. and let you work from there ... [ in the conifer world.. i learned NEVER to rely on plant tags in a nursery ...]

moc.. noted .. congrats ... but leaf shape CAN vary ... until maturity ... but round aint gunna turn into pointed.. regardless of the age ... from the moment a seedling emerges.. you ought to have a flavor of what it will be .. someday ... and the longer you look at them.. and really look at them.. the more you will appreciate.. the base differences ... [i had week old seedlings.. that were wavy ... barely.. but it could be seen ... pointed.. some puckering.. etc ... its all there... subtle as it might be ... if you take the time to look ... in fact.. start a post with two yellows you think look the same.. and lets see if we can spot the differences .... like that puzzle in the highlight mag .. lol .. ]

when i started dating my bookworm, draw the shade.. turn on the light.. future wife.. we were sitting in MY garden ... and i said.. how many colors of green do you see.. she said one. ... and then i pointed out a couple dozen greens around the yard... she came to start to appreciate the subtleties of color ... look close peeps ... its all so mysterious .... in fact.. look above.. can you see .. now .. why they arent the same...

did anyone check the zillis book ...

ken

Ken, when you said, "but round aint gunna turn into pointed.. regardless of the age ... from the moment a seedling emerges.. you ought to have a flavor of what it will be .. someday ... and the longer you look at them.. and really look at them.. the more you will appreciate.. the base differences ..."

I totally agree. I get it. THAT part of it I understand. It is true of hosta, and it is true of human beings. In a previous life when I was a librarian, I watched the young kids come to the children's library. I watched them grow up, and then become young adults and so on. The ones who whined and threw fits as kids, or were sneaky little liars, or were bullies, that is the kind of adult they became. Not very scientific, but it is predictive. It is no stretch to see it true of hosta, in their own realm.

EDIT....I meant to add.....Celadon streaking with Carnival? That means I have it on my list probably for this year....before I forget what I'm supposed to learn from it. My thoughts get distracted with so much to learn.

This post was edited by moccasinlanding on Tue, May 20, 14 at 10:29

Old Dirt, The thing I noticed about your plant that made me think it is So Sweet not Yellow River is the veins and the color. The veins on Yellow River are straight and close together and deep. The veins on So Sweet are wider, not as deep and don't jump out at you so much. So Sweet is also shinier and a lighter green. How has your plant grown. My So Sweet is much larger than a small medium and grows very fast. The Yellow River has been very slow like all the Montana's have been for me.

I'm with Ken on Carnival, it's one of my favorites and in a place of prominence. The cushy, cupped down look reminds me of a pillow.