I haven't experienced this before, Jon. But my guess is that it was cold damage, but that the damage was slight. In other words not all of the cells in the leaf were damaged allowing it to recover. Are you certain there was no damage at all? Very nice plant, BTW.

Steve

I can't see any damage at all, Steve. The condition was more pronounced on the larger leaves and only on the one side. I thought cold may make sense with the larger leaves exposed to more freezes and the affected edge matching up with the unfolding edge.

I have looked all around and don't find a hint of anything left from whatever caused it. I appreciate your looking at it with your expertise. I'll just have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't re-occur.

Thanks,

Jon

Yours is staying nice and white in the middle. Beautiful!

I am getting more green in mine, probably because I moved it out of the western sun a week or so ago. I wanted to avoid the white burnout of the middle. Yours must be a lot older than mine, which arrived last October from Wade Gatton, field dug I think.

Jon did you notice if the leaves unfurled with the damage or if it came later on? I was thinking along the lines of a slightly bruised pip from which it was able to recover. Otherwise, a light frost while unfurling could explain it.

tj

One of my h. 'Night Before Xmas' looks like yours, it appeared rather suddenly. I tested it yesterday with Agdia HVX test strips and it tested positive having HVX, had 2 stripes on the test strip. The hosta 'Summer Breeze' across the path of NBC also has a few leaves looking like this and also tested positive for HVX. Both had nothing of this the last years and I did not touch them last year and this year, did not clip them with tools.

The note on the Agdia test kit says that hostas can show without symptoms for years but may have HVX. 2 years ago I had a h. 'St.Paul' with blotches, last year and this spring nothing. Last year I had 2 hostas with HVX in a different area. So who knows, I bet I have more 'sleeping' HVX plants. Perhaps the OP should test that plant and make sure. Perhaps when I am bored I should test that good looking 'St.Paul' and get shocked.

Since 1987 I never had HVX on my hostas. Then in 2009 and 2010 when I bought 150 new ones I must have bought some hostas with HVX and spread it carelessly in 2011, until I wised up in 2012, and now it lurks and a few will pop up every year.
Bernd

This post was edited by berndnyz5 on Thu, Jun 13, 13 at 18:36

tj,

I didn't notice it at all until someone asked if it was a tri-color when I posted a picture of it and added a close up about a week ago. I didn't step on this one so I think trauma is unlikely. There were plenty of very late freezes so that seems to be the number one suspicion.

Bernd,

I have no experience with any plants having HVX, but I have never seen any pictures or description where it appears only in one specific area of each leaf. Since HVX spreads throughout the hosta system I wouldn't think it would affect only one area on each leaf. I don't know, but can HVX go into remission and the plant have no signs at all after an infection in dozens of leaves?

I really don't think it is HVX, but I will definitely keep a close eye on it. If it reappears, then frost / freeze would be eliminated and the Roundup would be ready. Right now frost seems like the most likely suspect.

Jon

mocc...
Are you certain of the ID on your "NBC"?
Even when mine was young, the leaves weren't that elongated.

My young NBC plant has extremely elongated leaves, too. Can't wait for it to grow up.

Jon, be careful to use the same spade, shovel, clipper, knife, on only one hosta, then give those a bleach bath. Those new people here who buy just now a lot of hostas might have one plant with HVX which does not show yet, but perhaps next year. Sharing tools without cleaning could bring them trouble lateron.

I looked around today, and noticed in the same area I see one leaf each on other plants which has the same bleed as discovered on the 2 HVX plants, perhaps only in a 3 sq inch area. I think I have a game changer here in my garden. I do not know where those signs come from, perhaps from rain or insects. It is a serious game changer.
Good luck!
Bernd