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carmellia_gw

Flowers hidden under leaves

carmellia
10 years ago

I was given a very dark blue-green hosta several years ago. The leaves are thick and heavily ribbed. They have always grown very tightly together. I have always gotten a few beautiful white flowers each summer by July was was surprised to see none. I pulled the leaves back to see if the plant was dry and saw four blossoms trapped under the tightly bunched leaves. One had a stalk of less than two inches. Does anyone know what can cause this peculiar habit?

Comments (7)

  • thisismelissa
    10 years ago

    It's very likely you may have a hosta called 'Elegans'. It's known for short scapes. Just part of its DNA.

  • User
    10 years ago

    Could be the stem is just beginning to grow and in a week will be about as tall as the leaves.

    It is a good idea to keep mulch away from the bottom of the hosta because of insect damage to the plant. Or perhaps the flower stems could not break through the mulch, and began blooming. But, now that you have uncovered them, they should grow taller quickly.

  • Lee
    10 years ago

    I think its the weather, not sure where you are but we've been getting way too much rain almost everyday or other this year, and not enough sun to give them enough energy to send the stalk tall enough before its time to sending out flowers.

  • carmellia
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Melati, your mention of too much rain resonates here in southern Minnesota. We have been quite wet all the way through June. Some of the flower stalks had grown bent over from trying to punch their way through the tightly bunched foliage. The foliage of this particular hosta has always been more tightly bunched than any other hosta I have, but this is the first year that the leaves are holding together so tightly that the flower stalks cant get through them

  • dg
    10 years ago

    carmellia, I'm glad you brought this up. My Halcyon has similar issues as you can see by the pic below, taken Friday. Is yours like this?

    We also had a very wet and unseasonably cool spring and early summer. Sagae sent out flower stalks that arched out and bent way over.

    Deb

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    10 years ago

    Glad I'm not the only one with oddities...my Sagae flower scape grew bent forward too.., only one this year- but I DID move it this spring.

    I have a Sun Power in a pot because it looked weak this spring. Very slow going. I noticed a flower bud emerging and thought it looked a little odd. It must have opened yesterday or today. I had to touch it to make sure it was attached, it appeared to have no scape. After reading this post I went outside and brought it in to take pic. Here it is. There is a bit of a scape, but very little.

    Strange things have occurred this year, especially with flower scapes.

  • gogirlterri
    10 years ago

    I'd just purchased Northern Exposure this spring. It is a progeny of 'Elegans'. Ironically, I have just finished looking it up in the Hosta Library. It shows it's dimensions to be 66" across x 36" high, with 30 " scapes. Obviously the blooms are 6" lower than the peak of the plant.

    I can't attest to all, but all of the 'Elegans' related hosas I have, have very short scapes in relations to adult plant size. I feel that is what you are seeing in yours. So I feel it is hereditary. You have no need to worry. Don't go changing anything. You can't fix what ain't broke.

    Theresa