Patriot Sport

sandysoil_2008 6A Near Boston

9 years ago

I was checking out the hostas at a small nursery close to me and one of the Patriots was trying to get my attention. I took a closer look and it looked like it was sporting to me. So, of course, it had to come home with me.

The leaves are all marked differently. Is this an indication of instability? Will it come back next year with these markings or will it become a regular Patriot?

I'm thrilled to bits with my changeling Patriot!

Sheila

Comments (11)

Babka NorCal 9b
9 years ago
I would be thrilled too. Each leaf looks like a watercolor painting. Only time will tell. See what happens next year.

-Babka
timhensley
9 years ago
Great find!
hosta_freak
9 years ago
Definitely a sport! Streaked hostas are notoriously unstable,but lets hope yours comes back the same way. Great find,whatever happens! Phil
evermore_gw z 4/5 NB
9 years ago
Gorgeous. Patent it. Tell us how to get one. Hmm. Needs a name: maybe "Patrick Henry" (to continue the Patriot theme). I sure hope this one hangs on.

Steve
luuk
9 years ago
Absolutely fantastic, ...Sandys, good luck with your potential treasure!
donrawson
9 years ago
Nice plant...The streaked sport of Patriot (like yours) is more common than what you may think. I'm using one in my current hybridizing program and know a couple others are as well, Surprisingly, the streaked Patriot in my garden is setting seed much better than the stable version...and I'm not sure why...go figure
donrawson
9 years ago
Here's my streaked Patriot...
sandysoil_2008 6A Near Boston
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for all the compliments.

Steve, I was thinking "Plymouth Pilgrim" since I found it in Plymouth. Not really a patriotic or Revolutionary name but historic and in Massachusetts. Never thought about getting a patent on it until you mentioned it.

Don, your streaker is beautiful. How old is it? I'm a novice since I've only been into hostas for three years. So I know nothing about patents and creating new hostas. But I'm going to jump into the deep end of the pool and patent my streaker. And see how it develops next year.

Sheila
Babka NorCal 9b
9 years ago
You don't know for sure if that is from a tc bunch of Patriots or if it got in there from another batch of tc's. (Most likely it did and it was overlooked) You didn't do the tc-ing., so you cannot state that it is from Patriot.

Unless you grow it for a few years, how will you know if it is unlike other streaked Patriots? Plus it ain't cheap to get a patent. No one will wish to buy a streaked hosta that doesn't keep it's streaks and isn't fertile. Is yours?

Time will tell. Think this through.

-Babka
don_in_colorado
9 years ago
Very nice, Sheila! I hope it stays good and unstable for you.

Don B.
Kate1970
9 years ago
What a little stunner! Patrick Henry would be a wonderful name! Great eye, I would have picked that one up too! :)