Orange Marmalade

After a visit to Ralph's Nursery in Carmel last Sunday - where we purchased an Orange Marmalade hosta - we divvied it up in usual fashion.



Here is how the surgery came out: six subdivisions.



We also repotted a few of the Ginko Craigs, just to see how they were doing in the woods.



Here is a closeup of how the hostas we set out to pasture a little over a month ago, have grown buds.

Day 3 of Hosta Divisions

We had purchased three more multi-node hostas, from various nurseries. White Christmas, Mauii Pineapple and Stained Glass. Today we did our usual procedure: Knocked as much dirt off the rootball as can carefully be done, and then gently hosed off the rest of the medium until all three hostas appeared bareroot before us, like so many babies ready for their diaper change.

Here they are, just out of their pots, obviously and gloriously root-bound. White Christmas to the left, Mauii Pineapple (with a healthy spire) and Stained Glass at right. With gentle hosing, all of the roots can be unwound without root loss, and you will see below the wonderfully healthy root balls each hosta has.







The dirt has been knocked off. Now it's time for the shower.

Next, follows the delicate wiggling, cutting, and gently pulling apart the individual nodes, with as many roots attached to each, as humanly possible.

Here they are, potted up, and placed in the woods: 10 White Christman, 5 Stained Glass, and 3 Mauii Pineapple. A total of 18 cultivars, from 3 mother plants - a reproduction ratio of 6:1

Day 2 - June 19, 2008

We repeated yesterday's experiment, except with a clump of diminutive Pandora's Box hostas, already in bloom. The end result was almost identical. We started with one nursery-bought hosta, at the end of the day we had 15 divisions. Interestingly, about a third of the nodes were variegated whereas the balance of the hosta was uniformly Prussian green.

Here they have all been set out to pasture, on a temporary bench in the woods, until I get my raised hosta bed built. A total of 32 hostas from TWO mother plants.

Day 1 - June 18, 2008

Today, I did my first hosta propagation experiment. Really quite simple, but nonetheless the first of many steps towards Hosta mastery.



And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". _{Genesis 9:1, 7}


And I did just that.

Earlier this week, I had bought a 1-gallon Ginko Craig hosta at Rosedale - one that I picked out because it seemed to have a lot of divisions. It is a smallish hosta, one best suited for borders or at the very front edge of a hosta bed. Pictures 1 and 2 show the undivided hosta.

I prepared some hosta medium: 1/2 compost, 1/2 spaghnum, with some lime and sand thrown in. Then I carefully knocked as much dirt off the root ball as I could - and from that point, I sprayed the clump until all the dirt was removed. (Picture 3)

Then , with a razor-sharp knife, I divided/gently twisted individual eyes off the clump, working from the outside towards the center.

Result: 16 individual hosta divisions. (Picture 4) Little Baby Ginko Craigs.

Here they are, (Picture 5) nicely tucked away in their individual containers. Now, they should be safekept in dappled sunlight, and watered/fertilized like the babies they are. We will bring you pictures of them in the future, say, on their 1 year birthday.