Would like a streaked or unusual hosta. Something I don't already have. I like mini hosta and or XL ones.
HAVE: Small Empress WU
What is an Express WU, please?
Its a super large hosta.
Cathy
Kay -
It's not Express Wu, but Empress Wu. It's quite a find, I think. I just got one last year.
Here's a picture:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.naylorcreek.com/main/h_images/empresswu.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naylorcreek.com/main/ef.html&usg=__YNaoga2pnxVEhD2kDJQ88RfPPHw=&h=339&w=405&sz=47&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=OdkBDk4VxhOx0M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEmpress%2BWu%2Bhosta%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1
That is impressive!
Wow, that's really a cool plant. Do you have anything else you would want for it other than hostas? I only have 4 named hostas and the only big one is guacamole (I think that's the largest). the others are average size. I have named daylilys if you are interested.
drooling! But I don't know the scoop on my streakers right now... I'll have to check my future giants (none of my giants are more than about 5 years old, so they are still babies)
Sorry for the boo-boo. Thanks for answering so kindly!
You're welcome. I'm not sure of the origins of the name, but it's not what one would expect. :-)
Empress Wu was the only female Empress of China.
Empress Wu Zetian
Tang Dynasty China (625-705 AD)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Zetian
It is the largest hosta to date. I picked one up last year myself.
Cool info!
Wish I had a Hosta to offer but I'm lacking in shade plants. Story of my life. LOL
the link to that website, lists the hosta as being a tissue culture, of course it is sold out, so no worry right now. But for future reference I would find a better source.
I got mine from Naylor Creek last year, I think. Interesting information about Empress Wu, franknjim. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, it was the Naylor Creek site that listed them as tissue cultures.
I would be leery of buying tc plants.
A lot of the hosta being sold now start life as TC's. Originator Stock (OS), divisions from the original plant can be rare and very expensive. If we had to wait for the original plant to multiply so we could buy divisions, it might be years on a waiting list before we could buy a plant. TC producers are more diligent in testing for HVX.
And it is not just hosta that are reproduced in the TC process, echinacea, heuchera, ferns, and many other plants being sold now start out in a test tube.
I just know that daylilies are often tc for large box stores like Lowe's. The quality is not so good. I guess it depends on the variety a person wants, but none of the ones I have ordered are tc. I bought one from wm one year and it did awful and never grew. After 5 years of messing with it, I finally dug it out. I found a nursery and I will order one from there when I get to it. He doesn't sell any tc. Maybe tc are more common with newer varieties...
If not for TC a Siam Ruby banana would be $ 150. each but after two years they are down to $2.50 each.
From what I've seen and experienced, most of the foliage plants do well from tissue culture. Unfortunately that does not seem to be the case with flowering plants such as daylilies. I've yet to know anyone that has been happy with TC daylilies nor do they think they look or perform like their field grown cousins, as stated by Frillylilly.
I've spoken to quite a few Hosta sellers recently and TC is helping them avoid HVX which is why they are doing more and more of them, aside from being able to mass produce them as woodthrush said.
so is there any difference in the quality of a tc hosta vs a division?
I don't grow a ton of Hosta-maybe 30 different ones and they are mostly field grown. I've had some really small hosta come in from various places and many of them have not made it. I can't honestly say if the problem was the hosta being very very small or if it was because they were lab grown?? I do have quite a few Heuchera that were lab grown and they seem to be just fine and no noticeable difference and most of them have done very well.
And a lot depends on the TC lab. Shady Oaks, Walters Gardens, QandZ Nursery, Terra Nova, all tops and really quality plants. I have rec'd hosta from other labs that were very, very small - I mean they really looked like they wouldn't survive a week, and yet, they have come back and grown in our zone 4 winters.
And sorry, Cathy, we have completely hijacked your trade offer!