Up here in Ottawa, things are slowly popping. Well, the last couple of really hot days (30+C) will have an impact. Yesterday I still had a few that were just pips, including a few that were duplicates of hostas elsewhere in the garden which demonstrates how much impact their location has.

Anyway, I have a four year-old seedling from 'Christmas Pageant' that I had slated to go out to the Hort. Society plant sale. Then I took another look at it. I think this will be a large, upright, blue hosta. It's in a pot that is about 10" diameter.

Nice Ann! Maybe better keep that one
Happy to see that all my hostas have returned. Not all completely unfurled yet but getting close; definately see the difference in how far along the ones are that are in a more sunny position.

Looks like a keeper! Maybe I should quit tossing my volunteer seedlings...

Most of my seedlings are not volunteers, but I DO regularly sow OP seed. I have a few plants that I've kept and named and lots of others that I'm watching. Some of those that I've kept, I went back and forth on for several years before deciding. These are some of my seedlings.

'Amy's Choice' - from 'Korean Snow' in 2007. At one point it seemed to be a bit misty, but has settled into solid green. Really nothing special but I named it after a granddaughter. Recent photo from this year.


'Dancing With Leila' - a 2008 seedling from 'Last Dance' which is reverse variegation from the pod parent. Named after another granddaughter and with a nod to the fact it looks nearly identical to 'Dance With Me'. Photo from last July.


'Lovely Leila' - a 2006 seedling. Origin unknown as squirrels moved my markers around during its first winter. This is one that I went back and forth on before deciding to keep. It emerges with light, misty leaf centres and gradually darkens up during the season. Picture taken last week.


'Golden Nolan' - a 2006 seedling from 'September Sun'. Another that I've gone back and forth on and which was named only last year after a grandson. Photo from last week.


2009 seedling from 'Touch of Class' that I'm watching. Has reddish petioles too although they seemed more red in previous years.


2010 seedling from 'Deja Blu' - photo from last week. This is a nice blue hosta.


2012 seedling from 'Lemon Frost'. This is probably the tiniest hosta in my garden. Photo last week.


2013 seedling from 'Fire Island'


2013 seedling from 'Neat Splash'. Chris from Hallson's sent me some seeds. This one will be divided next week as the various eyes have different degrees of streakiness and margination. My hope is that one of the divisions will eventually be named after my third granddaughter and possibly another after the first granddaughter, Amy.


2013 seedling from 'Spilt Milk'. Still too early to tell for this year as the margin is developing. Last year it had a very narrow green margin. This year that margin MAY be wider on some of the leaves once it develops its final colour for the year.


2013 seedling from 'Touch of Class'. This one was a nice green with red petioles last season. This season, more and smaller eyes and it remains to be seen whether I like it as well.


A word of caution - if you plan to name a hosta after a family member, grow it for several years before you make a final decision because of the way they change from one year to the next, even as long as 5-6 years.

Ann,

Do you pollinate the plants or just gather seeds that are open pollinated? I have done winter sowing, but I have a lot coming up in my beds. I'm watching a nice yellow and a dark, shiny green that both have lance shaped leaves.

You say you have named these, does that mean you have registered them? And if not, doesn't that mean that those names could still be used by anyone?

My seeds are almost entirely OP. The only exceptions are a couple of plants I have that never seem to set seed unless I help them out, but the pollen generally comes from whichever plant in the garden actually has some when I need it. Now I guess I could keep track, but that's too much trouble.

As far as the names, no nothing is registered. I just give them garden names if I decide to keep them. So, yes someone could come along and use those names.

I'm finding that as my hosta garden matures there are more and more seedlings popping up each spring. I love this added surprise except the bunny is really interested in these new plants. My liquid fence bills keep rising so for now it keeps them from tasting the foliage hopefully until I can decide if they are worth keeping.