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| Hosta 'Ben Vernooij' 22 July 2021 |
Tetraploid plants are produced by treating the terminal buds of diploid plants with colchicine, causing the chromosome number of the meristematic cells inside to double.
The above is a definition that I do not understand fully. In the hosta family of plants where they may be at least 5000 cultivars (plants discovered, selected or played with in a nursery or garden). What I do know is that tetraploid hostas have leaves with more substance (hosta speak for thicker). The hosta in today’s blog is a tetraploid with a weird name, Hosta ‘Ben Vernooij’. This hosta is a sport of Hosta ‘First Frost’. A sport is usually found in a group of plants that are the same, in this case H. ‘First Frost’ and some keen gardener noticed one plant that was slightly different.
I must state here that at my soon 79th birthday, there are many hostas in my garden that all look the same even though the plant labels beg to differ with me. My hostas are all nice, to me. and I am no longer obsessed with the idea that I may have plants that may be different.
But I can categorically ascertain right here that while
in the last few years I have come to discover how beautiful hosta flowers are
(the members of the American Hosta Society are not quite as keen as I am) I am
now obsessed in scanning a few every day. Each scan can while away about an hour's time. Niña comes into my oficina and sits on a bench beside me. She meows. I pick her up. She jumps down and leaves. This she repeats until I finally feel guilty and go inside and see if she has food on her dish.
At first I would scan the flowers in one way. Now I am enjoying fiddling around and doing several versions.
The scan here, I think, borders on art. While few may not agree I am contented in knowing that the heretofore ignored hosta flower is as lovely as a flower can be. Best of all I know of no other plant that has flowers that are similar even though in the last botanical review the hosta has become a member of the asparagus family.
