Hosta 'Hirao Majesty ' assorted dates

In spite of distractions, of people visiting, of taking Niño for his daily walk, figuring out what to eat and what books to read, shopping for food, and other activities, it is impossible for me not to be aware at every moment that my Rosemary is no more, that she is gone after our 52 years of being together. A melancholy consumes me and one of the few activities that somehow manages to keep me active is the scanning of my plants.

But I have to admit here that this scanning is becoming an obsession. At first in 2001 with my penchant for accuracy I would usually scan a plant once.

Now I am delving into the artsy.  Why?

It is not only fun but also calming to remove every bit of dust from my scan with my 18 year-old Photoshop. I can see well so this distracts me lots.

As a patent example of this obsession here you have some of my scans of a lovely dark green hosta, Hosta ‘Hirao Majesty’ that has what I believe some of the most elegant flowers of any hosta.

You might note that in some of the scans the leaflets (properly called bracts) are brownish. I asked my Walters Gardens friend and hosta enthusiast C.H. (Clarence Falstad) in New Holland, Michigan why. His replies are below and another blog featuring C.H. is this one  Hosta 'Piper Cub'

 Alex,

As one who writes patents we are allowed to be or expected to be our own lexicographer since we frequently need to describe objects that nobody had to describe before.  Even so, I try to follow the common plant glossaries for their accepted terms. 

There are many types of bracts.   There are bracts below leaves and those below flowers, so I differentiate by calling these floral bracts since they are on the infloresence. 

The shape changed with the development.

C.H.

Dear CH Why do these go brown every year? The plant is healthy and abour 20 years old. The flowers are magnificent.

Alex

C.H. answer to my above question came via the phone. He told me that the bracts of Hosta ‘Hirao Majesty’ routinely are brown. He suggested that someone might want to cross Hirao Majesty with Hosta yingeri and the “problem” would be resolved.