Description: Heart-shaped, smooth powder-blue leaves with an irregular wide creamy-yellow margin, lightening to a creamy white.
Size: Small (16"w x 12"h)
Origin: sport of H. 'Hadspen Blue'
Flowers: Funnel-shaped, pale lavender, mid-summer
Added to garden: spring 2004
Notes: Mine was divided spring 2006 to share with a friend before I knew anything about patented hostas.
This hosta is patented.
ViolaAnn wrote:Mine was divided spring 2006 to share with a friend before I knew anything about patented hostas.
This hosta is patented.
You're perfectly safe with this one, Ann. It's not patented in Canada, nor is it covered by any Plant Breeder's Rights. At present there are only 16 varieties of hostas covered under PBR in Canada. The list does make you wonder why some folk will apply for PBR/PPAF and not bother to register the name with the AHS, such as is the case with 'Hudson Bay' and 'Wishing Well' for example.
Pieter
"Never trust anyone who doesn't have dog hair on their clothes."
Isn't that a strange list? And I didn't realize that the patents didn't apply in Canada. The only one I have on that list is 'Karin' and I don't much like the plant. Am stuck with it though as it's my elder daughter's name.
Just realized I now have TWO hostas for which the patent applies in Canada. I acquired 'Wheee!' this year.
Here is 'Aristocrat' on June 7 this year when it still looked good. We had a very hot, dry summer. It lost its blue colour quite early and then became tattered. If this continues I will have to develop some shade for the hostas east of my house. The neighbour's house is about 10 feet away (or less) and both houses have white aluminum siding. There is too much reflection and the hostas are getting baked.
leaf, June 19, 2012
Last edited by ViolaAnn on Sep 06, 2012 8:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Here's my Aristocrat's transition from May to June. Planted it in 2007. When I complained to Don Budd (local nursery owner and hostaholic) in 2008 that my A wasn't blue enough, he said I would have to wait for the wax coating to mature and thicken.
I moved my 'Aristocrat' almost 2 years ago and placed it next to 'Remember Me' which is nearly reverse colours. The two look great together. This, BTW, is a mature plant which I've had for over a decade and from which I've only taken one small division many years ago.
2016 was very hot and very dry. 2017 was very, very, rainy. And some of my hostas didn't do well with that combination. 'Aristocrat' was one. I eventually dug the plant, took a couple of small divisions from it and grew the rest in a pot for the summer. It's now back in the ground and I'm hoping for the best in 2018.
