First Blush is a new introduction from Bob Solberg.
It is described as:
"(Solberg 2015) (48/49 seedling X 'Beet Salad') Medium, (12" X 24") 'First Blush' not only has green leaves with red petioles that extend into the leaf blade but also a thin red margin around the leaf, similar but much more dramatic than its parent 'Beet Salad'. However, the most exciting thing about 'First Blush' is that in spring the leaf between the veins will start to "blush" red from the tip of the leaf down toward the base. The leaves remain red here until temperatures surpass 92 degrees, usually into June. The color should persist longer in Northern gardens. Our first red-leafed hosta. We do plan to patent this hosta."
Did it ever "blush", Ed? I am seeing more red and purple blushes on a lot of other plants that were a lot less expensive and wonder if this one doesn't always throw as much red as we would like to see.
I didn't see it yet. When I was at Hosta College, I was talking to Bob about the ones he was selling there because they didn't show any color and he said the color shows up later. Now there is a complication with this - I'm color blind and may miss the color. I'm always asking my kids "Can you see color on this" when looking at things that should be red.
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ Mockingbird feeding juvenile yellow raisons - never leave home without them.
First Blush performed great for me in it's first full season - mainly because it is ideally growing in a sunny location. It's leaves blushed in early Spring and had some slight blushing in late mid season. It is a prolific grower and sends up sturdy red scapes with pretty purple flowers at the end of July. Just an all around great hosta!!
These pictures give me hope. I spent a lot of money to bring First Blush into the nursery and they are still in quarantine. Within days of arrival they started getting brown spots which I suspect are from anthracnose. Another batch of hostas in the same shipment developed them too. So now I have sprayed them three times alternating two fungicides and the new growth is finally looking clean. I'll continue to quarantine them but now have hope they will look nice next year
Chris, I sincerely hope you have resolved the problem. I would check with Bob Solberg out of curiosity to see if he has experienced anthracnose with First Blush.
Donna - yours look great. I've placed a late-season order with a good nursery here in Ontario and 'First Blush' is one of the plants I requested. I was told that they weren't particularly happy with them and as a result she wouldn't charge me. Now I'm really crossing my fingers that it grows well for me, but at least I won't be out big bucks if it doesn't.
Mockingbird feeding juvenile yellow raisons - never leave home without them.
