Gold Standard - HVX, sunbleach, frost, stress, or ??

[roflol]

All of my hosta plants took a big hit in the freeze earlier. I am so new to really "noticing" the differences in individual plants of even the same name, and HVX is of course rattling my cage as well. I bought 11 plants - Francee, So Sweet, and Gold Standard - from WalMart last year. As the So Sweet were coming up they all looked positively awful with warped leaves (but no color bleeding) so I pulled and pitched them (although I saw one coming back up - will see what happens... by jingies, they *are* tough!).

The Francee is still looking very good actually; it has received a stay of execution.

I have a couple of Gold Standard - one that was smaller all last year (seems like it got more sun and fried more often, dried out) and one that was in a bit better shape. Here is the one that was smaller last year, and is the one I am more concerned about re: what exactly is wrong with it - its color is much paler, it is still smaller, it's got that puckering thing going on, I tried to show the yellow/chartreuse mottling it displays, and it has very little edging to it - the leaf I chose to photograph probably has the most on it on the entire plant.



Compare it to this Gold Standard which is actually getting ready, I believe, to flower (the weird dark business at the lower half of the leaf is shadow):




I was going to take more pictures but a friend came over in the middle of the task; she says based on her limited experience she didn't think they show HVX at this point, but I would appreciate second (third, fourth) opinions. Please let me know if you need more pictures. Forgive the mulch and dirt on the leaves.

Thanks in advance.

Terri

[eastwood2007]

Hi! I don't think it looks like HVX...all of the Gold Standards I have seen with HVX have the dark green bleeding down the veins from the tips of the leaves....hope others will respond, too. Have you Googled for 'HVX Gold Standard'? You can find alot of pics of Gold Standard with HVX...it's one of the worst offenders...

[renaldo75]

I don't see any sign of HVX in your Gold Standard. I'm not sure what you're trying to show there, but it just seems to have a very narrow margin & with a slight bit of corrugation.

I was over at the local W-M the other nite & most of their hostas looked good [all 6 kinds], but their Gold Standards were showing signs of HVX. None but the clueless to say anything to that evening so I didn't try. Don't know if the woman who runs that dept would have been much better to talk to.

They also had Lady Guinevere which I'm not familiar with. I thought it was showing some signs of possible funkiness, but I couldn't be sure.

What looks like a scape actually isn't, but I can't remember what those are called. They can occur do to cold weather stress. I think it is possible to cut it off leaving an inch or so of the scape attached & try to start a new plant, but no guarantee that it would send out roots. I think I've heard that daylilies do something similar once in a while.

[roflol]

Hi, Charla. I knew when we met up at that nursery I was forgetting to ask you something, and this was it. Thanks for weighing in. I did find a lot of pictures online of GS with HVX, but really paranoid I guess, and probably a little bit more of a hypochondriac about this and none of them looked quite like what I was seeing so thought I'd post here and ask.

Renaldo, I was trying to show the yellow/chartreuse mottling and the puckering. Again, this is my first spring with hosta after winter, with a freeze no less, and I don't have any idea what could be cold damage, what could be sun damage, what could virus, what could be stress, or what is perfectly normal.

I see little green lines in the leaves like blood vessels as well and wonder if that's HVX. I guess I should google Gold Standard and all the other problems, and see if any pictures pop up that reflect what I'm seeing.

Looking forward to learning what the "growth" is as well, and what it might grow up to be. lol.

Terri

[newtohosta-no more]

I don't see anything that shows obvious HVX in your pics, but I'm no expert. I'm hoping the problems you see are just stress /frost related.

[eastwood2007]

They also had Lady Guinevere which I'm not familiar with. I thought it was showing some signs of possible funkiness, but I couldn't be sure.

A little off topic, but I saw Lady Guinevere at a nursery here in KC that had a bad infestation of HVX (although I suppose there is no such thing as a little infestation!)

Terri, I know how it feels to be watching for HVX... my gardens are about 3 years old now...except for my Sum and Substance which is about 5 years...but for 3 seasons now, I am very careful where I buy.

[ademink]

Looks completely fine to me!