Are my GIANT Sum & Substance infected with HVX?

plymouthgarden · Post by **plymouthgarden** » Jul 23, 2007 2:45 pm

Hi - Yesterday I spotted a Stained Glass at my favorite local nursery that looked diseased - they removed it right away when I pointed it out. Then later the nursery manager (a friend) came by to see my garden and she noticed this strange thing about my 8yr old Sum & Substance!! Yikes - are these grand old things diseased? As you can see they are huge, and quite the focal point. They seem to be growing like crazy - they are probably 12' across all together. The Blue Angels on either side of them seem to be OK. Is this HVX? It's not showing on all the leaves, just some - the new ones look OK. Honestly, I've spent less time working out there this year and hadn't noticed it. She said that as long as I don't divide them, or dig them, it'll be OK. I've actually never divided them - they came from Walmart....they thrive on begign neglect! Took these pics in the morning in the rain...had to use the flash so they look a little funny - there isn't a lot of color variation that I see in the other pics of HVX.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

Kara

ademink · Post by **ademink** » Jul 23, 2007 3:29 pm

Very difficult to tell from the pics here - especially when the leaves are wet. Are you referring to the odd "wrinkling" or is there some sort of coloration issue going on that I can't see?

plymouthgarden · Post by **plymouthgarden** » Jul 23, 2007 3:48 pm

I'm referring to the puckering - will try and take pics later when it's dried out a bit....

Tigger · Post by **Tigger** » Jul 23, 2007 3:52 pm

Welcome, Kara. Sorry your first post comes to us from the side of potential trouble rather than joy. Your gardens look lovely, and I hope you'll stick around and share.

As to your S&S, I think you're safe. Eight years since purchase, even in a hosta that's known to be slow to show HVX symptoms, should put you on the safer side of the epidemic's progression here. (If you bought these from WalMart 5 years ago, I might sing a different tune.) The wrinkly leaves are usually a later stage of the disease. If you have wrinkly leaves but no dark green splotches (easily seen in symptomatic infected S&S), then I imagine the problem is just early spring cold damage, which affected a LOT of hostas in gardens this year.

Good for pointing out the diseased Stained Glass. I was saddened to spot one of those myself earlier this year; it had not been on the "frequently infected" list before. Sigh.

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Jul 23, 2007 4:25 pm

Kara, I agree with Tigger....both on welcoming you and on the diagnosis.

When S&S is infected with HVX the symptoms it first shows is the tell-tale dark green ink bleed spots on the veins or maybe some green streaking between the veins. It can take a very long time to show up, but what I am seeing pictured with the wrinkling of the leaves doesn't look like HVX, but cold damage or damage of some other kind that occurred as the leaves were unfolding.

I am not the resident expert, but just hoping to give you a little reassurance. Chris would be the one to know for sure.

But again, welcome!

plymouthgarden · Post by **plymouthgarden** » Jul 23, 2007 5:33 pm

Hello and thanks to both of you - You have NO idea how much better I feel knowing that it's maybe not HVX! It would make more sense because this puckering is showing up on the oldest/biggest leaves and not showing on the new leaves. We had a weird and awful winter. And we did have a late cold snap here in Massachusetts around April that zapped quite a few things. Keeping my fingers crossed that Chris agrees with you guys. Thanks again - I'm going to poke around the forums here ... right now I'm taking a break from working outside...finally taking some time - don't ever plant

ribbon grass

!
Kara

anitamo · Post by **anitamo** » Jul 23, 2007 8:05 pm

I'm no expert, and I'm glad you are getting good reports on your hosta. Just wondering, though, in the first pic, on the right, is that nematode damage? I'm trying to familiarize myself with what that looks like, and it does sort of look like pictures I've seen. Can someone tell if it is?

ademink · Post by **ademink** » Jul 23, 2007 10:08 pm

Nope. If you look at how it is just on part of the vein, you can tell that it's not nematodes. It fills all the way from edge to edge on the line.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jul 24, 2007 6:15 am

I didn't think it was HVX either ,because of the lack of the blue-green bleeding between the veins. I did see it once in person at a nursery and pointed it out to them. I can only hope they removed it from their stock. They did seem very concerned about it. I thought ,perhaps, it was frost damage, as several of my hostas came up earlier than usual this year and then were hit by a hard frost. Turned the early leaves to a crinkled up mess, but the later leaves looked fine.
And I'll add my admiration for your beautiful garden and my welcome to Hallson's also!

Arlene · Post by **Arlene** » Jul 26, 2007 1:04 am

Echoing the previous . . . welcome, and I'm glad the news you're hearing from forum members is good! The fact that the older leaves are the ones showing "weirdness" and the newer ones are not also points more to spring damage than something systemic. I, too, am watching two S&S like a hawk.

And I agree, your gardens look lovely!

anitamo · Post by **anitamo** » Jul 29, 2007 12:04 am

thanks for clearing that up about the nematodes, ademink.