Mickfield Hostas news

Issue 17 | May 2008

This month we continue our look at some classic hostas and the effect they have had on the production of new and interesting cultivars.
H. 'Sum and Substance' is the focus for this issue and our investigation again includes only on those varieties we hold in our collection. Given this limitation though, it is easy to see what influence a single variety can have...

H. 'Sum and Substance' was registered by Paul Aden in 1980. It is a truly stunning hosta that needs lots of space to grow as we have seen mature examples easily exceed the registered dimensions.

h. 'Sum and Substance'	Mound size: 60" wide x 36" tall as registered. Leaves: 18" long x 15" wide. The leaves are of a heavy substance and range from glossy chartreuse to gold. Unlike many hostas, h. 'Sum and Substance' is happy in full sun and shows its best gold in that environment. Flowers: ivory heads on 72" stems from mid July to mid August. This is an excellent variety which can provide shade for other hosta varieties in a less shady garden.
The following table links to sports, crosses and hybrids that have been introduced from h. 'Sum and Substance':

H. 'Fragrant Gold' - hybrid registered in 1982
H. 'Joyce Trott' Cross with h. 'Flamboyant' - registered in 1988		H. 'Joyful' Sport of h. 'Joyce Trott' registered in 2003
H. 'Leather Sheen' Cross with h. venusta - registered in 1988		H. 'Warwick Sheen' Cross of h. 'Leather Sheen' x h. 'Christmas Tree'
H. 'New Wave' - cross with H. venusta registered in 1988
H. 'Abiqua Recluse' Cross with h. 'White Vision' - registered in 1989		H. 'Electrum Stater' Sport of h. 'Abiqua Recluse' registered in 1997 H. 'Academy Blushing Recluse' Sport of h. 'Abiqua Recluse' registered in 1999 H. 'Paradigm' Sport of h. 'Abiqua Recluse' registered in 1999 H. 'Rich Uncle' Sport of h. 'Abiqua Recluse' registered in 2002
H. 'Grand Canyon' - cross with h. 'Montana Macrophylla' registered in 1995
H. 'Little Black Scape' - hybrid registered in 1995
H. 'Corona' - sport registered in 1996
H. 'Domaine de Courson' - sport registered in 1996
H. 'Lady Isobel Barnett' - sport registered in 1996
H. 'Small Sum' - hybrid registered in 1996
H. 'Parhelion' - registered in 1997
H. 'Bubba' - hybrid registered in 1998
H. 'Emma' - crossed with a variegated hosta seedling - registered in 1999
H. 'Metallic Sheen' - cross with h. 'Elegans' - registered in 1999
H. 'Sum It Up' Registered in 1999		H. 'Friar Tuck' Sport of h. 'Sum It Up' registered in 2005
H. 'Titanic' - sport registered in 1999
H. 'Kitty Hawk' - hybrid registered in 2000
H. 'Sum Cup-o-Joe' - registered in 2000
H. 'Lovely Loretta' Cross with h. 'Ginko Graig' - registered in 2002		H. 'Marquette Park' Sport of h. 'Lovely Loretta' registered in 2003
H. 'Golden Decade' - cross with venusta seedling registered in 2003
H. 'Lakeside Iron Man' - crossed with a hosta seedling registered in 2003
H. 'Rayleigh Remembrance' - cross with plantaginea registered in 2003
H. 'Sum of All' - registered in 2003
H. 'Winter Snow' - registered in 2003
H. 'Jaz' - cross with yingeri registered in 2004
H. 'Beauty Substance' - unregistered sport
H. ' Gunther's Prize' - unregistered sport
H. 'Nancy Gill' - unregistered cross with pycnophylla
H. 'Shiny Substance' - unregistered sport
H. 'Sumthing Good' - unregistered sport

H. 'Sum and Substance' was the winner of the Distinguished Merit Hosta Award in 1990 and was declared the American Hosta Society's Hosta of the Year in 2004.
In 2006, H. 'Sum and Substance' was placed 6th in the annual AHS popularity poll and we suspect it will remain highly placed in coming years.

Did you know... we have our blackbirds nesting in h. 'Pineapple Poll'
Yes, for the second year we will not be able to bring out this cultivar until the eggs have hatched and the fledglings have gone. We are also having to restrict activities in the packing shed as the robins are nesting there at the moment!

Due to the number of cultivars that have been produced from h. 'Sum and Substance' we only have space to include images of our personal favourites:

H. 'Beauty Substance'
Unregistered sport

H. 'Winter Snow'
Registered in 2003

H. 'Metallic Sheen'
Registered in 1999

H. 'Sum of All'
Registered in 2003

H. 'Small Sum'
Registered in 1996

H. 'Friar Tuck'
Registered in 2005

H. 'Titanic'
Registered in 1999

H. 'Paradigm'
Registered in 1999

Next month:

Continuing our series on parentage we focus on H. 'Tokudama'

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