Pic of the Day--fortunei albopicta

[Hank Zumach]

Hi All--Fortunei albopicta has been in our garden almost from the very beginning. I got it back in 1993 and for the last several years have been growing it in a spot that gets about 2-3 hours of mid-day sun. This variety is spectacular in the spring, as shown in the first pic, taken May 18, 2005. It's one of the real bright spots then but it quickly can turn into a plain green with a barely distinguishable darker margin. Those who are not familiar with the variety may have a hard time believing that the second pic was taken only 9 days later, May 27, 2005. The plant's size has averaged about 72x24 over the last several years, somewhat larger than Zilis' listing of 49x23. Slugs usually ignore it.

Registry - http://www.hostaregistrar.org/detail.ph ... 0Albopicta

MyHostas - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Fortunei+Albopicta

Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/f/fortap.html

fortunei albopicta 5-18-05c.JPG

Fortunei albopicta 5-27-05c.jpg

[Hank Zumach]

Hi--I decided it might be interesting for some to see another early season photo, taken in 2002, soon after the plant began to emerge.

Fortunei Albopicta 5-22-02c.jpg

[eastwood2007]

Beautiful, Hank! I enjoy your pics and I do look at them everyday. It is time now, though, to get to the garden, so I probably won't be replying as much. Got to shorten up the play time on the forum! But, I wanted you to know I do look everyday and enjoy each one and the time you spend posting them for us to look at. Thanks in advance for all the upcoming POTD's!

[newtohosta-no more]

It certainly is gorgeous early in the season, as your pics demonstate!

[jgh]

There's quite a history with fortunei/Fortunei. Zilis describes a 1954 monograph by Nils Hylander describing fortunei as a common plant in Sweden, then naming 5 different cultivars and never describing an actual fortunei. Still, it remained small-f fortunei - meaning a species - until Schmid finally pulled the plug in 1991, reducing its status to cultivar.

Still, there is no H. Fortunei. Kind of like we all like to claim a horsethief who got hanged somewhere back in our family tree, but nobody can pin down an actual individual... Zilis goes to some length to describe what makes a hosta a member of what he calls the "Fortunei group", but nobody seems to be able to find a base Hosta 'Fortunei' from which the others spring. Instead, the named Fortuneis share some traits that suggest a common heritage.

Except when they don't! I've got H. 'Fortunei Gigantea', for example. Zilis says many nice things about this large, elegant hosta... but also states pretty clearly that it has montana heritage and shows little connection to the Fortuneis. Just to add additional confusion - lots of people used FG in breeding programs, assuming it to be of Fortunei heritage...

So Zilis lists a bunch of Fortuneis, and also an extensive list of cultivars he includes in the "Fortunei group" which includes Brenda's Beauty, Captain Kirk, Carol, Crowned Imperial, Gloriosa, Green Gold, Janet, Jester... awe, I'm getting tired of typing! Check out Zilis for yourself!

But just two of the listings suggest what we owe to whatever H. Fortunei was... Gold Standard, which means F. in all the Striptease family and Francee, which leads to Patriot and all of that family.

I've got lots of this group... Forunei Obscura, F Albomarginata (AKA Silver Crown), F Aureomarginata (AKA Gold Crown), F Aoki - But I don't have 'Fortunei Albopicta' - so I really don't have anything to add to this thread!

[LucyGoose]

I USED to have this one, but dug it up when my Striptease was virised. It is real pretty in the spring but sheesh......then it's GREEN.......LOL....I needed more room for others.....

[Hank Zumach]

Charla--Ya gotta keep your priorities straight. Talk to you later this season some time.

[renaldo75]

That sure looks good early in the season, Hank!! I was just noticing today that my Fortunei Albopicta was going to look very nice this spring. I need to have the camera handy when it does start unfurling so I don't miss it. Some years it can be spectacular & the next year it is kind of a dud & really doesn't show much center variegation.

Jim - you sure typed a lot for not having much to say... I have Fortunei Rugosa also - so far it has never shown any signs of being rugose at all. But it had a setback last year & maybe will in another 3-4 years.

Lucy - you still haven't figured out that you need greens to break up all the variegated hostas yet, huh?? What are we gonna do with you??

Charla - I've seen those words typed before. You'll be back. Tomorrow. You can't quit Hallson's cold turkey - can't be done.

[Linda P]

Great pics, as usual, Hank. It looks like you have chosen the perfect spot for yours.
Linda P

[thy]

So beautiful in spring and a nice filler later

Reldon You typed what I was polite enought to think - only ... no words about the every Eropean knowled of US peoples manners



For Lucy.. some one have to steal here measuring tape

[renaldo75]

Well if you've noticed, Pia - jgh doesn't normally respond to my little jibes so I don't know if we're still on speaking terms or not. Hope we are!! He should know me well enough by now to know that I'm just giving him he((...

2007 - 4-21 Garden 035 FApi-03-E3.jpg

[Tigger]

We have this one in a good-sized pot—just never got around to finding a place for it in the garden. However, that's a good use for it: put it somewhere where you can enjoy it's lovely spring coloration, then move it aside for something else once it goes boring (and frankly I think green fortuneis are boring). Members of the fortunei group seem to do well in pots for us. Maybe it's just coincidence, but we have Striptease and Patriot in pots as well.

[redcrx]

A time series this season for Fortunei Albopicta:

Fortunei Albopicta 13 00647-4-25zbz68.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 13 00821zb3z54-4-29.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 13 00968zbz20-5-3.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 13 01326zbz56-5-6.jpg

Central color is fading:

Fortunei Albopicta 13 02074zbz64-5-16.jpg

[redcrx]

This is a continuation of the previous page showing the same plant - just a little later in season and flowers coming in.

Lost its gold center - that's Waving Winds at the bottom and Electrocution at the bottom-left

1Fortunei Albopicta 13 06895zb71-7-8.jpg

2Fortunei Albopicta 13 f 06896zb-7-8.jpg

3Fortunei Albopicta 13 f 06897zb-7-8.jpg

And the same Fortunei Albopicta early in the 2014 season

4Fortunei Albopicta 14 03994zbz35-5-4.jpg

And another plant in a pot - that's Tassels in the pot on the left

5Fortunei Albopicta 14 04977zb65-5-20.jpg

[redcrx]

I had forgotten about this plant until I noticed it in flower today. This is piece of one of the oldest hosta in my garden. The original is well over 20 years old but never got over being cut-up and spread in my garden - most of those pieces are gone now and the original is tiny with a rhododendron shading it too much.

Fortunei Albopicta 17 2675.jpg

In this photo you can still make out the two green. The earlier gold center is almost gone.

Fortunei Albopicta 17 2682.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 17 2683.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 17 2678b.jpg

Fortunei Albopicta 17 2679b.jpg

[waldo]

I am not sure if this post belongs here. I just saw this today and went out and took some pictures of my H. 'Elizabeth Campbell'. It is a 'Fortunei Albopicta' selection. I didn't take any pictures earlier and I regret it now, but as The Hosta Library states "The color holds well.". It isn't pretty at this point but you can still see the center variegation. It is one of my favorites, I have had it for twenty five years or more. It is in the pot because I nearly lost it two years ago due to tree roots and other problems.

[redcrx]

That looks more like a sport. It should have its own "New Topic" = Hosta of the Day - H. 'Elizabeth Campbell'.