Hosta 'Christmas Candy'
 

This sport of H. 'Night before Christmas' was originated by Dirk van Erven and registered by Danny Van Eechaute of Belgium in 2002. It forms a medium size (18 inches high by 24 inches wide) mound and has a wider white center than H. 'Night before Christmas'. Lavender flowers bloom in July but do not bear seeds.

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states: "The base leaf color remains pristine ivory throughout the season. The flower heads die less than gracefully so remove them as they start to wither. Divide frequently...Smaller than its parent. A weak chartreuse overlay is apparent in the whitish variegation toward the petiole."

An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2006 Vol. 37 No. 2) says, "...'Christmas Candy'...a new hosta discovered by Gert van Eijk-Bos in tissue-culturing 'Night before Christmas'...at the Vitro Westland propagation laboratory in Rijswijk, Holland...How do 'Christmas Candy', 'Night before Christmas' and the old timer 'White Christmas' compare?...all three have pure white leaf centers and dark green leaf borders."

A summary of Pollock's comparisons of 'Christmas Candy' (CC), 'Night before Christmas' (NbC) and 'White Christmas' (WC) included:

     - Width of green margin: NbC - widest  CC - mid   WC - narrowest

     - Clump height: NbC - tallest  CC - mid  WC - shortest

     - Upright growth habit:  NbC and CC more upright than WC

     - Resistance to melting out (leaf substance): CC - thick substance may be a tetraploid - NbC somewhat resistant - WC often damaged







 

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