Registered by
Bob Solberg of Green Hill Farm in North Carolina in
2016, this cultivar is a
hybrid of an unnamed seedling × H. 'Beet Salad'. It is a
medium size hosta with a height of about 14 inches and a
spread of 28 inches. The foliage is narrowly ovate,
slightly wavy and has smooth texture with thin
substance. The red flower scapes bear rich purple
flowers from mid-July into August.
The registration materials state: "Emerges with blood
red petioles and red margins. First leaves "blush" red
when the second flush of leaves appear."
In
his presentation at the 2019 Dixie Regional Hosta
Meeting in Delaware, Bob stated that 'Red Blush'
maintains its red coloration in the leaf much longer
into the season in the Pacific Northwest or Canada with
their long, cool summers. In hotter places such as North
Carolina, the red begins to fade by Memorial Day. His
theory is that the red pigment (anthocyanin) is attached
to a sugar molecule in the leaf. When the weather gets
hot, the sugar is used by the plant and the pigment
molecules are lost too.
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United States Patent: PP28920
Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Hosta
named ‘First Blush’, characterized by its medium sized
mounding clump, green leaves with purplish-red colored
petioles on both sides, that emerge with a thin
purplish-red margin, become (“blush”) purplish-red on
the upward side of the leaf blade in the space between
the veins, and producing dark purple pink flowers on
purplish-red scapes. In combination these traits set
‘First Blush’ apart from all other existing varieties of
Hosta known to the inventor.
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