This cultivar is a
seedling of [(H. 'Liberty
Bell' × (H. 'Urajiro
Hachijo' × H. pycnophylla))
x H. ‘Mikawa-no-Yuki’] which was registered by
Don Dean of
Minnesota in 2005. A medium size hosta (15 inches high
by 36 inches wide), 'Garnet Spires' has medium green
foliage. The leaves are narrowly ovate and slightly
rippled. Pale lavender flowers bloom from mid-August
into September on red to magenta scapes.
Mikiko Lockwood in an article on The Hosta Library titled,
A Little About Japanese Hosta Terms defines the term urajiro as white-backed or white underside.
An article by Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (2014 Vol. 45 No. 2) states that, "H. 'Liberty Bell' crossed with ('Urajiro Hachijo' ×
H. pycnophylla) is a favorite
pod parent of Don's (Don Dean). He used it to produce H. 'Celtic Bouquet' and H.
'Peek-a-boo Purple', both registered in 2011, and H. 'Ebony Towers' and H.
'Garnet Spires', in 2005. (Special Note: Parentages of 'Garnet Spires' and
'Peek-a-boo Purple' were corrected in the 2013 Registrations issue..."
"H. ‘Garnet
Spires’ (2005) – This was registered as having the
fol-lowing parentage which was incorrect: [H.
'Liberty Bell' × (H. 'Uraj-iro Hachijo' ×
H. pycnophylla) × H. longipes × H.
kikutii]. The parentage for this cultivar should
have read: [(H. 'Liberty Bell' × (H. 'Urajiro Hachijo' × H. pycnophylla)) × H. ‘Mikawa-no-Yuki’]"
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