Bob Keller of Illinois registered this
medium size cultivar in 1991 as a sport of H. 'Halcyon'. It
grows to 16 inches high and 40 inches wide with slightly wavy
foliage with deep veins and thick substance. The pale lavender
flowers bloom starting in late July.
An article about H. 'Canadian Shield', H. 'Devon Green', H. 'Peridot' and H.
'Valerie's Vanity' by Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (1997 Vol. 28 No. 1) states that, "These
four hostas are mutations of 'Halcyon', arguably the best of the late
Eric
Smith's blue-leaved Tardiana Group...Are all four cultivars the same? I haven't
seen any evidence they are different."
An article about the Halcyon Group by
Peter Cross in
The
Hosta Journal (2004 Vol. 35 No.2) says, "...'Halcyon' is
a first-generation member (TF 1 × 7) of the legendary
Tardiana Group of hostas,
which consists of hybrids of 'Tardiflora' × H. 'Elegans', produced
in England by Eric Smith, the master hybridizer of blue hostas, in the
1960s....Traditionally, sporting involves the cells in a section of a leaf
(either margin or center) changing color...These sports simply lack the wax
coating that makes the hosta leaves appear blue...I find it impossible to see
any differences between these green sports..." Cross lists the all-green sports
of 'Halcyon' including:
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An article by
Warren I. Pollack in
The
Hosta Journal (2020 Vol. 51 No. 1) titled
Doppelgänger Hostas: Fancy Name for
Look-alike Hostas, included a long list of hostas
which various hostaphiles, published articles or other sources have
indicated "look" the same. Some of these are, in fact, the same
plant with two or more different names. Others are hostas that vary
in some minor trait which is not immediately discernable to the
casual observer such as seasonal color variations, bloom traits, ploidy, etc. So, as Warren mentions, hostaphiles may differ as to the
plants listed but then, their opinions are based on visual observations and interpretations. |
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H. 'Canadian
Shield', H.
'Devon
Green', H. 'Grünspecht', H. 'Kryptonite', H. 'Peridot' and
H. 'Vallerie's
Vanity'. |
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