Preliminary research on the behavior of some Hosta species and varieties cultivated during two years in Bucharest

Abstract

Hosta is a perennial plant appreciated especially for its beautiful foliage but also for the delicate flowers that decorate parks and gardens. This article presents research results performed during October 2018 - October 2020 on the influence of cultivar, species and cultivation areas on the parameters of growth and flowering for 11 varieties of Hosta (T Rex, American Halo, White Feather, Christmas Island, Fragrant Blue, Patriot, Mighty Mouse, Blue Mouse Ears, Sting, Undulata Univittata, Sunset Grooves). The elements of vegetative growth and flowering were observed. For the vegetative growth, the height of the plants, the number of shoots, the number of leaves, the length and width of the leaves and the diameter of the plants were followed. There were significant differences between the two years of vegetation for each of these elements. The T Rex and Patriot cultivars with a 100% emergence percentage in the two years of vegetation were highlighted. For the study of blooming, the percentage of flowering plants, the number of floral stems, the duration of the flowering period, the length of the floral stems and the number of flowers in the inflorescence were determined. In the first year all the varieties bloomed and the number of floral stems per plant ranged between 0.4 (Undulatta Univittata and Sunset Grooves) and 2.25 (Mighty Mouse). In the second year, eight varieties bloomed and the number of floral stems per plant was between 0.25 (Sunset Grooves) and 3.75 (Fragrant Blue). The highest number of flowers in inflorescences was recorded at Blue Mouse Ears (16.6 in the first year and 16.4 in the second year).