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Hosta 'Breeder's Choice'
 

The Hosta Handbook by Mark Zilis (2000), says that this cultivar "...has rightly gained the reputation as a premier hybridizing plant." It is a seedling of a hybrid "Vaughn Seedling 73-2" (H. 'Beatrice' × H. 'Beatrice') x H. 'Frances Williams' that was registered by Dr. Kevin Vaughn of Massachusetts in 1987.

This medium size (12 inches high by 16 inches wide) plant has heavily streaked foliage and lavender flowers in late June or July followed by viable seeds. Its foliage is slightly wavy and corrugated with above average substance.

Zilis (2000) also says that "In the garden, 'Breeder's Choice' makes an attractive, splashy specimen plant, but the variegation can be unstable. I have seen one sport, 'Breeder's Choice Margined', which has a green-centered, white-margined foliage."

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), this cultivar is a sibling to 'Mildred Seaver', 'William Lachman' and 'Christmas Tree'.

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states: "Slow to moderate growth rate. Variegation will stabilize if the plant is not divided every few years. Among the most prolific of all streaked breeding hostas and the parent of many well-known introductions."


An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2011 Vol. 42 No. 2) quotes Dr Kevin Vaughn discussing H. 'Breeder's Choice', "...was never meant for distribution as a garden specimen. This because the individual plants can be so variable in their variegation patterns. Some are handsome and others a bit less than that; all are fine breeders."
 



"1997 Registration: H. ‘Breeders Choice’ Starting with the 1992-1998 checklist and in all registration journals from 1998 thru the present time, the "Index to Registrations" at the back of each issue lists the name as ‘Breeder’s Choice’. This means that it has been officially published as ‘Breeder’s Choice’. Thus, to confirm, this serves as "official" recognition of the altered spelling."






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