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Eric Smith (1917-1986) was a plantsman and hosta hybridizer from Dorset, England. In the summer of 1961, he took advantage of a fluke occurrence when a plant of Hosta 'Elegans' flowered unusually late in the season so he could use its pollen  to fertilize a flower on an H. 'Tardiflora' plant. The cross spawned a large series of smaller, very colorful, blue-green plants that came to known as the "Tardiana" hostas.

"Eric Smith also bred yellow-leaved cultivars, called the GL (Gold Leaf) series. Some of them are considered Tardianas but this is incorrect because this yellow-leaved series involves H. sieboldiana, H. 'Fortunei Aurea' and H. sieboldii 'Kabitan' in the breeding. However, in one of Smith's published records, some gold seedlings were recorded in the a Tardiana grex complex.

 
No.CultivarPlant SizeLeaf ColorVariegationVar ColorOriginFlower ColorSeasonSourceRegistered
1 'Dorset Cream'LargeYellow -HybridUnknown-Smith, Eric--NR--
2 'Gold Haze'LargeYellow -HybridPale-LavenderJuly into AugustSmith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society.1988
3 'Gold Leaf'LargeYellow -HybridPale-LavenderJuly into AugustSmith, Eric.1988
4 'Gold Vein'LargeYellow -UnknownUnknown-Smith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society--NR--
5 'Golden Age'LargeYellow -HybridUnknown-Smith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society.1988
6 'Golden Isle' (Ruh)-Yellow -UnknownLight-Purple-Ruh, Peter--NR--
7 'Golden Oriole'LargeYellow -HybridPale-LavenderAugustSmith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society.1988
8 'Granary Gold'LargeYellow -HybridPale-LavenderJulySmith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society.1988
9 'Oriana'MediumYellow -SportPale-LavenderJuly into AugustSmith, Eric--NR--
10 'Pagoda'-Yellow -HybridUnknown-Smith, Eric & British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society.1988

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