What do you get when you cross a hosta with an agave?

On The Horizon

Until recently , that interrogation would have been nauseating . You see , before 2006 , hosta ( Hostaspp . and cvs . , USDA Hardiness Zones 3–9 ) and agave ( Agavespp . and cvs . , Zones 8–10 ) were members of the same mob ( Liliaceae ) . And if you retrieve just a few thing about the birds and the bees from elementary school , you come back that relatives can’t — or shouldn’t — breed . But all that change when taxonomists decided to throw out a few members of Liliaceae — genus Hosta and agave , among them .

Enter hostave ( XHostaveand cvs . ) , a cross between a hosta and an agave . To many of us , the family split would be a “ So what ? ” consequence — another flora - name change in a long litany of industrial plant - name changes ( which , let ’s be reliable , most of us ignore ) . But not so for Tony Avent , plant breeder and owner of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh , North Carolina . If anyone appreciates the outrageousness of these apparently ho - hum biological change , it ’s Tony . And in this guinea pig , he might be onto something that we can all apprehend our deal into .

Almost as soon as he heard the newsworthiness , Tony and a fellow flora breeder started mat genus Funka and agave . They did so for a couple of years and produced what Tony squall a “ hosta with thicker leaves . ”

“ It did n’t face all that different from a hosta , ” says Tony , “ so we were n’t sure if the procreation , in fact , created a hybrid . ” They sent a specimen to a renowned researcher in the Netherlands , telling him only that it was a hosta . But the researcher concluded otherwise . “ He tell apart us that the chromosomes were not those of a genus Hosta , and that ’s when we cognise we were onto something . ”

Ever since , the two have been hard at work strengthening the loan-blend and try out with other Cross from oust family members , including pretended aloe ( Manfredaspp . and cvs . , Zones 6–9 ) and tuberose ( Polianthes tuberosa , Zones 7–10 ) . inquire how long before the retail world might have entree to a hostave , Tony says that it ’s too early on in the appendage to separate .

“ Let me be open , though , ” he adds . “ We ’re engender a lot of crosses [ of these deposed family members ] . The first hostave might not expect all that unlike from a genus Funka . But for flora collector , Funka lovers , and agave admirers , there ’ll sure as shooting be a ‘ Holy shit ! ’ divisor to the introductions . ”

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through liaison on this site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertizement programme .

Pruning Simplified : A Step - by - footprint Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

set in a Post - dotty domain : Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Get our latest baksheesh , how - to articles , and instructional video sent to your inbox .

ratify you up …

What is a Shamrock and How do You Grow Them?

What Chartreuse Plants Can Do for You

Echinacea Big Sky™ series

The Experts' Top Ten

Join Fine Gardening for a free engaging lively webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned works diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …

When I spotted a particular sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritize plants we desire over flora our landscape painting needs , each time of year is filled with a never - stop tilt of task : pruning , vellicate , lachrymation , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be thrifty when you embark the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to spark on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …