Q: Can anyone tell me what this is growing in the center of my hosta?

A: The definitive answer comes from hosta expert Bob Solberg, who says “The plant appears to be ‘Francee’ or possibly ‘Patriot’. Hostas will often produce a flower scape with leafy bracts, instead of the usual small ones, if their biological clock has been disrupted. Since this plant is blooming early it “thinks” it needs more leaves to produce enough food to support its flowers and hopefully seeds. The effect is environmental and will probably not appear next year once the plant has been acclimated to its new home.

“Many of these plants were harvested in the fields of Holland in the fall and this early spring has forced them up earlier than normal. In fact sometimes, a hosta will go dormant just as it is preparing to bloom and next spring only a scape, no leaves at all, will come up in the spring. It will produce a huge amount of crazy leaves to try to feed itself. The next year it will again be normal.”

“Enjoy the beautiful scape this year while you have it. Hostas are amazing plants and continually surprise us. ”

(Thanks to Beth S. from Hometalk for letting me use her photos!)