Goldbrook Plants have staged some of the most impressive Hosta exhibits of recent years. They've won seventeen consecutive Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and nineteen consecutive Gold Medals the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show including a Gold this week at Hampton.
Sandra Bond, who IS Goldbrook Plants, is narrowing the focus of her nursery to concentrate on small and mini hostas suitable for growing in bowls and troughs. This Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is her last big show.
Her Gold Medal exhibit showed the full range of hostas from large specimens grown in large pots to tiny hostas three of which fit into a bowl. Amongst this impressive range were two new variegated varieties.
‘Little Willie' (above, click to enlarge) is a new miniature hosta with lance-shaped, slightly cupped leaves, the slender green edge surrounding a rather variable central zone streaked in lime-green, cream and almost white. Plants reach about 17.5cm/7in in height and spread to 40cm/16in.
Also on the stand was ‘Dixie Chickadee'. Raised by Tony Avent of Plant Delights nursery in North Carolina, ‘Dixie Chickadee' is a sport of ‘Dixie Chick' and descended from ‘Masquerade' and ‘Invincible'. It features the reverse colouring of ‘Dixie Chick': each leaf is edged in dark green, the central area being creamy yellow with green streaks. It makes clumps about 20-25cm/8-10in wide with large lavender flowers on 35cm/12in stems.
The Goldbrook Plants catalogue includes these and many more new introductions. They have no website but click here for details of the nursery.