A Closer Look At Hosta Blue Cadet
- John Plant
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
Blue Cadet A story of intrigue and deception !!!
After decades of deliberate deception, it has come to light that Florence M. Shaw was, in the opinion of many the most important Hosta hybridiser to date. Her profound influence on the development of the Genus Hosta was concealed by the nefarious Paul Aden, who was until recently credited with nearly all the plants she created at her home in Weston, Massachusetts. At the garden she called Birchwood in the 1960s and early 1970s, Mrs. Shaw quietly made tremendous advances in Hosta breeding, bringing into the world many of the classic plants we know today. While it may never be completely clear, it appears that over 90 of the plants Aden registered as his own were actually raised by Florence Shaw.
The impact of her work on the genus was staggering. Some of her plants remain among the most commonly sold today, and sports arising from them over the decades have added even more to her legacy. While her ‘Blue Cadet’ and its sport ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ has been one of the biggest commercial successes of the last few years. Her ‘Sum and Substance’ remains one of the most popular Hostas of all time and is considered a must-have for beginning collectors
Florence Shaw, a collector of rare plants, built a renowned garden recognised by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Her interest in hybridising irises grew as her rare and unusual trees expanded, increasing the shade at Birchwood. By the mid-1960s, she began working with the limited Hostas available at the time. When the American Hosta Society was formed in 1968, she became its 13th member, an unfortunate omen as she passed away in 1974, the year Hosta registration began, and never registered her fantastic collection of hybridised plants.
Only months after her passing, Aden began naming and registering her plants as his own, launching his career in Hostas. Years of registrations listed her plants with Aden’s name, leading to her being largely forgotten while his fame soared. AHS publications perpetuated Aden’s claims of ownership by consistently pairing his name with her plants and even encouraging nurseries to use the registration data in their listings
Such scandal in the world of Hostas ..... lets have a closer look at Hosta Blue Cadet.
Hostas come in all shapes, sizes and leaf colours. Some stand out above the others, for a number of reasons.
Hosta Blue Cadet definitely has a place in my collection.
Hosta Blue Cadet, as the name would suggest, is a blue-leaved Hosta. The colour would best be described as a medium blue. Slightly glaucous, not the bluest of the blue Hostas, but it is blue.
It has heart-shaped leaves, coming to a sharp point, that present themselves to the light to show off their lovely shape and colour.
It forms a small but compact but sturdy mound of about 38cm tall and a width of 95cm at maturity. There is a form of beautiful elegance of the clump once established. Looks great at the front of a border or in a display pot.
During July, and into August, it will send up scapes of up to 50cm-75cm tall holding a mass of light to dark lavender blooms held just above the foliage. It looks fantastic in large numbers in a drift, particularly when in full bloom. The leaves seem to reflect the lavender colour of the blooms, giving an overall pleasing look.
The lovely blue leaves are said to be both slug resistant and sun tolerant, and it will thrive in a dappled shade position. It may turn to more of a green than blue, if planted in more shade. As with a lot of blue Hostas, the blue colour will fade to a blue-green by the end of the season.
Hosta Blue Cadet is a fast grower and is often large enough within a few years to split into more than one or two Hostas. Freebies in no time at all.
The pod parent is Hosta Tokudama, said to be similar to, Hosta Abiqua Blue Edger, and Hosta Peter Pan. We think it is better than both of these.
If you are looking for a small blue Hosta that is almost bulletproof, you won’t go far wrong with this one.
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John Plant
Rewela Hostas
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