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| From In the Garden |
Have you ever seen a green shoot growing in a variegated plant and wondered what was up? Plants manufacture food by using specialized cells called chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are colored green. The more chloroplasts a plant has and the more green it is the more food and more robust a plant is likely to be. When a plant is bred for variegation some of the chloroplast area of the leaves is removed and the plant is not quite as stable or even robust. The plant can sometimes strive to get back the chloroplasts and can revert to its natural state of solid green leaves in an attempt to get more food producing cells. This seems to be the case with the above variegated hydrangea I found at the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Research Station in Jackson Tennessee during this year's Summer Celebration. The green branch sure stands out doesn't it? I'm not sure how the UT staff handle this but in my garden when variegated plants revert I immediately prune out those green limbs in order to maintain the variegation. Left alone it is possible the plant will turn completely green as the green limbs slowly overtake the variegated limbs.
This reversion is not limited to hydrangeas. I've personally seen it on Japanese maples and privet. Have you ever seen this type of reversion and what do you do to deal with it if it shows in your garden?
in the garden....
******PSA*******
The next scheduled Montgomery County Master Gardener class starts August 17th and runs through November 16th. Classes will be held at the extension office on Tuesdays from 6-9 pm. The cost of the class is $100 per person or $125 per couple (if using the same book). Deadline to sign up is TOMORROW! So give Karla a call right away at: (931)648-5725 to reserve your spot....
in the garden....
in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
