Hosta (Plantain lily; Funkia)
Back to:  Perennial Gallery
Plants range from mini to massive.
Hostas like rich, slightly acidic soils but can tolerate almost any soil once established.
Some varieties have fragrant flowers - pollinators love hostas!
Ideal plant choice for a low-maintenance garden.
Their tolerance to pollution allows them to perform well in city environments. 
Hostas are a mainstay of shade gardens; very effective when grouped or massed, as a background plant, in shady borders and in woodland gardens.

Hostas Special Features Chart
Hostas with Variegated Leaves Chart
Hostas with Solid-colored Leaves Chart

'August Moon'
  • Quick growing and vigorous
  • Forms a dense, assymetrical mound
  • Sun tolerant
  • Leaf color depends on sun exposure - lime green to bright golden yellow
  • Illuminates the landscape
  • 1'-2' H x 3'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Big Daddy'
  • Large, puckered, chalky blue leaves
  • ​Shade for best blue color
  • Can handle some sun
  • Leaves become more cupped as plant matures
  • White flowers in late summer
  • Thrives under tree canopies 
  • ​Good slug resistance
  • 1'-2' H x 3'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Blue Angel'
  • Largest of the blue-leaved hostas
  • Forms a lush, dense, cascading mound of huge leaves
  • Plant in minimal direct sunlight
  • Companion plants include Pulmonaria and Alchemilla
  • Good slug resistance
  • ​2'-3' H x 3'-5' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Blue Cadet'
  • Medium-sized selection
  • Forms a symmetrical mound
  • Parent to 'Blue Mouse Ears'
  • Blue-green leaves emerge in spring and fade to green in summer
  • Lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Yellow fall foliage before dormancy
  • 12"-18" H x 24"-36" W
Substitution Suggestions

'Blue Mouse Ears'
  • Miniature selection
  • Forms a symmetrical mound
  • Soft blue-grey foliage with faint white edges
  • Leaves resemble mouse ears
  • Lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Perfect for rock gardens and containers
  • Good slug resistance
  • ​6"-12" H x 8"-12" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Curly Fries'
  • Miniature to small selection
  • Narrow, rippled, arching leaves
  • Morning sun for best coloring
  • Lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Perfect companion to bright blue hostas
  • Awesome container plant - pair with Dryopteris 'Brilliance' (pictured)
  • 5"-10" H x 12"-24" W
Substitution Suggestions

'Dancing Queen'
  • Montale favorite!
  • Emerges bright yellow and remains yellow all season unlike other hostas that emerge or turn chartreuse
  • Leaves have pie-crust edges
  • Pale lavender flowers and soft yellow foliage mid to late summer​
  • 1'-2' H x 2'-3' W
Substitution Suggestions

'Earth Angel'
  • Sport of 'Blue Angel'
  • Blue-green leaves mature to green
  • Chartreuse margins widen and mature to creamy white
  • Smaller when grown in poor soil
  • Tolerates some sun
  • Pale lavender flowers early summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • ​2'-3' H x 3'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

sieboldiana 'Elegans'
  • Several years to reach mature shape
  • Tolerates dry shade​
  • Crowds out garden weeds
  • Blue leaf color in light sun
  • Lilac tinged flowers spring to mid-summer
  • Offers unique texture against smoother varieties
  • Combine with creamy variegated varieties
  • Good slug resistance
  • 2'-3' H x 3'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions

'First Frost'
  • Sport of 'Halcyon'
  • Excellent adaptability
  • Emerges with golden margins, changing to white later in the season
  • Foliage remains attractive until first frost
  • Light lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 1'-2' H x 2'-3' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Francee'
  • Parent to 'Patriot'
  • One of the best white-margined hostas
  • Increases fairly quickly
  • Tolerates morning sun but color may fade to olive green
  • Pale lavender flowers mid to late summer
  • Wide, low mound of foliage makes 'Francee' ideal for use as a ground cover
  • 1'-2' H x 3'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Frosted Mouse Ears'
  • Miniature selection
  • Mutation of 'Blue Mouse Ears'
  • Slow grower; needs moist soil and open space
  • Margins emerge gold and fade to creamy white
  • Lavender flowers early summer
  • Ideal for shady rock gardens and containers
  • 6"-8" H x 12"-18" W
​Substitution Suggestions

'Gold Standard'
  • Medium to large selection
  • Green, gold and emerald all at once
  • Centers emerge light green and progress to gold
  • Morning sun enhances gold coloring
  • Pale lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Creates dynamic contrast to solid green foliage
  • Sufficient height to use as a cover along north-facing foundations
  • 18"-36" H x 18"-36" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Guacamole'
  • Good sun tolerance
  • Leaves emerge green and variegation intensifies as season progresses
  • Fragrant soft white summer flowers 
  • Centers turn gold with sun exposure
  • Combine with blue-leaved hostas and native ferns
  • ​18"-24" H x 36"-50" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

tardiana 'Halcyon'
  • Parent of 'June'
  • Retains blue color longer than most
  • Pairs well with bright, variegated varieties
  • Use as a filler between yellowish-green foliage and ferns
  • Pale blue-violet flowers mid-summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 18"-24" H x 30"-36" W
Substitution Suggestions

'June'
  • Montale favorite!
  • Sport of 'Halcyon'
  • One of the last to go dormant​
  • Centers turn medium to light gold on sunnier sites; chartreuse in deep shade
  • Pale lavender flowers mid to late summer
  • Good slug resistant
  • 1'-2' H x 2'-3' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Liberty' PP 12531
  • Sport of 'Sagae'
  • Slow grower
  • More sun and drought tolerant than most
  • Forms an upright, vase-shaped mound
  • Wide, dramatically streaked yellow margins fade to cream
  • Showy lavender flowers early/mid-summer
  • ​Good slug resistance
  • 1'-2' H x 2'-4' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Olive Bailey Langdon'
  • Large selection
  • (Great sub) - Improved 'Frances William' 
  • Less prone to leaf scorch
  • Cupped leaves with a deeply corrugated texture
  • Blue centers with wide gold margins
  • Purple flowers early summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 3' H x 5'-6' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Orange Marmalade' PP 16742
  • Puts on a multi-color display
  • Quite sun tolerant
  • Emerges with a green center and transitions to bright golden-tangerine lightening and maturing to creamy white by summer's end; pure white if in a lot of sun
  • Orange hue all season
  • Pale lavender flowers mid-summer
  • 1'-2' H x 2'-3' W

          Discontinued Montale item - while supplies last
Substitution Suggestions

'Patriot'
  • Sport of 'Francee'
  • Sun and heat tolerant; some not all full sun
  • Creamy yellow margins quickly become pure white
  • Lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Great in city gardens or courtyards
  • Ideal leafy accent
  • ​Good slug resistance
  • 18"-24" H x 30"-36" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Rainforest Sunrise'
  • Montale favorite!
  • Upright, mounded form
  • Moderate to fast grower
  • Mid-morning sun or bright shade for best gold tones
  • Dramatic contrast between bright centers and dark margins
  • Lavender tinted flowers mid-summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 8"-12" H x 16"-20" W 
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Royal Standard'
  • Vigorous and fast growing
  • Can tolerate direct sun with adequate moisture
  • Yellowish-green tones in full sun
  • Shelter from cold, dry wind​
  • Fragrant white flowers late summer
  • Stunning in a mass planting
  • 20"-24" H x 36"-60" W
Substitution Suggestions

'Sagae'
  • Upright, vase-shaped habit
  • Slow to establish
  • Wavy yellow margins become creamy white with sun
  • Early spring foliage resembles that of 'June'
  • Pale lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 2'-3' H x 3'-5' W

         Discontinued Montale item - while supplies last
Substitution Suggestions

'Stained Glass'
  • Sport of 'Guacamole'
  • Very sun tolerant - needs adequate moisture
  • Variegation appears early in the season
  • Prominent veins give it a stained glass effect​
  • Fragrant pale lavender flowers late summer
  • Outstanding choice for around the porch
  • 12"-15" H x 30"-48" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Sum and Substance'
  • One of the largest of the hostas - can reach up to 9 feet across at maturity
  • Tropical, paddle-shaped leaves
  • Needs space to grow
  • Morning sun with adequate moisture for best golden-chartreuse color
  • Pale lavender flowers mid to late summer
  • Most slug resistant variety
  • 2'-3' H x 5'-6' W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

'Touch of Class' PP 13080

  • Tetraploid sport of 'June'
  • Leaves are more upright than 'June'
  • Low, clump forming variety
  • Intense blue leaves with chartreuse to yellow centers and green jetting 
  • More blue-green in summer
  • Pale lavender flowers mid-summer
  • Good slug resistance
  • 12"-16" H x 18"-24" W
Substitution Suggestions​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​