12 STRIKING HOSTAS FOR THE LIGHTING UP SHADE
1 ‘BLAZING SADDLES’
A vigorous variegated hosta with deep green foliage edged with creamy white. For a perfectly white edge, seek out ‘Minuteman’ or ‘Patriot’ instead. Both are highly recommended modern cultivars.
2 ‘EMPRESS WU’
Named after the only female Chinese emperor, this awesome oversized beauty towers over all over hostas with pale green, ribbed leaves up to 70cm long. ‘Empress Wu’ has a slight blue-green tinge when the foliage first emerges. She was bred from another whopper, ‘Big John’. 3 ‘LOYALIST’
A reverse sport of ‘Patriot’ with white splotchy centres edged with dark green. A mid-grade hosta, forming clumps up to 70cm wide.
4 ‘BLUE VEIL’
Though not as blue as its name might suggest (‘Krossa Regal‘ or ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ are bluer), this large-leafed, slightly cupped variety is no less beautiful. I‘ve put in 50 plants.
5 ‘PURPLE HEART’
This new variety has an edge over older varieties on two fronts: it is largely sun-tolerant and slug-resistant. An unusual and attractive hosta with verdant lime, heart-shaped leaves with dark purple contrasting stems. The leaves aren’t large, resulting in a dense, compact clump, but the flowers are brighter and almost violet.
6 ‘GREAT EXPECTATIONS’
A bit garish in early spring but the gold centres fade to cream by summer. The large, oval, puckered foliage makes a show.
7 ‘SILVER KNIGHT’
Bred in New Zealand, this compact hosta doesn’t mind humidity and has bright metallic blue new leaves that fade to soft silver blue in summer. The flowers are lilac.
8 ‘ALBOPICTA’
If you are convinced you bought a variegated hosta, but now find yourself staring at a plain green clump, it could be this old cultivar of Hosta fortunei. It starts off with a bold streak then hides its light under a bushel for the rest of the season.
9 ‘GOLD STANDARD’
This older timer has good genes: it’s the parents of many modern varieties. A medium to large grower with pale lime (rather than buttery gold) new foliage that gets brighter as its fades, so the contrast is more noticeable later in the season.
10 ‘HALCYON’
One of the best of the blues, with pointy, thick (and slug resistant) foliage. It holds its clear blue colour right through until it dies down at the end of the season.
11 ‘STRIPTEASE’
An award-winning, cream-streaked sport of ‘Gold Standard’ that’s proving to be a bit of a tease in my garden. It struts its stuff later than most and thus was only just emerging when these photographs were taken. Its leaves aren’t usually this small.
12 ‘ABBA DABBA DO’
I confess to buying this purely on a whim, as it often the case, because I liked its silly name. The pointy leaves are slightly twisted and have a golden green margin that bucks the trend by getting bolder as the season progresses, rather than fading.