Deciduous Perennial Mounding in the Asparagaceae Family
Experience June Hosta, where blue-green margins streak into a medium gold center by mid-summer. In deep shade, the center remains a vibrant chartreuse, adding a splash of color to your garden.
About Plantain Lilies
Meet the MVP of shade. Hostas do best in dappled or indirect light but can tolerate full shade, and because they tend to grow low and wide, they make incredible “filler” plants that thrive under trees, between taller perennials, and along buildings and walkways. Hostas don’t mind “wet feet,” which makes them an unfussy, accommodating choice for that shady, damp corner of the garden where little else seems to survive. Most hostas send up small white, pink, or purple bell-shaped flowers on tall, thin stalks, but their real glory lies in the yellows, blues, whites, and greens that pattern their broad leaves. When a hosta’s flowers die back in late summer, the stalks can be pruned back for a quick refresh, though no pruning is strictly necessary for these low-maintenance plants. Hostas range in size from miniature foliage to clumps over six feet across, so there’s almost certainly an option to fit any shady spot.
Hosta ‘Autumn Frost’ sports blue-green leaves heavily outlined in a thick yellow margin that fades to creamy white over the course of the season. Hosta ‘August Moon,’ like most of its yellow-hued siblings, is more sun-tolerant than most hosta varieties; its heavily ribbed leaves start light green and lighten further to gold by season’s end. Hosta ‘Big Daddy’ has large, rounded, striking blue-green leaves with a heavy, puckered texture that sets it apart from the crowd. Hosta ‘Francee’ sports kelly-green leaves outlined in white that put on quite a show layered over one another in the plant’s mounded shape. Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ is more tolerant of drier growing conditions than most and sets itself apart further with green leaves edged in a light green, irregular margin. Hosta ‘June’ is especially striking, with bluish-green margins surrounding light green interior margins around a green-and-gold leaf center, and it tends to hold color and stay in leaf later into the season than most. Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ is the star of the show for sheer scale — it can reach up to six feet tall and wide, in a beautiful gray-blue not often seen in other plants. Hosta ‘Patriot’ flaunts deep green leaves with thick, irregular white outlines, a contrast that’s hard to miss wherever it’s planted. Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ may have the best name in the genus, and backs it up with scale — a lime-green-to-yellow-green mound that can spread three to five feet wide.
Pros
Thrives in part shade to full shade, where little else will grow
Comes in an enormous range of leaf colors, patterns, and sizes
Low-maintenance once established; no pruning required
Tolerant of a wide range of soil and moisture conditions
Cons
A favorite snack of deer and rabbits (new spring growth especially)
Susceptible to slugs and snails
Will not thrive in full sun
Dead flower stalks are unattractive if left unpruned
Plant Data
Mature Size
12 - 18 inches
tall. 3 - 4 feet
wide.
Sun Exposure
Full Shade - Full Shade
Moisture Tolerance
Medium
Zones
3a - 8b
(Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags
Attracts Bees, Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Container, Deciduous, For a Shady Spot, Formal Garden, Full Shade, Good for Beginners, Good for Borders, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rock Garden, Groundcover, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Low Maintenance, Medium, Most Popular, Normal Soil, Perennial, Shade Tolerant, Showy Flowers, Slow Growth Rate, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Loamy Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Variegated Foliage, Well-Drained Soil, Wet Site Tolerant, Woodland Garden
We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!
Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants
Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.
Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.
Estimated Recipe Cost
The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.
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About Ordering From The Plant Club
To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.
We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region.
It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.
Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!