Description of the 30 best hosta varieties with photos and names

Until recently, hosta from the asparagus family was considered the queen of the shady garden. But with the advent of new varieties, her domain has expanded and you can already see the hosta in sunny areas.

The main advantage and decoration of the culture are the leaves, therefore, when describing the best varieties, more attention is given to them.

Review of hosta varieties from Natalia Samoilenko:

One cannot ignore the fact that hosta is not only decorative, but also durable.With age, hosta bushes become more lush and beautiful and retain their decorative appearance for 20 years or more. Plants reach maturity at the age of 3-6-9 years, depending on the variety.

Content:

Green hosta varieties
Hostas with yellow leaves
Blue hostas
White varieties
Plants for sunny places
Giant hosta varieties
Low-growing, dwarf hostas

Hostas are not susceptible to disease. Of the pests, the greatest danger to them is slugs, mainly for varieties with thin, delicate leaves.

The beautiful foliage and delicate flowers of hostas are actively used by arrangers in their works.

Hostas with green leaves

Brim Cup

It is distinguished by its compactness. The green leaves are small, grooved, cup-shaped with a fairly wide, uneven creamy-white stripe along the edge.

The size of the leaf plate is 16x12 cm. It grows slowly. The purple flowers turn almost white at the end of the season. They are located on straight bare stems up to 45 cm in height. Flowering occurs in July-August.

It is highly decorative even when grown in the shade; it is not demanding on the composition of the soil, but does not tolerate stagnation of water at the roots.
The height of the bush is 30-35 cm.
Frost resistance: -35°C (zone 4), Moscow region, most of Russia, northern and mountainous regions of Scandinavia.

In cool climates, exposure to the morning sun for at least 2 hours is advisable.

Malachite box

The rounded leaves of this variety are covered with a pattern of multi-colored lines.

Color transitions from malachite to light green and milky green cannot fail to attract attention. Medium-sized leaf plates, 20 x 30 cm.

It blooms in July with white, fragrant, bell-shaped flowers.
Grows well not only in the shade, but also in the sun
Height – 50 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Bridegroom

The uniqueness of the variety is the heart-shaped leaves, curved upward in an arc. The border is very wavy.

The color of the leaf blades is olive green, size 13 x 10 cm. The shape of the bush resembles a fountain.

The funnel-shaped flower is sterile, located on a straight leafless green peduncle 45 cm high. Flowering begins in late summer.
Bush height 40 cm, width 85 cm.
The greatest decorative effect appears in the shade or partial shade.
Vulnerable to pests.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Moscow region, most of Russia, northern and mountainous regions of Scandinavia.

Avocado

Large, fast-growing hosta. The leaves are dense and convex, bright green in the center, darker at the edges.

Due to their shape and color, they resemble avocado fruits. Sheet size 20x25 cm.

The flowers are large, bell-shaped, collected in racemes, almost white. Flowering occurs in August and is accompanied by a delicate aroma.
Plant height 70 cm, width 120 cm.
Winter hardiness: -40°С (zone 3), Far East, Southern Siberia, Perm region, Sverdlovsk region, Tyumen, Kirov, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk.

Gold Standard

The variety is distinguished by large egg-shaped leaf blades. In spring they are soft green with a dark border.

Over time, the color changes to golden, but the dark green color remains along the edges. The length of the leaf plate is 25 cm.

Flowering begins in July and continues until August. The flowers are light lilac, located on peduncles up to 1 m long.
The height of the hosta is about 70 cm, the diameter of an adult bush is more than 120 cm, so you need to choose a spacious place for planting.
Not damaged by infections and pests.
Frost resistance: zone 4.Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

In landscape design, Gold Standard goes well with flower arrangements and coniferous plants. Does not require special care, grows well in conditions of strong shade.

Yellow varieties

Yellow hosta is especially popular among gardeners. They are attracted not only by the unpretentiousness of the plant, but also by the possibility of creating decorative accents in the garden plot. Descriptions of yellow varieties with names and photos will help you choose the best specimen for every amateur gardener.

Varieties with yellow foliage are more tolerant of sunlight and grow best in areas that receive morning and evening sun. In the sun throughout the day, yellow leaves fade, and in the shade they turn pale or green.

Tortilla Chip

The voluminous bush consists of large, oval, slightly grooved yellow leaves with a glossy sheen. Used for arranging group plant compositions.

Small flowers of a light purple hue with a pleasant aroma bloom in July-August on thin straight stems.
The height of the bush is 60-70 cm, diameter up to 60 cm.
Most often it is affected by slugs.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

The variety with the interesting name Tortilla Chip tolerates bright light well and does not make high demands on soil and quality of care.

Sun Power

The leaves are oval in shape with a pointed end. Veins are clearly visible on their wavy, slightly corrugated surface. The lower surface of the leaf has a whitish coating, the petioles are long.

It blooms in mid-summer with funnel-shaped pale lilac flowers on tall, up to 90 cm, peduncles. The flowers are sterile and do not set seeds.
The bush has the shape of a fountain, 70 cm high, 90 cm wide.
Frost resistance: up to -30 (zone 4), Moscow region and most of Russia.

The color of Sun Power's young foliage is yellowish-green. Over time, in the sun, the foliage will acquire a golden or lime color that lasts until frost.

Dancing Queen

Large, lemon-yellow leaves form a vase-shaped bush. In mid-summer, the color of the leaves changes to green.

This hosta variety has leaf texture with pronounced veins and a wavy edge. Leaf blades - 33x18 cm. For growing light hostas, partial shade or a sunny place is suitable.

Dancing Queen blooms in July-August with graceful light lavender flowers collected in clusters on long bare peduncles. The length of the peduncles reaches 70 cm.
In spring, young leaves of this variety can be damaged by slugs.
The average height of the bush is 50 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

On poor soils, hosta growth slows down, so it should be enriched with humus and mineral fertilizers.

Golden Fountain

In spring, the leaves have a rich color of young greenery, which gradually gives way to golden color.

The purple flowers bloom in mid-summer.
The average height of the bush is 45 – 55 cm.
Frost resistance: -40°C (zone 3), Far East, Southern Urals, Perm Territory, Sverdlovsk Region, Chelyabinsk.

The Golden Fountain hosta variety is irreplaceable when creating plant contrasts.

Blue varieties

The best hosta varieties with blue leaves can turn green in very bright areas or in deep shade. You can preserve the blue color by planting plants in light partial shade or in areas shaded in the afternoon.

Young plants of blue varieties are not always similar to adults in color, leaf shape, or texture. Most often they are green or green-blue.

Blue Mouse Ears

Blue Mouse Ears are a gardeners favorite among mini hostas. The leaves are silver-blue with a wavy edge, as in the photo. Thanks to their dense texture, they are invulnerable to slugs. It grows slowly.

The shape of the Blue Mouse Ears flower stalk resembles a hyacinth. Flowers are pale lavender, bell-shaped.
Prefers partial shade, but does well in the morning sun.
The average height is about 25 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Hosta with the funny name Blue Mouse Ears may have an atypical leaf shape in the first year after planting, or in the year of purchase.

Blue Hawaii

The bush grows vertically. The leaves are blue, grooved, heart-shaped.

The flowers are white, bell-shaped. Flowering lasts from late August to mid-September, 15-20 days.
Grows better in moist soil and does not tolerate long-term drought.
Average height 70-75 cm, width up to 120 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Blue Mammoth

The Blue Mammonth variety owes its name to its large size and bluish color. Dome-shaped bush.

The leaves are large, broadly oval, in the center the color has a blue tint, later becoming bright green. The leaf plate is dense, the veins are convex.

The flowers are funnel-shaped, large, almost white, appear on peduncles in July.
Resistant to attack by slugs.
Average height 85 cm, width 165 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Blue Moon

Compact bush. Leaves are cupped and blue. Foliage grows slowly.

It blooms profusely and very impressively; inflorescences with large lavender flowers are larger in size than the plant itself.
Average height 25 cm, width 60 cm.
Resistant to pests.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

White hostas

Hosta varieties with white leaves retain a white tint only at the beginning of the growing season, and then turn green. Warmer temperatures and sun speed up the greening process, so these varieties require a cool, shady location.

White Feather

One of the best varieties with white young leaves. As it grows, the veins will first turn green, and then the remaining parts of the leaf. The size of the sheet plate is 15x5 cm.

Blooming lilac flowers can be observed in June-August. Peduncles grow up to 65 cm.
The average plant height is 40 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

It is best to plant White Feather Hosta in a place where sunlight will predominate. Light-colored hosta varieties require more sun than green ones.

Christmas Candy

This elegant variety is of interest to flower growers due to its original leaf color. The leaf blade is dense, with a yellow-cream center and uneven, dark green edges.Young shoots have slightly wavy edges. Fast growing variety.

Light lavender flowers bloom in July-August. Seeds remain viable for up to one year. It is preferable to plant them next season.
The average height of the plant is 45 cm, width 75 cm.
Grows well in areas with direct sunlight. The soil should always be slightly moist.
Frost resistance: up to -34 (zone 4), Moscow region and most of Russia.

Varieties with a wavy leaf blade edge are one of the newest trends in breeding work.

Dancing in the Rain

Large, slow-growing hosta with ribbed leaves. The grey-green leaves with a large creamy white center need some morning sun. In extreme heat, the white center changes color to light green.

Peduncles without leaves, large, up to 120 cm tall. The flowers are funnel-shaped or bell-shaped, lilac, less often white, collected in a racemose, one-sided inflorescence. Flowering occurs in July-August.
The average height of the bush is 70 cm, width 115 cm.
Winter hardiness: -40°C (zone 3), Far East, Southern Siberia, Perm region, Sverdlovsk region, Tyumen, Kirov, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk.

This hosta variety with the cheerful name Dancing in the Rain is effective in single plantings on the lawn, near ponds. Suitable for borders, ridges, mixed groups.

Eskimo Pie

The variety is notable for its wide oval leaves with a wavy edge, which can change color.

In spring, the central part of the leaf blade is creamy with pale salad strokes. Along the edge of the leaf blade there is an uneven border of bluish-green color. In summer, the center turns white, and the edges become a rich light green color. Relief veins increase the decorative appearance of the plant.

In July, the plant produces an arrow strewn with light lilac funnel-shaped flowers. Average height 60-70 cm, width 90 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Fireworks

This variety has leaves that grow vertically upward. The leaf color is pure white with irregular green stripes in the center and along the edges.

The leaf blade measures 13-15 x 4 cm. Partial shade or a sunny place in the morning is suitable for cultivation.

The flowers are pale lavender.
Diseases and pests
Average height 20 cm, width 30 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Suitable for rockeries, miniature gardens, and containers with other very small or miniature hosta varieties.

Hosts for sunny places

Thanks to the breeding work of specialists, hosta varieties have appeared that grow well in sunny places. In sunny areas, you can plant varieties with the densest leathery leaves of light shades; they easily tolerate sunlight.

Hosta Limoncello

Limoncello does not lose the brightness of its leaves in the sun, so its location does not depend on the illumination of the area.

The leaves are spear-shaped, wrinkled, corrugated along the edges, on intense red petioles, at first pastel yellow, thanks to a waxy coating, gradually, as the coating is washed off, they become bright yellow.

Blooming purple bells can be observed in July.
The average plant height is 40-42 cm.
Frost resistance: up to -30 (zone 4), Moscow region, Leningrad region and most of Russia.

The average height allows the plant to be used to frame flowers and hide fading stems, for example, irises or tulips.

June Fever

The leaves of this compact hosta are dense, small, and drop-shaped. The color is yellow with an elegant emerald border. In a sunny location, the color of June Fever leaves becomes brighter, but the contrast is lost.

It blooms in the second half of summer with light purple flowers.
Average height 35-45 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Devon Green

The leaves are glossy, dark green, with well-defined veins on the surface. The bush is dense, dense, the leaves overlap each other.

Lavender flowers bloom in July.
Resistant to diseases and pests.
Average height up to 45 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Fair Maiden

The edges of the gray-green leaf blades are wavy, bordered by creamy contrasting stripes. Fair Maiden grows slowly and does not tolerate clay soils. Can be planted in both sun and partial shade.

It blooms in July-August with large pale lilac flowers.
Not afraid of diseases and pests.
Average height 20-30 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

When planting a plant with such a romantic name, you should not bury the root collar.

Giant hosts

Giant hosta is a decorative perennial ranging in size from 90 cm to 1.5 m in height and up to 2.5 m in width.Plants of this size are indispensable for background decoration. They help to visually increase the area of the site. To do this, it is advisable to plant them on a hill (hillock or high bed). The largest luxurious specimens serve as solitaires.

Blue Angel (Blue Angel)

Hosta is a giant with bluish ribbed leaves. It grows quickly and blooms profusely. The size of the sheet plate is 40x30 cm.

It blooms with fragrant white flowers in July-August.
Resistant to diseases and pests.
Average height is 1-1.25 m.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

The Blue Angel variety will help highlight the shoreline of a pond, decorate the lawn, or hide unsightly corners of the garden from prying eyes.

Liberty

The outer part of the leaves is yellow, golden or creamy, the inner part is bright green.

In July, flower stalks appear on which large, light, funnel-shaped flowers with lavender-colored petals bloom.
The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
The average height of the plant is 1 m, and the circumference reaches 1.7-1.8 m.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

The bush is pleased with its active growth - one division in 2 years turns into a beautiful large bush. Liberty appears in all its glory 5-6 years after planting.

Empress Wu

One of the tallest hostas in the world. The leaf blade is dense, rich green in color, with clear deep veins. Length and width are 50x70 cm.

It blooms with large lilac flowers on tall peduncles in July.
Grows in sun and shade
The average height of the bush is 1.2-1.8 m, and the diameter is up to 2.5 m.
Frost resistance: zone 4.Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

A rather rare variety of hosta, under the leaves of this plant a small person can easily hide from the rain.

Niagara Falls

A distinctive feature of the Niagara Falls variety is its convex, bright green leaves with deep veining and a wavy, textured edge. Falling leaves create the illusion of a waterfall.

Flowering occurs in July, the buds are light, purple or lilac, bell-shaped. Peduncles grow up to 1.2 m.
The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
The average height reaches 120 cm, width up to 1.7 m.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Dwarf varieties

The smallest plants, up to 10 cm high, are recommended to be planted in rockeries and very small gardens. Growing at home is not excluded.

Teeny-Weenie Bikini

Miniature bush. Light green, yellowing center and green edge of leaves.

Pale purple flowers appear in July.
Bush height 15 cm, width 45 cm.
High resistance to diseases.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Ideal for growing in containers, as a ground cover and for creating flowering borders.

Tiny Tears

Small, compact bush with green foliage. Great for rocky gardens.

The flowers are purple, medium saturation.
Height 10-15 cm, width about 52 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4.Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

The sizes given in the variety descriptions are approximate. The final height is influenced by many factors: microclimate, soil, irrigation, fertilizer.

Rare varieties of hosta:

Twist of Lime

The leaves are narrow, 9x4 cm, yellowish with a dark green edge.

The purple flowers bloom profusely and can be observed in July. Prefers a semi-shaded or shady place, moist, well-drained soil.
Height 10 cm, width 25 cm.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

Little Jay

The leaves are lanceolate, wavy, creamy white with a bluish-green edge. Nicely folded into a rosette. The entire leaf seems to be covered with a bluish coating. The size of the sheet plate is 8x3 cm.

Blooms with lavender bells.
The height of an adult plant is 10-15 cm, diameter - 25 cm.
Prefers shady places.
Winter hardiness: -40°С (zone 3), Far East, Siberia, Perm region, Ural

A plant with such a telling name can be grown in a buried pot.

Little Treasure

LITTLE TREASURE

The leaves are lanceolate, dense, bluish-green. The hallmark of this variety is a milky stripe on the leaf, which visually divides it in half. The size of the leaf plate is 12x5 cm. It grows quickly.

Blooms with light lilac flowers in July–August.
Plant height is 10-15 cm.
The planting location prefers shade or partial shade.
Resistant to diseases and pests.
Frost resistance: zone 4. Plants can withstand cooling down to -35°C in most regions of Russia, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region.

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