Beautiful Plants For Your Interior
Discover my top 19 hosta varieties that will thrive in the dappled light of your shade garden.
From the classic ‘Blue Angel’ to the vibrant ‘Glory Hallelujah’, I’ve handpicked the best hostas to add texture, color, and intrigue to your outdoor oasis.
Blue Angel
The ‘Blue Angel’ hosta is a large, showy variety with stunning blue-green leaves that make it a standout in any garden. This vigorous grower is relatively easy to care for, preferring moist, well-drained soil and partial to full shade.
The oval-shaped leaves feature a prominent, irregular white margin that adds a touch of contrast and elegance to the plant.
Reaching heights of 2-3 feet, the ‘Blue Angel’ hosta makes a substantial statement in borders, containers, or as a groundcover. Its adaptability and striking appearance make it a must-have for any hosta enthusiast or gardener looking to add a touch of blue-green beauty to their shade garden.
Blue Cadet
If you desire hostas with a hint of blue, add Blue Cadet to your collection. This variety boasts medium-sized leaves adorned with a subtle blue-green hue.
Its foliage forms a dense and compact clump, making it an excellent choice for borders or containers.
Blue Cadet is easy to grow and thrives in shady gardens, adding a touch of elegance to your outdoor space.
Blue Mouse Ears
Blue Mouse Ears hostas are sure to steal the show in your shady garden! Their vibrant blue-green foliage with ruffled edges adds an eye-catching element to any landscape. Reaching a mature height of around 10 inches, they form a dense, compact mound that is perfect for borders or as a stand-alone specimen.
Blue Mouse Ears are relatively low maintenance, but they do prefer moist, well-drained soil.
With their unique coloration and compact size, these hostas are a must-have for any shade enthusiast.
Blue Shadows
Shade-loving gardeners rejoice! Blue Shadows hosta is a stunning variety that adds a touch of sophistication to any garden.
Its deep blue-green foliage makes a bold statement, contrasting beautifully with lighter-colored plants.
Blue Shadows is a slow grower, reaching a height of 12-16 inches, making it ideal for edging pathways or borders.
Its dense, upright habit makes it a great choice for containers as well.
Color Glory
If you want to add a splash of vibrant color to your shady garden, the ‘Color Glory’ hosta is an excellent choice. Its large, heart-shaped leaves emerge golden yellow in the spring and gradually transform to chartreuse, creating a striking contrast against the darker greens surrounding it.
As summer progresses, the foliage takes on a bluish hue, adding depth and interest to the shade garden.
The ‘Color Glory’ hosta is a slow grower, forming a dense mound of foliage that reaches a height of 18 inches and a width of 36 inches. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and partial to full shade.
Emerald Crown
Emerald Crown is a compact hosta variety that features deep green foliage with a glossy sheen.
Its leaves are ovate to round in shape, with wavy edges and a prominent central vein.
Forming a neat mound, Emerald Crown is perfect for adding color and interest to shady areas of the garden.
It grows to a mature height of 10 to 12 inches and prefers well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter.
With its low maintenance requirements and attractive foliage, Emerald Crown is a versatile hosta that makes a great addition to any shade garden.
First Frost
When the first frost hits, your hostas will start to go dormant.
This is a natural process that helps them survive the winter.
As the temperatures drop, the hostas will begin to lose their leaves.
This is because the leaves are no longer able to photosynthesize, which is the process by which they make food.
The hostas will continue to lose their leaves until they are completely bare.
Once the hostas are bare, they will enter a state of dormancy.
This is a state of reduced metabolic activity that helps the hostas survive the winter.
Frances Williams
Frances Williams is a medium-sized hosta with showy, blue-green foliage. Its leaves are heart-shaped with a slightly wavy margin and can grow up to 8 inches long and 6 inches wide.
Frances Williams produces pale lavender flowers on 24-inch scapes in midsummer.
It forms a large clump over time and is best for planting in shade or partial shade. This hosta is easy to grow and low maintenance, making it a great choice for beginner gardeners.
It’s also resistant to pests and diseases, so you can enjoy its beauty for years to come.
Glory Hallelujah
Glory Hallelujah is a popular variegated hosta with bold, emerald green leaves with wide, creamy white margins. It forms a large, upright clump that adds a touch of drama to any shady garden.
Hostas are relatively low-maintenance plants that thrive in moist, well-drained soil.
They can tolerate some sun but prefer shade, especially during the hot afternoon hours.
Gold Standard
The ‘Gold Standard’ hosta variety is a must-have for any shade garden.
Its medium green, heart-shaped leaves have a wide creamy yellow center that gives it a striking and elegant appearance.
It grows well in partial to full shade, so it’s perfect for those tricky areas in your garden where other plants struggle to thrive.
Halcyon
This distinctive hosta, known for its heart-shaped leaves, brightens shady gardens with its captivating golden foliage. The Halcyon hosta thrives in moist, well-drained soil and appreciates protection from the scorching sun.
Its compact size makes it an excellent choice for containers or smaller spaces.
As the season progresses, the foliage transforms into a vibrant chartreuse, adding a splash of color to the landscape.
Krossa Regal
Krossa Regal hostas are a stunning variety that will add a touch of elegance to your shade garden.
With its massive, heart-shaped leaves, it creates a bold and dramatic statement.
The leaves are a deep, rich green with pronounced veins that provide an artistic flair.
Perfect for creating a focal point or as an accent plant, Krossa Regal hostas will bring a touch of sophistication to your garden.
Liberty
Liberty, with its heart-shaped leaves and subtle green and white variegation, brings a touch of elegance to the shade garden. Its medium size and upright form make it suitable for both borders and containers.
Liberty thrives in moist, well-drained soil and prefers partial to full shade.
Its attractive foliage adds interest throughout the growing season, making it a reliable choice for adding texture and dimension to your shady oasis.
Love Pat
Love Pat is an eye-catching hybrid cultivar with heart-shaped leaves that add interest to any shady garden. Its foliage features bold, white margination set against a dark green center, creating a striking contrast that will turn heads.
Love Pat is known for its vigor, forming clumps of lush greenery that can spread up to 3-4 feet across.
Its moderate growth rate makes it a manageable addition to any landscape, bringing color and texture to shaded areas.
Praying Hands
For those seeking a compact hosta with intriguing foliage, ‘Praying Hands’ is a perfect choice.
Its petite size makes it suitable for smaller gardens or containers, where its distinctive blue-green leaves with deeply cupped edges resemble clasped hands in prayer.
As the season progresses, the foliage matures to a richer, darker green.
‘Praying Hands’ prefers shady or partially shaded areas with well-drained soil, ensuring it thrives in the cooler, moist conditions it desires.
Sagae
Sagae bears golden variegated leaves that make it an exceptional ornamental choice for your shady garden.
Recognized for its exceptional size, it can grow up to two and a half feet tall.
The foliage displays vibrant chartreuse edges that gently fade into creamy gold centers.
Sagae’s foliage matures to a bright golden yellow, creating a stunning and eye-catching accent in any landscape.
Sum and Substance
The Sum and Substance hosta is an eye-catching variety loved for its large, dramatic foliage.
Its leaves are heart-shaped with a blue-green color and a wide, irregular creamy white margin.
Its upright growth habit makes it an excellent choice for adding height and interest to shady areas.
The Sum and Substance hosta prefers well-drained soil and will thrive in partial to full shade.
Its mature height ranges from 24 to 36 inches, making it a substantial addition to any landscape.
Wide Brim
One of the most popular hosta varieties is the Wide Brim.
This hosta is known for its large, round leaves that have a wide, creamy white margin.
The leaves are held on sturdy petioles and form a dense clump that can reach up to 3 feet in diameter.
Wide Brim is a slow-growing hosta that is easy to care for and makes a great addition to any shade garden.
Zounds
Zounds is a cultivar that has leaves adorned with rippled edges.
It draws the eye with chartreuse, blue-green foliage.
One of the smaller varieties on this list, Zounds forms an attractive mound that slowly spreads, making it a good choice for containers or small garden spaces.
