Smith's Gardens, Inc. - Coral Bell Profile

Hostas for Full Shade
Hosta

Growing Conditions

Sun exposure: full shade (2 or less hours of sunlight a day)

Soil: performs best in average to fertile, well-drained soil, but are tolerant of a wide
        range of conditions. Avoid sites that are extremely wet or excessively dry.

Traits

Special Care Instructions
None, hostas are a care-free, low maintenance plant.

Flowering Time
May through August, depending on the variety.

Characteristics, Uses, and Fun Facts
Hostas are tough, long-lived plants which grow despite neglect. They are perfect for the beginning gardener. But, for those of us that love plants, Hostas respond wonderfully to amended soils and high fertility, rewarding the attentive gardener profusely. Though not commonly used as such, hostas are a wonderful nectar source for hummingbirds.
How large will a particular hosta will get? The size and growth rate of hostas greatly depends on sunlight, soil type, moisture, and fertility. The best benchmark to use on how large a hosta will grow is to observe other hostas in the area and note their size categories.

Blue hostas require deep shade to retain the waxy coating on the leaf surface that gives them their blue color. Too much sun and the leave surface will get hot and the waxy coating melts off.

                                              Varieties

Attracts Hummingbirds

Good Cut Flower & Foliage

Abiqua Drinking Gourd Large, 23" tall

•	Solid blue-green leaves are heavily puckered and cupped with age.
•	Near white flowers in summer.
•	2014 Hosta of the Year!
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Blue Angel Giant, 32-36" tall

•	Large blue-green foliage with heavy substance forms a huge mound up to 48" across when mature.
•	White flowers in summer.
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Blue Mouse Ears Mini, 4-6" tall

•	Small, glaucus blue leaves of thick substance.
•	Excellent for fairy gardens, trough and front of the border specimen.
•	Cute lavender flowers in early summer.
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Blueberry Muffin Small, 14" tall

•	Large blue leaves are ridged and puckered.
•	Red petioles add an interest not usually seen on blue hostas.
•	Lavender flowers form just above the mound in early summer.
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•	Forms a giant, upright mound of blue-green leaves with green margins in spring.
•	The variegation becomes showier as the season progresses, as the margins brighten to light apple green.
•	A sport of the classic Blue Angel
•	White flowers top the clump in midsummer.

Devil's Advocate Giant, 36" tall

•	This wonderful sport of Blue Angel boasts large, blue-green leaves with a wide, creamy white margin.
•	Pale lavender flowers in early to mid summer.
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Earth Angel Giant, 30" tall

•	Intense, blue green leaves that are edged with cream to white.
•	Lavender flowers.
•	"Hosta of the Year" for 2010.
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First Frost Medium, 16" tall

•	Forms a massive, dome-shaped mound of blue-green, corrugated, heart-shaped leaves.
•	Its color is bluest in the spring.
•	Near-white, bell-shaped flowers in early summer.
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Humpback Whale Giant, 36" tall

•	A vigorous-growing mini hosta forming a small clump of narrow, powdery blue leaves.
•	The pointed, smooth leaves cup gently and have lightly wavy edges.
•	In midsummer, the foliage is topped with lavender flowers on short stems.
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Gemstone Mini, 5" tall

•	Ruffled and folded blue-green leaves have irregular gray-white centers.
•	The white center will fade to green in late summer.
•	A sport of Blue Angel, Guardian Angel is a striking specimen.
•	Lavender flowers in summer.

Guardian Angel Large, 23" tall

•	A very unusual hosta!
•	The upper surface of the spear-like leaves are frosty blue with fine yellow streaks, while the undersides have a metallic silver sheen.
•	Produces abundant near white flowers on arching stems in early summer.
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Hyuga Urajiro Very Small, 7-10" tall

•	Long, narrow, blue-grey leaves with creamy yellow margins and silvery white leaf backs
•	Distinguished by its flowing, low spreading, mounding habit.
•	Pale lavender flowers in August.
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Mourning Dove Medium, 16-18" tall

•	A sport of Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ with thick textured, puckered leaves and a broad cream-white margin
•	White flowers on 42" tall stems in early to mid-summer.
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Northern Exposure Giant, 36" tall

•	Blue-grey leaves with a narrow cream edge. Vase shaped habit.
•	Host of the Year for 2003.
•	Lavender flowers on 4-6' tall flower stems in mid-summer.
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Regal Splendor Large, 24" tall

•	In spring, frosty blue leaves of good substance display wavy, creamy yellow margins.
•	In summer, the color transitions to blue-green with wide, creamy white margins.
•	Lavender flowers on 4' tall scapes in summer.
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Regal Supreme Medium, 20" tall

•	Leaves are as thick and corrugated as a rhino hide!
•	The incredibly cupped and corrugated blue foliage is highlighted by a dramatic golden central pattern that ages to cream.
•	2' tall spikes of white flowers in early summer.
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Rhino Hide Medium, 20" tall

Andrew Medium, 20" tall

•	Thick, puckered and twisted blue-green leaves have a wide, white center.
•	Pale lavender flowers in early to mid-summer.
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Silver Bay Small, 13" tall

•	Substantial, rounded leaves pucker as the plant matures.
•	The plant forms a flat-topped mound.
•	Llavender flowers are produced on tall scapes in the summer.
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Sky Dancer Medium, 16" tall

•	Features large, cool blue, spade-shaped leaves.
•	With age, the leaves develop a prominent pie-crust edge.
•	Pale lavender flowers in late summer
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Touch of Class Medium, 15-22" tall

•	Incredibly thick, blue-green foliage with a striking gold center.
•	A tetraploid sport of Hosta 'June'.
•	Pale lavender flowers in summer.
•	Slower growing, but worth it.

Wishing Well Large, 23" tall

•	Large blue leaves that are depply cupped and corrugated.
•	Recognized for holding its blue color late into the growing season even when grown in sunnier locations.
•	White flowers in mid-summer.
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Hosta sizing:
   Mini: <6" tall                     Medium: 16-22" tall
Very Small: 7-10" tall          Large: 23-28" tall
Small: 11-15" tall             Giant: >28" tall

Mixed Hostas in a woodland bed