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Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' · Asparagaceae

Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' (Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd')
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Thick, heavily puckered, dark blue-green leaves so deeply cupped that they hold rainwater, each showing its pale underside.

Size
22 in tall, 3½ ft wide
Zones
3 to 9
Light
Part shade to shade
Flowers
Grown for its leaves; flowers early July to early August
Pets
Toxic (mild)
Job in a bed
Specimen

A bed built around hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' stands where it does.

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in mid July: Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd', Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple', Astilbe 'Sprite', Northern sea oats, Foxglove, Gray's sedge, Snowdrop, Grecian windflower.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in mid July.
4. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats45. Foxglove55. Foxglove55. Foxglove51. Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'13. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'32. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'23. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'36. Gray's sedge66. Gray's sedge66. Gray's sedge63. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'32. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'27. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop7. Snowdrop8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' × 1, blue-green leaves
  2. 2 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 8, purple
  3. 3 Astilbe 'Sprite' × 11, pink
  4. 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
  5. 5 Foxglove × 3, purple
  6. 6 Gray's sedge × 3, green
  7. 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
  8. 8 Grecian windflower × 8, blue

Why this plant

  • The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.

Why here

  • In the middle. At 22 in it is the step between astilbe 'Sprite' (12 in) in front and Gray's sedge (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
  • One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
  • Bold leaf against fine. Astilbe 'Sprite' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.

Why now

  • Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 29 of the 29 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The flowering is at its height from early July, with 3 kinds out together. A cool scheme: purple, pink, blue, tan, green and white.

The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.

Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.

Where hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' goes in a border

At 22 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).

Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.

The most strongly cupped hosta. The texture is everything, so keep it out of the sun, which melts the blue wax, and away from dripping trees. Hosta of the Year in 2014.

  • Textured blue foliage
  • A specimen in shade
  • Slug-resistant planting

What to plant with hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:

  • Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.

Questions about hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

Does hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

How far apart should hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' be planted?

3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (110 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 22 in (55 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' plants do I need?

At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:

  • 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
  • 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
  • 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.

Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

What does hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' look like in winter?

Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.

More Hosta

In these guides

Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9

Every fact on record

Type
Perennial
Size
22 in (55 cm) tall, 3½ ft (110 cm) wide
Plant
3 ft (90 cm) apart
Height class
Medium short (18 to 24 in)
Place in the bed
Middle
Flowers
Early July to early August; upright spires; white
Leaves
Bold texture, herbaceous; blue-green
Shape
Mounding, clumping
Hardy in
USDA zones 3 to 9
Light
Part shade, shade
Soil
Rich, evenly moist
Water
Moderate
Feeding
Light, in spring
Family
Asparagaceae

Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.