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Hosta 'Blue Angel'

Hosta 'Blue Angel' · Asparagaceae

Hosta 'Blue Angel' (Hosta 'Blue Angel')
Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

One of the largest blue hostas: big, heart-shaped, blue-grey leaves in a wide mound, with near-white flowers in midsummer.

Size
3 ft tall, 4 ft wide
Zones
3 to 8
Light
Part shade to shade
Flowers
Grown for its leaves; flowers mid July to early August
Pets
Toxic (mild)
Job in a bed
Specimen

A bed built around hosta 'Blue Angel'

The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Blue Angel' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 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 'Blue Angel' stands where it does.

A 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) bed at eye level in late July: Hosta 'Blue Angel', London pride, Leadwort, Japanese meadowsweet, Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double', Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert', Creeping Jacob's ladder, Virginia bluebells, Woodland phlox, Yellow trout lily, Double snowdrop, Snowdrop.
A 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in late July.
5. Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double'55. Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double'55. Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double'54. Japanese meadowsweet44. Japanese meadowsweet44. Japanese meadowsweet41. Hosta 'Blue Angel'12. London pride22. London pride22. London pride22. London pride22. London pride29. Woodland phlox99. Woodland phlox99. Woodland phlox93. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort32. London pride22. London pride22. London pride22. London pride22. London pride26. Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert'66. Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert'66. Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert'68. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells87. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder77. Creeping Jacob's ladder78. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells88. Virginia bluebells83. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort310. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily10. Yellow trout lily12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop12. Snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop11. Double snowdrop
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Hosta 'Blue Angel' × 1, blue-green leaves
  2. 2 London pride × 10, pink
  3. 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
  4. 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
  5. 5 Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double' × 3, purple
  6. 6 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
  7. 7 Creeping Jacob's ladder × 13, blue
  8. 8 Virginia bluebells × 17, blue
  9. 9 Woodland phlox × 3, lavender
  10. 10 Yellow trout lily × 12, yellow
  11. 11 Double snowdrop × 12, white
  12. 12 Snowdrop × 12, white

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 3 ft it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ 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. Creeping Jacob's ladder is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.

Why now

  • Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 8 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 52 of the 61 plants (85%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The scheme leans cool (pink, blue, purple and lavender) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. For contrast, the bold leaves of Japanese meadowsweet sit beside the fine leaves of creeping Jacob's ladder. The plan meets all 17 of the design principles it was checked against, and is Excellent in two categories.

The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.

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

Where hosta 'Blue Angel' goes in a border

At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).

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.

Blue leaves stay blue only in shade; sun melts the waxy bloom and turns them green. Set gold Japanese forest grass or a gold hosta beside it for the classic blue-and-gold shade pairing.

  • A large blue-leaved feature for shade
  • The back of a shady bed
  • Contrast with gold and fine foliage

What to plant with hosta 'Blue Angel'

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

  • Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; 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.
  • Lady fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.

Questions about hosta 'Blue Angel'

Does hosta 'Blue Angel' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'Blue Angel' 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 'Blue Angel' grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

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

How far apart should hosta 'Blue Angel' be planted?

3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'Blue Angel' plants do I need?

At 3½ 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
  • 3 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 'Blue Angel' 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 'Blue Angel' look like in winter?

Hosta 'Blue Angel' 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

Every fact on record

Type
Perennial
Size
3 ft (90 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
Plant
3½ ft (100 cm) apart
Height class
Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
Place in the bed
Middle
Flowers
Mid July to early August; upright spires; white
Leaves
Bold texture, herbaceous; blue-green
Shape
Mounding, clumping
Hardy in
USDA zones 3 to 8
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.