Hosta 'Elegans'
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans' ·
The classic big blue hosta: thick, round, heavily puckered, blue-grey leaves and near-white flowers that barely clear the foliage.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late June to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around hosta 'Elegans'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Elegans' 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 'Elegans' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Elegans' × 1, blue-green leaves
- 2 Lingonberry × 4, pink
- 3 Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' × 22, blue
- 4 Northern sea oats × 8, tan
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 6 Blue-stemmed goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 7 Dwarf crested iris × 32, lavender
- 8 Indian pink × 3, red
- 9 Yellow trout lily × 10, yellow
- 10 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
- 11 Snowdrop × 7, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is the step between lingonberry (8 in) in front and northern sea oats (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. Lingonberry is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 67 of the 76 plants (88%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 48 to 52, left to right. The bed is tied together by its repeats: four kinds come round again along it, among them dwarf crested iris and bellflower 'Dickson's Gold'.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hosta 'Elegans' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ 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.
A century old and still among the best. Its seersucker leaves hold drops of water and resist slugs. Grow it in full shade to keep the blue.
- A large blue specimen for full shade
- Woodland gardens
- Slug-resistant bold foliage
What to plant with hosta 'Elegans'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 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.
- 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.
Questions about hosta 'Elegans'
Does hosta 'Elegans' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Elegans' 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 'Elegans' 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 'Elegans' 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 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Elegans' 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 'Elegans' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
What does hosta 'Elegans' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Elegans' 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
- August lily Hosta plantaginea
- Hosta Hosta
- Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'
- Hosta 'August Moon' Hosta 'August Moon'
- Hosta 'Blue Angel' Hosta 'Blue Angel'
- Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'
- Hosta 'Curly Fries' Hosta 'Curly Fries'
- Hosta 'Empress Wu' Hosta 'Empress Wu'
- Hosta 'Fire and Ice' Hosta 'Fire and Ice'
- Hosta 'First Frost' Hosta 'First Frost'
- Hosta 'Francee' Hosta 'Francee'
- Hosta 'Frances Williams' Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams'
- Hosta 'Gold Standard' Hosta 'Gold Standard'
- Hosta 'Golden Tiara' Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
- Hosta 'Great Expectations' Hosta 'Great Expectations'
- Hosta 'Guacamole' Hosta 'Guacamole'
- Hosta 'Halcyon' Hosta 'Halcyon'
- Hosta 'June' Hosta 'June'
- Hosta 'Krossa Regal' Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
- Hosta 'Liberty' Hosta 'Liberty'
- Hosta 'Patriot' Hosta 'Patriot'
- Hosta 'Paul's Glory' Hosta 'Paul's Glory'
- Hosta 'Praying Hands' Hosta 'Praying Hands'
- Hosta 'Royal Standard' Hosta 'Royal Standard'
- Hosta 'Sagae' Hosta 'Sagae'
- Hosta 'So Sweet' Hosta 'So Sweet'
- Hosta 'Stained Glass' Hosta 'Stained Glass'
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance' Hosta 'Sum and Substance'
- Hosta 'Wide Brim' Hosta 'Wide Brim'
- White-margined wavy hosta Hosta undulata 'Albomarginata'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to mid July; 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
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.