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Hosta 'First Frost'

Hosta 'First Frost' · Asparagaceae

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

Thick, blue leaves with a wide edge that is gold in spring and white by summer. A sport of 'Halcyon', and Hosta of the Year in 2010.

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

A bed built around hosta 'First Frost'

The planner designed this bed around hosta 'First Frost' 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 'First Frost' stands where it does.

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in early August: Hosta 'First Frost', Blue star creeper, Leadwort, Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume', Gray's sedge, Wild geranium 'Espresso', Yellow trout lily, Grecian windflower.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in early August.
4. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'44. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'44. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'45. Gray's sedge55. Gray's sedge55. Gray's sedge51. Hosta 'First Frost'12. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper23. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort32. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper26. Wild geranium 'Espresso'66. Wild geranium 'Espresso'66. Wild geranium 'Espresso'63. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort32. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper27. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. 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 'First Frost' × 1, blue-green leaves
  2. 2 Blue star creeper × 14, blue
  3. 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
  4. 4 Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' × 3, pink
  5. 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
  6. 6 Wild geranium 'Espresso' × 3, pink
  7. 7 Yellow trout lily × 10, yellow
  8. 8 Grecian windflower × 12, 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 16 in it is seen over leadwort (10 in) in front of it.
  • One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
  • Bold leaf against fine. Blue star creeper is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.

Why now

  • Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 32 of the 32 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in early August. Gray's sedge flowers longest, for 15 weeks.

The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 'First Frost' goes in a border

At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).

Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.

It keeps the slug-resistant substance and the neat habit of 'Halcyon', and looks good until the first frost, as the name promises.

  • Blue and gold foliage
  • Slug-resistant planting
  • The front and middle of a shady bed

What to plant with hosta 'First Frost'

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

  • Hosta 'Halcyon': a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Astilbe 'Sprite': adds the flowers, early July to early August; fine leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.

Questions about hosta 'First Frost'

Does hosta 'First Frost' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'First Frost' 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 'First Frost' 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 'First Frost' be planted?

2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'First Frost' plants do I need?

At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:

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

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

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

Is hosta 'First Frost' 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 'First Frost' look like in winter?

Hosta 'First Frost' 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
16 in (40 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
Plant
2½ ft (75 cm) apart
Height class
Short (12 to 18 in)
Place in the bed
Front
Flowers
Late July to late August; upright spires; lavender
Leaves
Bold texture, herbaceous; blue-green, variegated
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.