Hosta 'Frances Williams'
Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams' ·
Huge, puckered, blue-green leaves with wide, irregular gold margins. A classic large hosta, though the gold edge can scorch in sun.
- Size
- 24 in 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 'Frances Williams'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Frances Williams' 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 'Frances Williams' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Frances Williams' × 1, variegated leaves
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 6, yellow
- 3 Blue star creeper × 8, blue
- 4 Hardy fuchsia × 1, red
- 5 Bugbane 'Brunette' × 3, white
- 6 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 7 Gray's sedge × 5, green
- 8 Golden ragwort × 25, yellow
- 9 Double snowdrop × 10, white
- 10 Grecian windflower × 7, pink
- 11 Glory-of-the-snow × 12, blue
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 medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between golden ragwort (20 in) in front and astilbe 'Purple Candles' (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. Hardy fuchsia is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the six weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 45 of the 54 plants (83%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 52% of the visual weight and the right half 48%. The flowering is at its height from mid July, with 4 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 'Frances Williams' goes in a border
At 24 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.
Keep it in full shade and out of drying wind, or the gold margins brown by midsummer. Its heavily puckered leaves are among the boldest textures in the shade garden.
- A large variegated feature for full shade
- Woodland gardens
- Bold contrast with ferns
What to plant with hosta 'Frances Williams'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Ostrich fern: medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Bleeding heart: adds the flowers, early May to early June; medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hosta 'Frances Williams'
Does hosta 'Frances Williams' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Frances Williams' 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 'Frances Williams' 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 'Frances Williams' 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 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Frances Williams' 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 'Frances Williams' 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 'Frances Williams' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Frances Williams' 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 'Elegans' Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
- 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 '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
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to mid July; upright spires; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; variegated
- 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.