Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
Hosta 'Golden Tiara' · Asparagaceae
Small, heart-shaped, green leaves with a chartreuse-gold rim, in a dense, fast-growing mound, with purple-striped flowers.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early July to early August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around hosta 'Golden Tiara'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Golden Tiara' 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 'Golden Tiara' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Golden Tiara' × 3, green leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 11, blue
- 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 4 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 5 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 6 Bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Fawn lily 'White Beauty' × 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 14 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
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: 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. Blue star creeper and leadwort finish the front edge. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in early August.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 'Golden Tiara' goes in a border
At 14 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: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
The best small hosta for edging: it increases quickly, stays neat and flowers freely. A row of it finishes the front of a shady bed.
- Edging a shady bed
- Small gardens
- Containers
What to plant with hosta 'Golden Tiara'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese painted fern: happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Astilbe 'Sprite': adds the flowers, early July to early August; a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hosta 'Golden Tiara'
Does hosta 'Golden Tiara' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Golden Tiara' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), 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 'Golden Tiara' 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 'Golden Tiara' be planted?
20 in (50 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Golden Tiara' plants do I need?
At 20 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 4 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 14 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is hosta 'Golden Tiara' 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.
Is there a pet-safe plant like hosta 'Golden Tiara'?
These come closest to doing what hosta 'Golden Tiara' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Coral bells: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, wants average soil.
- Foamy bells: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, wants average soil.
- Lungwort 'Raspberry Splash': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early April to mid May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does hosta 'Golden Tiara' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Golden Tiara' 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 'Frances Williams' Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams'
- Hosta 'Gold Standard' Hosta 'Gold Standard'
- 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 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 20 in (50 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early July to early August; upright spires; purple
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green, variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, 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.