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Hosta 'Halcyon'

Hosta 'Halcyon' · Asparagaceae

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

The standard by which blue hostas are judged: thick, spear-shaped, intensely blue leaves in a neat, medium-sized mound that slugs largely ignore.

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

A bed built around hosta 'Halcyon'

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

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in early August: Hosta 'Halcyon', Lingonberry, Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple', Northern sea oats, Foxglove, Glory-of-the-snow, Giant snowdrop.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in early August.
4. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats45. Foxglove55. Foxglove55. Foxglove51. Hosta 'Halcyon'13. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'32. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry23. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'35. Foxglove53. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'37. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop7. Giant snowdrop6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Hosta 'Halcyon' × 1, blue-green leaves
  2. 2 Lingonberry × 5, pink
  3. 3 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 12, purple
  4. 4 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
  5. 5 Foxglove × 4, white
  6. 6 Glory-of-the-snow × 5, blue
  7. 7 Giant 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 18 in 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 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 27 of the 27 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The back corners are held by northern sea oats and foxglove, the tallest plants on the plan. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 47% of the visual weight and the right half 53%.

The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.

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

Where hosta 'Halcyon' goes in a border

At 18 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 holds its blue colour longer into summer than any other hosta. A mound of it beside the feathery pink of astilbe 'Sprite' or the silver of a painted fern is shade gardening at its simplest and best.

  • The best blue hosta for most gardens
  • The middle of a shady bed
  • Containers

What to plant with hosta 'Halcyon'

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

  • 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.
  • Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant': adds the flowers, early May to early September; fine leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.

Questions about hosta 'Halcyon'

Does hosta 'Halcyon' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'Halcyon' 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 'Halcyon' 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 'Halcyon' 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 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'Halcyon' 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 'Halcyon' poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.

Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

What does hosta 'Halcyon' look like in winter?

Hosta 'Halcyon' 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
18 in (45 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 mid August; upright spires; lavender
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 NC State Extension and 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.