Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
Hosta 'Krossa Regal' · Asparagaceae
A vase-shaped hosta: frosty blue-grey leaves held upright on long stalks, with lavender flowers on stems as tall as a person.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late July to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around hosta 'Krossa Regal'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Krossa Regal' 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 'Krossa Regal' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Krossa Regal' × 1, blue-green leaves
- 2 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 11, purple
- 3 Blue star creeper × 13, blue
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 6 Snowdrop × 10, white
- 7 Grecian windflower × 5, pink
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
- At the back. It stands clear of the other plants: none is close in front of it, or close behind.
- A step in the back row. Next to Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' (4 ft) and northern sea oats (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
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: 31 of the 31 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Something is in flower for 32 weeks, from early March to mid October. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, blue star creeper and creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'.
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 'Krossa Regal' 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 tall (2½ to 3 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.
Almost every hosta is a mound; this one is a vase, which makes it the best contrast to other hostas and leaves room beneath for low plants such as European wild ginger.
- An upright shape among mounded hostas
- A specimen with room to underplant
- Formal shade gardens
What to plant with hosta 'Krossa Regal'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- European wild ginger: medium leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- 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.
Questions about hosta 'Krossa Regal'
Does hosta 'Krossa Regal' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Krossa Regal' 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 'Krossa Regal' 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 'Krossa Regal' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (80 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Krossa Regal' plants do I need?
At 3 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
- 4 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 'Krossa Regal' 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 'Krossa Regal' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Krossa Regal' 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 'Golden Tiara' Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
- Hosta 'Great Expectations' Hosta 'Great Expectations'
- Hosta 'Guacamole' Hosta 'Guacamole'
- Hosta 'Halcyon' Hosta 'Halcyon'
- Hosta 'June' Hosta 'June'
- 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
- 2½ ft (80 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late July to mid August; upright spires; lavender
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; blue-green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, 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.