Hosta 'Liberty'
Hosta 'Liberty' · Asparagaceae
Thick, dark green leaves with a very wide margin that opens yellow and fades to creamy white, on a large, upright plant.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid July to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around hosta 'Liberty'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Liberty' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why hosta 'Liberty' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Liberty' × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 5, pink
- 3 Creeping mahonia × 5, yellow
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Virginia bluebells × 8, blue
- 7 Easter lily × 3, white
- 8 Quamash × 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 fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is seen over creeping mahonia (12 in) in front of it.
- 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 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 25 of the 25 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 swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' and Easter lily, the tallest plants on the plan. Low plants run along 90% of the front edge: bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' and creeping mahonia.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hosta 'Liberty' 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 (24 in to 2½ 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.
A sport of 'Sagae', with a still broader edge. It is slow to mature and worth the wait: few hostas have such presence as a single specimen.
- A specimen for shade
- Bold variegation
- Large containers
What to plant with hosta 'Liberty'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass: fine leaves against its bold ones; 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.
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hosta 'Liberty'
Does hosta 'Liberty' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Liberty' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does hosta 'Liberty' 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 'Liberty' 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 (70 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Liberty' 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 'Liberty' 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 'Liberty' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Liberty' 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 'Krossa Regal' Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
- 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 (70 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid August; upright spires; lavender
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; dark green, variegated
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part 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.