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Hosta 'Patriot'

Hosta 'Patriot' · Asparagaceae Popular

Hosta 'Patriot' (Hosta 'Patriot')
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Dark green leaves with broad, crisp white edges: the strongest white-variegated hosta, and visible from a distance in deep shade.

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

A bed built around hosta 'Patriot'

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

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in late July: Hosta 'Patriot', Lingonberry, Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple', Northern sea oats, Foxglove, Grecian windflower, Hardy cyclamen.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in late July.
4. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats44. Northern sea oats45. Foxglove55. Foxglove55. Foxglove51. Hosta 'Patriot'12. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry23. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'32. Lingonberry22. Lingonberry25. 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'33. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'37. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen7. Hardy cyclamen6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower6. Grecian windflower
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Hosta 'Patriot' × 1, variegated leaves
  2. 2 Lingonberry × 5, pink
  3. 3 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 11, purple
  4. 4 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
  5. 5 Foxglove × 4, white
  6. 6 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
  7. 7 Hardy cyclamen × 8, pink

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 20 in it is the step between creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' (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 12 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 26 of the 26 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: pink, purple, blue, tan and white. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.

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 'Patriot' goes in a border

At 20 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: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.

White variegation reads from across the garden, so this is the hosta for the far corner. It needs plain green or blue partners; next to another variegated plant both are lost.

  • White edging to light up shade
  • Under trees
  • Contrast with dark foliage

What to plant with hosta 'Patriot'

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

  • Hosta 'Halcyon': a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Christmas fern: medium leaves against its bold ones.
  • Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.

Questions about hosta 'Patriot'

Does hosta 'Patriot' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'Patriot' 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 'Patriot' 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 'Patriot' 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 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'Patriot' 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 'Patriot' 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 'Patriot' look like in winter?

Hosta 'Patriot' 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
20 in (50 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
Plant
2½ ft (75 cm) apart
Height class
Medium short (18 to 24 in)
Place in the bed
Middle
Flowers
Mid July to early August; upright spires; lavender
Leaves
Bold texture, herbaceous; variegated
Shape
Mounding, clumping
Hardy in
USDA zones 3 to 8
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.