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Hosta 'Wide Brim'

Hosta 'Wide Brim' · Asparagaceae

Hosta 'Wide Brim' (Hosta 'Wide Brim')
Photo: F. D. Richards from Clinton, MI, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Puckered, blue-green leaves with a very broad, irregular border of cream that deepens to gold.

Size
22 in tall, 3 ft wide
Zones
3 to 9
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 'Wide Brim'

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

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in late July: Hosta 'Wide Brim', Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple', Astilbe 'Sprite', Northern sea oats, Foxglove, Gray's sedge, Double snowdrop, Grecian windflower.
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 oats45. Foxglove55. Foxglove55. Foxglove51. Hosta 'Wide Brim'13. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'32. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'23. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'36. Gray's sedge66. Gray's sedge66. Gray's sedge63. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'33. Astilbe 'Sprite'32. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'22. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple'28. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower7. Double snowdrop7. Double snowdrop7. Double snowdrop7. Double snowdrop7. Double snowdrop
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Hosta 'Wide Brim' × 1, blue-green leaves
  2. 2 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 8, purple
  3. 3 Astilbe 'Sprite' × 11, pink
  4. 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
  5. 5 Foxglove × 3, white
  6. 6 Gray's sedge × 3, green
  7. 7 Double snowdrop × 5, white
  8. 8 Grecian windflower × 8, blue

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 22 in it is the step between astilbe 'Sprite' (12 in) in front and Gray's sedge (2½ 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. Astilbe 'Sprite' 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: 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. Purple, pink, blue, tan, white and green make a cool, restful scheme. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from early July.

The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 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 'Wide Brim' goes in a border

At 22 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.

The widest margin of any common hosta, so it reads as variegated from across the garden. A favourite with flower arrangers for its heavy, lasting leaves.

  • Bold variegation in shade
  • Cut foliage
  • Specimen planting in a small bed

What to plant with hosta 'Wide Brim'

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.
  • 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.

Questions about hosta 'Wide Brim'

Does hosta 'Wide Brim' need sun or shade?

Hosta 'Wide Brim' 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 'Wide Brim' 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 'Wide Brim' be planted?

2½ ft (80 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 22 in (55 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many hosta 'Wide Brim' plants do I need?

At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:

  • 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
  • 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
  • 5 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 'Wide Brim' 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 'Wide Brim' look like in winter?

Hosta 'Wide Brim' 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 · Zone 9

Every fact on record

Type
Perennial
Size
22 in (55 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
Plant
2½ ft (80 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; blue-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.