Hosta
Hosta · Asparagaceae Popular
The classic shade plant, prized for its bold leaves in endless shades of green, blue and variegated patterns. Summer flower spikes are a bonus; slugs and deer are its main enemies.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid July to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around hosta
The planner designed this bed around hosta 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta × 3, green leaves
- 2 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 3 Creeping woodland phlox × 11, blue
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Autumn monkshood × 3, blue
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Trout lily 'Pagoda' × 6, yellow
- 8 Grecian windflower × 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.
- A classic partner for autumn monkshood, white bleeding heart and trout lily 'Pagoda'. All are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between lingonberry (8 in) in front and autumn monkshood (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to autumn monkshood (4 ft) and white bleeding heart (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
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: 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. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in early May. Hosta stands beside white bleeding heart, a proven pairing.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Autumn monkshood 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 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.
The broad leaf is the heaviest texture in the shade garden, so set it against something fine: ferns, astilbe or grasses. It leafs out late, which makes it ideal for covering spring bulbs as they die back. Slugs are its main enemy.
- Bold foliage for shade
- Covering the gap left by spring bulbs and bleeding heart
- Edging a shady path
What to plant with hosta
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- 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.
- Bleeding heart: adds the flowers, early May to early June; medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Hosta vs Coral bells.
Questions about hosta
Does hosta need sun or shade?
Hosta 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 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 be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 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 plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 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 three in one group.
Is hosta 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.
Is there a pet-safe plant like hosta?
These come closest to doing what hosta does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Coral bells 'Berry Smoothie': the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, wants average soil.
- Brunnera 'Alexander's Great': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does hosta look like in winter?
Hosta 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 '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 '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
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid August; upright spires; lavender, white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; green, blue-green, chartreuse, variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, 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 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.