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White-margined wavy hosta

Hosta undulata 'Albomarginata' · Asparagaceae

White-margined wavy hosta (Hosta undulata 'Albomarginata')
Photo: Dinkum, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Pointed, slightly wavy, matt green leaves with an irregular white edge. The white-edged hosta of older gardens, planted by the million.

Size
18 in tall, 3 ft wide
Zones
3 to 9
Light
Part sun to shade
Flowers
Grown for its leaves; flowers early July to early August
Pets
Toxic (mild)
Job in a bed
Drift

A bed built around white-margined wavy hosta

The planner designed this bed around white-margined wavy 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 white-margined wavy hosta stands where it does.

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in mid July: White-margined wavy hosta, Blue star creeper, Leadwort, Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume', Gray's sedge, Wild geranium 'Espresso', Yellow trout lily, Grecian windflower.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in mid July.
4. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'44. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'44. Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume'45. Gray's sedge55. Gray's sedge55. Gray's sedge51. White-margined wavy hosta12. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper23. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort32. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper26. Wild geranium 'Espresso'66. Wild geranium 'Espresso'66. Wild geranium 'Espresso'63. Leadwort33. Leadwort33. Leadwort32. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper22. Blue star creeper27. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily7. Yellow trout lily8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower8. Grecian windflower
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 White-margined wavy hosta × 1, green leaves
  2. 2 Blue star creeper × 14, blue
  3. 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
  4. 4 Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' × 3, pink
  5. 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
  6. 6 Wild geranium 'Espresso' × 3, pink
  7. 7 Yellow trout lily × 10, yellow
  8. 8 Grecian windflower × 12, white

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 18 in it is seen over leadwort (10 in) in front of it.
  • One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
  • Bold leaf against fine. Blue star creeper is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.

Why now

  • Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.

Planned as a cottage garden: 32 of the 32 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 56% of the visual weight and the right half 44%. Blue star creeper repeats along the bed to tie it together.

The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.

Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.

Where white-margined wavy 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.

Tough, fast and cheap to mass under trees and along drives. Finer hostas exist, but few cover ground as dependably or tolerate as much neglect.

  • Mass planting under trees
  • Edging drives and long paths
  • Low-care groundcover

What to plant with white-margined wavy hosta

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

  • Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August; medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
  • Lady fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind 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 white-margined wavy hosta

Does white-margined wavy hosta need sun or shade?

White-margined wavy hosta 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 white-margined wavy 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 white-margined wavy hosta 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 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many white-margined wavy hosta 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 white-margined wavy 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 the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

What does white-margined wavy hosta look like in winter?

White-margined wavy 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

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, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
Plant
2½ ft (75 cm) apart
Height class
Short (12 to 18 in)
Place in the bed
Front
Flowers
Early July to early August; upright spires; lavender
Leaves
Bold texture, herbaceous; 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.