The best varieties of hosta: photos, varieties, what they look like, short, miniature, beautiful

Hosta varieties are presented in the horticultural market in a wide variety. The ornamental plant is popular and looks impressive on the site due to its beautiful shapes and colors.

What does a hosta flower look like?

A plant called hosta is an ornamental herbaceous perennial from the Asparagus family. You can recognize it by its petiolate leaves, growing in the form of a basal rosette - wide, round, narrow and lanceolate, straight and wavy.

Lush hosta bushes decorate the site

The height of the hosta can grow from 5 to 150 cm. The flowers of the perennial are tubular, rising above the leaves on long peduncles. Most varieties bloom rather modestly, but there are also varieties with bright blooms.

Classification of hosta varieties

In gardening, hosta is represented by dozens of varieties. For convenience, they are usually divided according to several classifications. In particular, hosts are grouped:

by shade - green, yellow, white, two-color and blue;
by the shade of flowering - hostas can bear lilac-violet and white flowers;
in height - giant, medium-sized, miniature and dwarf;
by leaf shape - some plants have straight lanceolate or oval leaves, while others have wavy and textured leaves.

The plant has many classifications - according to size, color, shape

In landscape design, perennials are valued primarily for their decorative foliage, while flowering takes a back seat.

Hosta varieties

Any hosta variety belongs to one of the main species. The differences between the species are quite noticeable, so even a novice gardener can easily determine which group the selected perennial belongs to.

Podorozhnovaya

You can recognize the species by its large, shiny, rounded leaf blades and large white flowers up to 12 cm in length. The color of the plantain variety is light green.

Among the varieties can be noted:

Honeybells;
Honeybells is a typical representative of the plantain species.
Grandiflora.
Grandiflora - a beautiful bush of plantain hosta

The height of the species usually does not exceed 45 cm and can spread to the same size in width.

White-edged

A characteristic feature of the species is a wide white border along the edges of lush green leaves. Well-known varieties include:

Marginata - a variety with a pronounced uneven border
Alakazam.
The waviness of Alakazam foliage is combined with a two-tone shade

The perennial grows on average no more than 30 cm in height and 45 cm in diameter.

Erectifolia

The perennial is distinguished by well-developed, straight, upward-pointing green leaves and large lilac flowers. Straight-leaved varieties are not very widely represented, among them are:

Rectifolia, the erect-leaved species in its unaltered form;
The straight-leaved appearance is easily recognized by the leaf blades
Hionea, or Chinese.
Chionea is a variety of straight-leaved hosta.

The species is classified as medium-sized and can reach 85 cm in height and 70 cm in width.

Bloated

A striking feature of the species is the green leaves of an elongated, slightly heart-shaped shape with a pointed tip. The perennial blooms with light purple inflorescences; famous varieties include:

Ventricosis;
Ventricose - green and textured foliage
Univitata.
Univitata is an example of the bloated look

The height of the plant can exceed 1 m, but there are also smaller varieties

Lanceolate

The variety is easily recognized by its dark green, pointed leaf blades, long and shiny. The perennial blooms mainly with purple flowers; among the varieties we can note:

Kabiten;
Kabiten is easily recognized by its lanceolate foliage
Bitsy Green.
Bitsy Green - a famous lanceolate variety

The height rarely rises above 40 cm.

Wavy

This variety has oblong leaf plates that have an unusual shape; they seem to bend in large waves. In color, the variety can be green, two-colored, yellowish, among the varieties they note:

Variegata;
Wavy Variegata curls very strongly
So Sweet.
So Sweet - variety with wavy leaves

The height depends on the specific plant, but the maximum hosta grows up to 80 cm.

Hosta Siebold

It is distinguished by dense, large foliage of a bluish color with a wrinkled surface. Among the varieties we can mention:

Elegance;
Elegans is a typical representative of Hosta Siebold
Paul's Glory.
Paul's Glory - a very beautiful multi-colored variety

The height of the plant is about 40 cm.

Hosta Fortune

A plant with elongated bluish or green leaves bears flowers of a lilac hue. Known varieties:

Aurea;
Aurea may have light green or bluish leaves
Hyacinthina - a majestic variety of emerald color

The bush can reach 90 cm in height and spreads an average of 50 cm in diameter.

Curly

The variety is distinguished by leaf blades with wavy edges, usually with a green center and a white edge. Among the varieties we can list:

Mediavariegata;
Mediovariegata foliage is curly and unusual
Albomarginata.
Albomarginata has a beautiful stripe along the edge of the leaf

The plant rises an average of 70 cm above the ground.

The best varieties of hosta

To successfully choose a perennial for the garden, you should familiarize yourself with popular varieties. It is very difficult to list all the varieties, but we can highlight the most attractive ones in each category.

Varieties of low-growing hosta

The low perennial is used mainly in borders and mixborders in the foreground. Popular varieties:

Lakeside Little Taft. The plant rises up to 25 cm above the ground, its leaves are elongated, slightly wavy, with a pointed tip. In spring, the leaf blades are light green on the edges and yellowish in the center, and in summer they become whitish in the middle and bright green on the edge.
Lakesay Little Taft - bright leaves pointing upward
Delia. The variety rises 15 cm above the ground, the color of the leaves is green-yellow at the core and green at the edges.
Delia's leaf blades are darker at the edges

The bright colors of the leaves make the plants noticeable elements of the composition, despite their small size.

Varieties of miniature hostas

Among low-growing perennials, it is customary to especially highlight dwarf varieties:

Blue Ice. The plant rises only 8 cm above the ground, the leaves of the variety have a bluish tint, and the bushes spread 20 cm in width.
Blue Ice is a tiny subspecies of hosta
Sparky. The average height of the variety is 10 cm, the diameter is about 20 cm. The color of the leaves is rich green with a yellow border around the edges.
Sparky - a miniature variety for the garden and home

Dwarf perennials are often used to create miniature Japanese gardens. You can grow them in pots at home.

Medium hosta varieties

Medium-sized perennials are in demand in landscape design. They are often planted along garden paths and decorate the space near the walls of the house.

Common varieties:

June. The variety grows on average up to 40 cm, its leaves are dense, bluish-green with yellow tints. The diameter extends up to 70 cm.
June is a very famous subspecies
Brim Cap. The ornamental plant has semi-oval grooved leaves with a light yellow edge and a green middle. The average height of a bush is about 35 cm; bushes can grow up to 75 cm.
The bright color of Brim Cap attracts attention

Medium-sized varieties are planted both in single compositions and in groups. Different varieties can be combined to create especially beautiful flower beds.

Varieties of tall hosta

A special place in garden design is occupied by the large hosta, which can reach up to 1 m in height or more. The most common varieties:

Dino. The average height of the plant is about 120 cm, the leaves of the perennial are rounded, rich green in color with a light border along the edges.
Dino rises on the site by more than 1 m
Blue Mammoth. It has corrugated large leaves of a bluish-green color, the leaves are oval in shape. It rises to a height of about 90 cm.
Blue Mammoth is a very spreading and large plant.

With the help of such bushes you can form a low hedge and decorate a wide unoccupied space.

Varieties of large-leaved hosta

Not only tall hostas are of interest to gardeners, but also varieties with large leaves. Wide leaf blades attract the eye, especially if their color is unusual.

Popular varieties of the species:

Sam and Substance. Large variety up to 1 m, characterized by rounded
Sam & Substance is prized for its huge foliage.
Empress Wu. Another tall variety up to 1.5 m with leaves up to 50 cm. Veiny, dark green, they stretch slightly upward. In spring, a bluish tint is visible on the leaves.
The width of Empress Wu sheet plates reaches 0.5 m

Important! Large-leaved hostas in garden design are often planted at the middle level of mixborders. Such perennials fill space well and successfully decorate empty areas.

Hosta varieties with wavy leaves

Some of the perennials delight with their unusual leaf structure. There are small or large waves along the edges of the plates, the surface is highly corrugated.

Perennials are distinguished:

Jade Cascade. The tall perennial grows to an average height of 110 cm, but attracts attention with its leaf blades. Large and green, they are cut through by deep transverse veins, and a large wave runs along their edges, and the leaves themselves are arranged one above the other in a cascade.
Jade Cascade - the foliage of the subspecies descends like a fountain
Coast to Coast. The medium-sized perennial rises 90 cm, has heart-shaped leaves with a grooved surface and small beautiful waves along the edges. The leaf blades are yellow-green in color.
Cost to Cost has finely undulating foliage

When planted in the garden, wavy varieties catch the eye and force you to take a closer look at the composition of which they serve as an element.

Hosta varieties with non-standard leaf color

Most hostas have light, dark green or slightly yellowish foliage, sometimes with white stripes along the edges or in the middle. But there are also varieties with a bright original shade - rich yellow, white or blue:

White Feather. A very showy variety with milky white young foliage. By mid-summer, the hosta begins to turn green, but in the first months it stands out in the garden as a very noticeable white spot.
White Feather - a unique white variety
Golden Medallion. The plant, up to 50 cm high, has rounded foliage, yellowish-green in spring, and almost pure yellow after mid-July.
Golden Medallion pleases with its rich yellowness
Cadet. An unusual hosta of emerald blue color, growing up to 50 m, with large grooved leaf plates.
Cadet - bluish variety

Attention! To preserve the original colors, white and yellow hostas are recommended to be planted in lighted areas. Blue varieties do best in the shade.

Varieties of flowering hosta

Most hostas bloom with lilac, purple or violet flowers. In appearance they are rather inconspicuous and have no particular value. But some varieties can please you with interesting flowering:

Invincible. Bright green hosta with elongated foliage bears abundant bluish bell-shaped flowers in July and August. The plant rises 50 cm above the ground and looks very elegant when in bloom.
Invincible produces bluish and lilac flowers
Fried Green Tomatos. This olive-green perennial produces pleasantly scented lavender flowers from August to October. A short plant up to 35 cm decorates flower beds at a time when most perennials have already finished flowering.
Fried Green Tomatos blooms very profusely

The advantage of flowering hostas is their increased decorativeness. These varieties can be used more widely by combining them with plants that bloom in the same period.

Hosta varieties with white flowers

Perennials that produce bright white flowers deserve special mention:

Royal Standard. A medium-sized hosta, about 70 cm, has oval green leaves. In August, the plant bears numerous snow-white flowers with a jasmine scent, which last until October.
Royal Standard - a rare subspecies with white flowering
Blue Angel. The beautiful bluish-green plant rises up to 1 m, and from July bears abundant white flowers with a slight purple tint. The period of maximum decorativeness lasts until September.
Blue Angel's color is greenish-blue and the flowers are white.

Varieties that bloom in white shades are highly valued because the flowers stand out especially brightly against the background of green and bluish leaves.

New hosta varieties for 2024

Breeders regularly develop fresh varieties of perennial plants. In 2024, gardening stores will announce new varieties of hostas:

Bullet Proof. The new species has thick bluish leaves, is about 45 cm in height, and is suitable for growing in shady and sunny areas.
Bullet Proof - one of the new bluish varieties
Christmas Pageant. The medium-sized new plant up to 70 cm is distinguished by dark green, highly corrugated leaf blades with a yellowish border along the edges.
Christmas Pageant - a decorative novelty from the “Christmas” series

The care requirements for new products are standard, so it will not be difficult for gardeners to grow young varieties.

The most beautiful varieties of hosta

Any hosta is very beautiful in landscape design. But we can highlight varieties especially loved by gardeners:

Fireworks. A low perennial about 35 cm with narrow wavy leaves directed vertically. Leaf color
Fireworks look like white and green fireworks above the ground
Liberty. A large bush up to 70 cm with bluish-green foliage with a bright creamy-yellow border, the leaves are large and dense.
Liberty is a very bright and juicy subspecies

The beauty of a particular species remains a subjective concept. When choosing, you need to focus only on your own taste.

Rare varieties of hosta

Some varieties are very beautiful, but you can rarely find them in your summer cottage:

Fire and Ice. Perennial up to 40 cm tall, with decorative leaves where the white center is combined with dark green edges.
Fire and Ice - a beautiful but rare variety
Spartan Arrow. A very unusual species with long narrow leaves with a dark green color and strongly wavy edges. It rises 20 cm above the ground.
You can recognize Spartan Arrow by its heavily wavy foliage.

Many bicolor perennials have leaves that change color when exposed to light, so it can be difficult to maintain the full decorative appearance of the plant when grown in the garden.

Hybrid hosta varieties

Basically, the varietal diversity of perennials is represented by hybrids:

Beach Boy. Although the leaves of the plant are oval, their color is two-tone, which is more typical of wavy and lanceolate species - with a yellowish center and bright green along the edges. The height reaches 45 cm.
Beach Boy is a popular hybrid in the garden.
Sugar and Spice. The medium-sized bush, about 50 cm, is interesting because the light, narrow border on its green leaves is irregular and intermittent, and the leaves are slightly corrugated. The perennial is similar to both plantain and white-edged hosta.
Sugar and Spice has shiny leaves with a yellow edge.

Hybrid plants combine the characteristic features of different species, and that is why they are so attractive.

Rules for choosing a variety

When choosing a decorative perennial, you need to rely mainly on your preferences. But there are a few general rules:

For shady areas of the garden, it is recommended to choose perennials with green or bluish leaves. Plant blue species in the sun
Dark hostas tolerate shaded areas better
Yellow and white perennials can be planted in sunny areas. In the sun they look more advantageous and also grow better, although light shading should still remain.
In the light, yellow and milky white varieties retain color well

Advice! When choosing a hosta, you need to take into account the size of an adult bush. Some species remain dwarf, others stretch more than 1 m above the ground and can cover neighboring plants.

Conclusion

Hosta varieties are a whole world of diverse and different ornamental plants. Using perennials on your site, you can create very impressive compositions, both large and very miniature.