Discover my top 19 hosta varieties that will thrive in the dappled light of your shade garden.
From the classic ‘Blue Angel’ to the vibrant ‘Glory Hallelujah’, I’ve handpicked the best hostas to add texture, color, and intrigue to your outdoor oasis.
Blue Angel
The ‘Blue Angel’ hosta is a large, showy variety with stunning blue-green leaves that make it a standout in any garden. This vigorous grower is relatively easy to care for, preferring moist, well-drained soil and partial to full shade.
The oval-shaped leaves feature a prominent, irregular white margin that adds a touch of contrast and elegance to the plant.
The ‘Blue Angel’ hosta is a real showstopper, standing at 2-3 feet tall. It’s perfect for borders, pots, or even spreading out as ground cover.
If you love hostas or just want to add some gorgeous blue-green color to your shady garden, this plant is a must-have!
Blue Cadet
If you desire hostas with a hint of blue, add Blue Cadet to your collection. This variety boasts medium-sized leaves adorned with a subtle blue-green hue.
Its foliage forms a dense and compact clump, making it an excellent choice for borders or containers.
Blue Cadet is easy to grow and thrives in shady gardens, adding a touch of elegance to your outdoor space.
Blue Mouse Ears
Blue Mouse Ears hostas are sure to steal the show in your shady garden!
Their vibrant blue-green foliage with ruffled edges adds an eye-catching element to any landscape.
Reaching a mature height of around 10 inches, they form a dense, compact mound that is perfect for borders or as a stand-alone specimen.
Blue Mouse Ears are relatively low maintenance, but they do prefer moist, well-drained soil.
If you love shady spots in your garden, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on these cute little hostas with their one-of-a-kind colors and petite size.
Blue Shadows
Shade-loving gardeners rejoice! Blue Shadows hosta is a stunning variety that adds a touch of sophistication to any garden.
Its deep blue-green foliage makes a bold statement, contrasting beautifully with lighter-colored plants.
Blue Shadows is a slow grower, reaching a height of 12-16 inches, making it ideal for edging pathways or borders.
Its dense, upright habit makes it a great choice for containers as well.
Color Glory
If you want to add a splash of vibrant color to your shady garden, the ‘Color Glory’ hosta is an excellent choice.
Its large, heart-shaped leaves emerge golden yellow in the spring and gradually transform to chartreuse, creating a striking contrast against the darker greens surrounding it.
As summer progresses, the foliage takes on a bluish hue, adding depth and interest to the shade garden.
Have you heard of the lovely ‘Color Glory’ hosta plant? It grows nice and slow, creating a lush bunch of leaves that can get up to 18 inches tall and spread out to a width of 36 inches.
This plant likes its soil to be moist but well-drained, and it thrives in spots with partial to full shade.
Emerald Crown
Have you heard of Emerald Crown? It’s a neat little hosta plant with beautiful dark green leaves that look super shiny!
Its leaves are ovate to round in shape, with wavy edges and a prominent central vein.
Check out Emerald Crown – it’s great for brightening up those shady spots in your garden with a pop of color! Its neat mound shape will definitely catch your eye.
This plant can reach a height of around 10 to 12 inches when it’s all grown up, and it really likes soil that drains well and has lots of organic stuff in it.
Have you heard of Emerald Crown? It’s a really versatile hosta that’s perfect for any shady garden. Plus, it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance and has such pretty leaves. It’s definitely a great choice for adding some charm to your outdoor space!
First Frost
When the first frost hits, your hostas will start to go dormant.
This is a natural process that helps them survive the winter.
As the temperatures drop, the hostas will begin to lose their leaves.
This is because the leaves are no longer able to photosynthesize, which is the process by which they make food.
The hostas will continue to lose their leaves until they are completely bare.
Once all the leaves fall off the hostas, they basically go into a long nap for the winter.
This is a state of reduced metabolic activity that helps the hostas survive the winter.
Frances Williams
Frances Williams is a medium-sized hosta with showy, blue-green foliage. Its leaves are heart-shaped with a slightly wavy margin and can grow up to 8 inches long and 6 inches wide.
Frances Williams produces pale lavender flowers on 24-inch scapes in midsummer.
Over time, this plant grows into a big, bushy clump and thrives in shady or partially shaded areas. It’s super easy to take care of and doesn’t need much maintenance, so it’s perfect for anyone new to gardening!
It’s also resistant to pests and diseases, so you can enjoy its beauty for years to come.
Glory Hallelujah
Glory Hallelujah is a popular variegated hosta with bold, emerald green leaves with wide, creamy white margins. It forms a large, upright clump that adds a touch of drama to any shady garden.
Hostas are relatively low-maintenance plants that thrive in moist, well-drained soil.
They can tolerate some sun but prefer shade, especially during the hot afternoon hours.
Gold Standard
If you’re thinking about adding new plants to your shade garden, you definitely should consider the ‘Gold Standard’ hosta variety. It’s a real beauty and a great addition to any garden!
Its medium green, heart-shaped leaves have a wide creamy yellow center that gives it a striking and elegant appearance.
It grows well in partial to full shade, so it’s perfect for those tricky areas in your garden where other plants struggle to thrive.
Halcyon
Have you come across this amazing hosta with its adorable heart-shaped leaves? It’s a real showstopper in shady gardens with its beautiful golden foliage.
The Halcyon hosta loves staying in damp soil that drains well and prefers a little shade to avoid getting burned by the sun.
This plant is perfect for pots or small areas because of its compact size.
As the season goes on, you’ll notice the leaves changing to a beautiful bright green color, making the scenery even more colorful and lively.
Krossa Regal
Have you seen the Krossa Regal hostas? They’re absolutely stunning and would definitely bring a touch of elegance to your shady garden!
With its massive, heart-shaped leaves, it creates a bold and dramatic statement.
The leaves are a deep, rich green with pronounced veins that provide an artistic flair.
Krossa Regal hostas are just the thing if you want to add a little elegance to your garden! They make a great focal point or can be used as an accent plant to really spruce things up.
Liberty
Liberty, with its heart-shaped leaves and subtle green and white variegation, brings a touch of elegance to the shade garden. Its medium size and upright form make it suitable for both borders and containers.
Liberty thrives in moist, well-drained soil and prefers partial to full shade.
The plant’s pretty leaves are always changing and growing, so it’s a great option for adding some depth and variety to your shady garden.
Love Pat
Love Pat is an eye-catching hybrid cultivar with heart-shaped leaves that add interest to any shady garden. Its foliage features bold, white margination set against a dark green center, creating a striking contrast that will turn heads.
Love Pat is known for its vigor, forming clumps of lush greenery that can spread up to 3-4 feet across.
Its moderate growth rate makes it a manageable addition to any landscape, bringing color and texture to shaded areas.
Praying Hands
If you’re looking for a small hosta with really cool leaves, ‘Praying Hands’ is the way to go!
Its petite size makes it suitable for smaller gardens or containers, where its distinctive blue-green leaves with deeply cupped edges resemble clasped hands in prayer.
As the season goes on, the leaves start to turn a deeper and richer shade of green.
‘Praying Hands’ prefers shady or partially shaded areas with well-drained soil, ensuring it thrives in the cooler, moist conditions it desires.
Sagae
Sagae bears golden variegated leaves that make it an exceptional ornamental choice for your shady garden.
Recognized for its exceptional size, it can grow up to two and a half feet tall.
The foliage displays vibrant chartreuse edges that gently fade into creamy gold centers.
Sagae’s foliage matures to a bright golden yellow, creating a stunning and eye-catching accent in any landscape.
Sum and Substance
The Sum and Substance hosta is an eye-catching variety loved for its large, dramatic foliage.
The leaves on this plant are so cool – they’re like little hearts with a pretty blue-green color and a wide, funky creamy white edge.
This plant grows upright which is great for adding some height and visual interest to shady spots in your garden.
The Sum and Substance hosta really likes when its roots don’t stay wet all the time, so make sure it’s planted in soil that drains well. It’ll be happiest in a spot that gets some shade, but it can handle full shade too.
Its mature height ranges from 24 to 36 inches, making it a substantial addition to any landscape.
Wide Brim
One of the most popular hosta varieties is the Wide Brim.
This hosta is known for its large, round leaves that have a wide, creamy white margin.
The leaves on this plant have strong stems that hold them firmly in place, creating a nice, full bunch that can grow as wide as 3 feet across.
Have you heard about this cool plant called Wide Brim hosta? It’s a slow grower but super easy to take care of, and it looks amazing in any shady garden!
Zounds
Zounds is a cultivar that has leaves adorned with rippled edges.
This plant really catches your attention with its vibrant chartreuse and blue-green leaves. It’s so pretty to look at!
Have you checked out Zounds on this list? It’s one of the smaller varieties but don’t be deceived – it forms a beautiful mound that slowly spreads. It’s perfect for containers or in small garden spaces.
