Garden 20 Hosta Varieties With Beautiful Foliage and Blooms Known for their striking foliage and flowers, these hosta varieties will look great in a shady garden. By Lauren David Lauren David Lauren David is a freelance journalist who covers gardening, houseplants, and sustainability. She has over 15 years of gardening experience and has taught garden classes to K-12 youth. Editorial Guidelines Published on April 28, 2024 Close Photo: skymoon13 / Getty Images Hardy plants that are easy to grow, hostas have become popular with gardeners and landscape designers for their striking foliage—not to mention their exquisite flowers. Hostas thrive in partial or full shade making them excellent plants for any small or large expanse of your garden that doesn't receive much or any sunlight. Hostas also grow well in most types of soil, though they will mature more quickly in sandy or loose soils. Whether you want a miniature plant to grow in a container or a towering plant to fill in a bare patch of your garden, there are visually appealing hosta varieties for every landscape. The foliage is beautiful, with hues ranging in color from chartreuse to emerald green to golden and white, along with plenty of variegated options, adding character to any garden design. To show you the beauty of this genus of plants, we tapped gardening experts to share with us their favorite low-maintenance hosta varieties to grow in your garden. 11 Flowering Plants That Look Beautiful Even When They're Not in Bloom 01 of 20 Blue Angel Hosta Courtesy of Campbells Nursery Looking for a large hosta with beautiful blue leaves? Pick up a Blue Angel. "It has a mounding form that creates a cascading effect with the blue leaves, topped off by pretty bell-shaped white flowers," says Megan McConnell, plant information director at Monrovia, a century-old nursery in California. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 32 inches tall x 70 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 02 of 20 Blue Mouse Ears Hosta Courtesy of Doreen Wynja Blue Mouse Ears is a mini-sized hosta plant that features beautiful heart-shaped leaves with a silvery blue hue. This variety produces lavender bell flowers that appear at the top of the plant, adding charm to any garden. "You can grow it in a container on your patio, and it looks adorable," says Gail Pabst, marketing director for the National Garden Bureau. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 5 to 10 inches tall x 12 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 03 of 20 Big Daddy Hosta Joe Potato / Getty Images A tall hosta variety, Big Daddy can reach up to 2 feet tall. This hosta is great for adding texture to a shade garden thanks to its unique cup-shaped leaves, says McConnell. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 2 feet tall x 3 to 4 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 04 of 20 Brother Stefan Hosta Elen / Getty Images Another large hosta variety, Brother Stefan is a slow grower, but has variegated leaves that add a lot of character to any space. "Brother Stefan checks off many boxes of desirable characteristics—thick, heavily textured leaves with unique variegation," says Maria Zampini, horticulturist and owner of UpShoot LLC. "The leaves have a gold center with a green margin but the pattern is irregular so each leaf is truly unique." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 20 inches tall x 3 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; neutral or acidic, well-draining soil 05 of 20 Diamond Lake Hosta Courtesy of Walters Gardens Diamond Lake is a large, stately hosta with heavily corrugated leaves with rippled margins and beautiful lavender-colored flowers. "This variety holds its blue color well and has excellent vigor," says Andrew Jager, Marketing Manager for Walters Gardens. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 17 inches tall x 45 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 06 of 20 Empress Wu Hosta Courtesy of Walters Gardens Have a large space to fill? Empress Wu is the variety for you. One of the biggest types of hosta available, this plant makes a statement in any landscape with its dark foliage. What's more, Empress Wu is reliable and comes back bigger and better every year, says Zampini. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 3 to 4 feet tall x 6 to 8 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; acidic, well-draining soil 07 of 20 June Hosta Courtesy Doreen Wynja With variegated leaves in various hues of green, June is a delight to have in the garden. "I love June," says McConnell. "It combines some of my favorite foliage colors, but it’s also a nice mid-sized variety that works well for lots of different spaces and is a consistently good performer." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 16 to 24 inches tall x 37 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; acidic to neutral, well-draining soil 08 of 20 Fire and Ice Hosta Sergejs Kartasovs / Getty Images If the name—Fire and Ice—doesn't intrique you, this hosta variety's appearance will. "Fire and Ice has nice, robust flowers with a soft purple color that pairs beautifully with the bright white and dark green leaves," says McConnell. "The flowers are big and face outward and up instead of drooping, and are held on shorter, strong stems that don’t flop." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 15 inches tall x 22 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 09 of 20 Francee Hosta Getty Images Create a visually appealing border with Francee, which has dark green leaves with white-hued edges, says Kelly Funk, president Jackson & Perkins. This variety looks beautiful in border gardens and complements other plants in the landscape. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 21 inches tall x 51 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 10 of 20 Green Thumb Hosta gmc3101 / Getty Images This miniature hosta variety will look beautiful in smaller garden beds alongside your other plantings. "Green Thumb only gets 2 inches tall and has a 10-inch spread and forms a petite mound," says Zampini. "Despite the small stature, it has good vigor and still multiplies well." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 2 inches tall x 10 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 11 of 20 Hudson Bay Hosta David Dixon / Getty Images Hudson Bay hosta is a large variety with an interesting variegation pattern. It has bluish green leaves with a whitish to yellowish center. The individual leaves are slug resistant, which are typically a problem when caring for hostas, says Jager. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 2 feet tall x 2 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 12 of 20 Kiwi Spearmint Hosta Getty Images Kiwi Spearmint is a wonderful choice for small, shaded areas of the garden. With white hued inner leaves and chartreuse margins, this adds vibrancy and color to any space. Another perk is that this hosta can tolerate cold temperatures, says Funk. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 11.5 inches tall x 24 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 13 of 20 Maui Buttercups Hosta Courtesy of Walmart Another small hosta variety, Maui Buttercups sets itself apart from other varieties for its distinct golden colored leaves that are corrugated and cupped. Its vibrant colors brighten up any garden landscape, Funk says. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 10 inches tall x 14 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 14 of 20 Miss America Hosta Courtesy of Proven Winners Direct For striking foliage, Miss America stands out with its heart-shaped leaves with white and light green streaks in the center and margin. "Near white, tubular flowers have a lavender pattern in the center of the petals and are borne on thick, upright, tall stems," says Jager. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 19 inches tall x 55 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 15 of 20 Mini Skirt Hosta Moonstone Images / Getty Images This variety emerges in spring with a small ball of wavy, twisted foliage that features wide yellow margins around blue-green centers. "Deep lavender flowers are the icing on the cake, appearing on proportionate scapes in early summer," says Jager. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 5 inches tall x 13 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 16 of 20 Shadowland Autumn Frost Courtesy of Gardens Crossing Brighten up your shade garden with Shadowland Autumn Frost hosta. This variety has vibrant blue-green leaves with a wide golden-yellow margin that lightens to creamy white during summer. It produces light lavender flowers that bloom from mid to late summer, says Pabst. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 12 inches tall x 24 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 17 of 20 Silly String Hosta Courtesy of Walters Gardens Silly String hosta blooms later in the season and boasts distinct, long slender leaves with wavy edges. "This long-blooming Hosta doesn’t flower until late summer, giving gardeners the maximum amount of time to enjoy the foliage," says Jager. "Lavender flowers will appear on proportionate scapes, adding multiple seasons of interest." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 14 inches tall x 28 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 18 of 20 Sum and Substance Adobe Stock With chartreuse leaves that turn to a golden hue in summer, Sum and Substance makes a statement in any garden. This is another larger sized hosta so if you have a spacious area, consider this variety. "It glows in the garden," says McConnell. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 6 feet wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining soil 19 of 20 Voices in the Wind Courtesy of Walters Gardens If you're in search of a Hosta with curious-looking foliage, opt for Voices in the Wind. This one has blue-green wedge-shaped leaves with ruffled, creamy-yellow on the margins. "The end of each leaf is tapered and hooked in a rare 'eagle claw' characteristic," says Jager. Pale lavender flowers bloom from mid to late summer. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 17 inches tall x 29 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil 20 of 20 Patriot Courtesy of White Flower Farm A mid-sized variety, this hosta complements many garden designs and spaces. Patriot has variegated leaves with green in the center and white on the outer edges. "The white margins add brightness to shady spots," says McConnell. "The best part is white never goes out of style and will fit into any color scheme you have now or in the future." Zones: 3 to 9Size: 12 to 20 inches tall x 24 to 30 inches wideCare requirements: Partial to full shade; fertile, well-draining soil Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit