Hosta 'Elegans'

Hosta 'Elegans': The Big Blue Classic Slugs Tend to Skip

Enormous, heavily quilted blue-green leaves with a powdery finish, like a duvet that costs more than your couch. 'Elegans' is the old-school classic that still turns up DRESSED FOR THE GALA.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Elegans', often sold as Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 65–75 cm (25–29 in)
• Spread: 120–150 cm (4–5 ft)
• Flowers: Near-white, in dense clusters held just above the foliage
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Very large, heart-shaped, heavily corrugated blue-green leaves with a powdery finish and thick substance
• Features: Good slug resistance, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: This is a backbone plant for big shade. Use it at the back of a woodland border, as a single specimen under mature trees, or along a shaded foundation where you want bold texture all season.

Companion Plants: Use the big, puckered blue leaves of 'Elegans' in a moist, shady bed with violets in front and shieldleaf behind. Viola labradorica carpets the front at 5 to 10 cm with purple-tinged leaves and violet flowers in May and June. Brunnera macrophylla opens sky-blue sprays at 30 to 45 cm in April and May. Astilboides tabularis adds huge round leaves and cream plumes at 90 to 125 cm in June and July. Hakonechloa 'All Gold' edges the bed at 23 to 36 cm with bright gold blades.

Plant Care: Plant it in moist, rich, well-drained soil with lots of compost. It does best in shade or with only gentle morning sun. Strong sun wears away the waxy blue coating on the leaves and can scorch them. Water deeply during dry spells while it gets established. Large hostas take a few years to reach full size, so give it space and time. Deer and rabbits like hostas, so protect it where they visit. Remove the flower stems after blooming and clear the leaves after a hard frost. It's happy to stay put for many years; divide in early spring only if you need to.

History: 'Elegans' was introduced in Germany around 1905 by the nurseryman Georg Arends and is closely tied to Hosta sieboldiana, a species from Japan named for the German physician and naturalist Philipp Franz von Siebold. It holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Final Thoughts: Plant it in shade and give it room to sprawl. The slugs can't afford the cover charge. BLACK TIE ONLY.