Hosta 'Big Daddy'

Hosta 'Big Daddy': Powdery Blue and Built Like a Boss

Big, round, puckered blue leaves with the heft of a man who owns his own barbecue and won't let anyone else touch the tongs. 'Big Daddy' takes up space and MAKES NO APOLOGIES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Big Daddy'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 60–65 cm (24–26 in)
• Spread: 120–150 cm (4–5 ft)
• Flowers: Near white to very pale lavender, on scapes to about 90 cm (3 ft)
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Large, round, thick, cupped and deeply puckered blue leaves with a powdery coating, turning greener by late summer
• Features: Good slug resistance

Where to Plant: Use it as the anchor of a shade bed, a specimen under a high tree canopy, or the back row of a woodland border. It tolerates black walnut, which suits older yards, but protect it where deer and rabbits roam.

Companion Plants: Give the big, puckered blue leaves of 'Big Daddy' a moist, shady bed with silver, pink and a tall fern. Brunnera 'Queen of Hearts' opens baby-blue flowers at 41 to 46 cm in April and May over silver leaves. Heucherella 'Pink Fizz' adds pink flower clusters at 15 to 20 cm in June and July. Matteuccia struthiopteris rises behind at 90 to 150 cm, the ostrich fern of Ontario woods. Hakonechloa 'All Gold' edges the bed at 23 to 36 cm with bright gold blades.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in moist, rich, well-drained soil. Morning sun is fine, but hot afternoon sun burns off the blue coating and can scorch the leaves. Water deeply in dry spells and mulch to keep the soil cool. Give it room from the start, as it takes a few seasons to reach full size and puckering. Remove spent flower scapes and clear the leaves after a hard frost. Divide in spring if you want more, though it's happier left alone.

History: 'Big Daddy' came from Paul Aden of Baldwin, New York, one of the most prolific hosta breeders of the 20th century, who first registered it in the 1970s and re-registered it in 2010. Its blue colour and heavy, puckered leaves show the influence of Hosta sieboldiana.

Final Thoughts: Thick leaves, good slug resistance and the presence of a head of the household. Put it in shade and GIVE IT THE RECLINER.