Hosta 'Great Expectations'

Hosta 'Great Expectations': Bold Cream Centres Worth the Wait

Creamy yellow centres, wide blue-green edges and puckered leaves thick enough to mean business. 'Great Expectations' has a name that sets the bar high, AND IT CLEARS IT WITH ROOM TO SPARE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta sieboldiana 'Great Expectations'
• Common Name: Plantain lily, hosta
• Height: 60–75 cm (24–29 in)
• Spread: 120–150 cm (4–5 ft)
• Flowers: Near-white and bell-shaped, on stems just above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Early summer (June to July)
• Foliage: Thick, rounded, puckered leaves with a creamy yellow centre and a wide blue-green margin; the centre fades to cream as summer goes on

Where to Plant: Use it as a specimen in a shady bed where people can see the leaf pattern up close, or toward the back of a woodland border. It holds its own as a single plant and doesn't need a crowd.

Companion Plants: Give 'Great Expectations' a moist, shady bed with silver brunnera, bronze rodgersia and tall yellow spires. Brunnera 'Silver Heart' opens blue sprays at 30 cm in April and May over silver leaves. Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock' adds bronze, chestnut-like leaves at 55 cm with fluffy flowers in June. Ligularia 'The Rocket' rises behind at 120 to 180 cm with lemon-yellow spires in July and August. Liriope 'Royal Purple' edges the front with grass-like leaves and purple spikes.

Plant Care: Plant it in rich, moist, well-drained soil with lots of compost. It wants real shade, with only gentle morning sun at most. Keep it watered through dry summers; consistent moisture keeps it growing steadily. It is a slow grower and can take several years to reach full size, so resist moving it around. Deer and rabbits eat hostas, so protect it where they roam. Cut the flower stems after bloom and remove the leaves after a hard frost. Divide rarely, and only in early spring.

History: 'Great Expectations' arose as a sport of Hosta 'Elegans' at the Savill Garden in England, where John Bond found it, and Paul Aden of New York registered it on Bond's behalf in 1988. It quickly became a collector favourite, known for its bold centre and equally known for its slow pace.

Final Thoughts: Give it shade and a few years and it'll repay you in spades. LOWER YOUR STANDARDS FOR NOTHING.