Hosta 'Old Glory'

Hosta 'Old Glory': Warm Gold Hearts for Small Yards

Gold centres with irregular dark green edges, glowing like the old trophy your dad still keeps on the mantel. 'Old Glory' has the same energy, MINUS THE STORY WE'VE ALL HEARD A HUNDRED TIMES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Old Glory'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 30–35 cm (12–14 in)
• Spread: 55–60 cm (21–23 in)
• Flowers: Light lavender bells
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July)
• Foliage: Heart-shaped, slightly corrugated leaves with gold centres and irregular dark green margins

Where to Plant: Use it to light up the middle or front of a shade border, a woodland edge or a container, and its medium size fits small city yards as well as large beds. A group of three under a tree makes a warm patch of colour, and it handles average clay soil as long as the spot doesn't stay waterlogged in spring.

Companion Plants: Give 'Old Glory' a moist, shady bed with crimson epimedium, pink astilbe and pink bugbane. Epimedium × rubrum opens crimson and cream flowers at 20 to 30 cm in April and May. Astilbe 'Rheinland' adds clear pink plumes at 50 to 60 cm in June and July. Cimicifuga 'Pink Spike' rises behind at 120 to 150 cm with fragrant pink spikes from August to October. Carex 'Bowles Golden' brings bright gold blades at 60 to 90 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in moist, well-drained soil enriched with compost. A bit of morning sun deepens the gold; protect it from hot afternoon sun. Water deeply in its first season and during dry spells. Remove the flower stems after bloom if you like and clear the foliage after a hard frost. Divide in spring when it gets crowded. Deer and rabbits like hostas, so protect it where needed.

History: 'Old Glory' was registered in 1999 by Hans Hansen and Shady Oaks Nursery in Minnesota as a sport of the gold hosta 'Glory', itself a seedling of 'August Moon'.

Final Thoughts: Mid-sized, easy and loved by hummingbirds. Plant it in shade and let it SHINE LIKE IT'S STILL THE BIG GAME.