Hosta 'Paradigm'

Hosta 'Paradigm': Gold Centres Glowing Through Blue Borders

Big, thick, corrugated gold centres with wide blue-green borders. 'Paradigm' walks into the shade garden like a consultant with a slideshow, and for once, IT ACTUALLY DELIVERS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Paradigm'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 50–55 cm (20–21 in)
• Spread: 80–90 cm (31–35 in)
• Flowers: Pale lavender to near white bells
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July)
• Foliage: Large, thick, corrugated leaves with golden-yellow centres and wide blue-green margins
• Features: Good slug resistance, 2007 Hosta of the Year

Where to Plant: It makes a strong focal point in a shade border, a woodland edge or a large container, where the gold centres stand out against dark mulch. It's large enough to anchor a bed but not so huge that it swallows a small yard.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Paradigm' in a moist, shady bed with deep red hellebores, orange heuchera and crimson astilbe. Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Carlotta opens deep red flowers at 30 to 50 cm from March to May. Heuchera 'Marmalade' adds orange to amber foliage at 25 to 30 cm. Astilbe 'Red Sentinel' brings deep crimson plumes at 60 to 80 cm in June and July. 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. Add compost at planting. Morning sun brings out the brightest gold; keep it away from hot afternoon sun. Water deeply in its first season and during dry spells. Thick-leaved hostas like this one grow at a steady pace and look better every year. Cut flower stems after bloom and clear the leaves after a hard frost. Divide in spring if needed. Deer and rabbits still like hostas, so protect it where they roam.

History: Dr. Charles Purtymun of Walden West Nursery in Oregon registered 'Paradigm' in 1999 as a sport of 'Abiqua Recluse', and it was once known as 'Abiqua Paradigm'. The American Hosta Growers Association named it Hosta of the Year for 2007.

Final Thoughts: Slug resistant, low maintenance and bold. Consider your whole shady corner officially restructured. THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.