Hosta 'Regal Splendor'

Hosta 'Regal Splendor': Royal Posture in a Variegated Vase

Powdery blue leaves with creamy white edges, held high in a vase shape like the statue in a fancy hotel lobby. 'Regal Splendor' brings five-star energy to the shade garden. TIPPING IS EXPECTED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Regal Splendor'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 75–80 cm (29–31 in) foliage, with flower stems up to about 150 cm (5 ft)
• Spread: 90–150 cm (3–5 ft)
• Flowers: Lavender, on tall stems well above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Mid to late summer (late July to August)
• Foliage: Thick, grey-green to powdery blue leaves with creamy white margins, held in a vase shape
• Features: Good slug resistance, Hosta of the Year 2003

Where to Plant: Use it as a specimen in the middle or back of a shady border, or at the corner of a bed where its height can be seen. Because the leaves are held up in a vase, there's room to tuck low plantings around its base, and the leaves also work as cut foliage for arrangements.

Companion Plants: Use tall 'Regal Splendor' in a moist, shady bed with silver brunnera, raspberry astilbe and a coppery fern. Brunnera 'Silver Heart' opens blue sprays at 30 cm in April and May over silver leaves. Astilbe 'Visions' adds raspberry-pink plumes at 36 to 41 cm in July and August. Dryopteris 'Brilliance' brings coppery orange-red new fronds at 50 to 60 cm. Carex appalachica carpets the front with fine native blades at 15 to 30 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in moist, well-drained, fertile soil. It handles a range of soils, including clay, as long as drainage is reasonable. Morning sun is fine. Water deeply during dry spells. Deer and rabbits will eat hostas, although Walters Gardens notes this one may be a little less appealing to them than most. Its thick leaves resist slugs well. Cut back the flower stems after bloom and clear the foliage after a hard frost. It can be divided in spring or fall, but it's happy to stay put for years.

History: Walters Gardens in Michigan introduced 'Regal Splendor' and registered it in 1987, after it began as a variegated tissue culture sport of the classic blue Hosta 'Krossa Regal', which explains its vase shape and tall flower stems. The American Hosta Growers Association named it Hosta of the Year in 2003.

Final Thoughts: Big, upright and slug resistant, with flower stems towering overhead. Plant it where guests will see it first. CHECK-IN IS NOW OPEN.