Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd': Sculptural Beauty in Deep Shade

With its deeply cupped, powdery blue leaves, Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' brings architectural interest and cool elegance to shady garden spaces. Each leaf twists and folds into a distinctive bowl shape, collecting raindrops like natural vessels, while the corrugated surface and waxy coating add textural dimension. Tall white flowers rise above the foliage in midsummer, adding vertical lift to this already statuesque presence. A favourite for collectors and designers alike.

Plant Characteristics:

• Height: 45–50 cm (70–80 cm in bloom)
• Spread: 90–120 cm, forming a wide, mounded clump
• Flower Colour: White, bell-shaped blooms on tall scapes
• Flowering Period: Midsummer
• Foliage: Blue-green, heavily textured, deeply cupped leaves with a matte finish
• Sunlight Requirements: Part shade to full shade; best colour in dappled light
• Soil Requirements: Moist, rich, well-drained soil; benefits from regular watering and mulch

Uses and Benefits: Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' is a standout in shady beds, woodland borders, and hosta collections, offering both form and texture. Its intense blue foliage provides cool contrast to chartreuse, silver, and green companions. The cupped leaves collect dew and rainwater, creating an engaging tactile feature in the garden. This hosta is slug-resistant, long-lived, and particularly effective in mass plantings or as a sculptural specimen in part to full shade.

Companion Plants: Pair Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' with the fine, bronze-tinted fronds of Dryopteris 'Brilliance', which soften the hosta’s bold form. Add Heucherella 'Copper King' for warm contrast and foliage variation. Finish with Carex 'Ice Dance', whose arching, variegated blades add motion and brightness to the shaded border.

Care Instructions: Grow in part to full shade with moist, fertile, well-drained soil. Water regularly to maintain consistent soil moisture, especially in dry weather. Apply mulch to retain moisture and reduce competition. Divide clumps every 4–5 years in spring or early fall to rejuvenate and control size. Remove spent flower scapes after bloom to maintain a tidy appearance.

History: Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' was introduced by Chuck Purtymun of Walden West in Oregon and has won the American Hosta Growers Association’s Hosta of the Year (1997) for its distinctive cupped foliage and dependable garden performance. It remains one of the most popular blue hostas for collectors and landscape use alike.

Final Thoughts: Unique in form and rich in texture, Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' is a masterclass in foliage drama. It brings quiet sophistication to the shade garden, one sculpted leaf at a time.