Hosta 'Blue Angel'

Hosta 'Blue Angel': Big, Blue and Born to Anchor

Big, heart-shaped blue leaves with flower stems shooting up like it's reaching for something higher. 'Blue Angel' has the patience of a kindergarten teacher, and THE SLUGS KNOW BETTER THAN TO TEST IT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Blue Angel'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 80–90 cm (31–36 in)
• Spread: 120–180 cm (4–6 ft)
• Flowers: Near white to very pale lavender, on tall scapes up to about 120 cm (4 ft)
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Large, thick, heart-shaped blue-green leaves with a slight puckering, fading to green late in the season
• Features: Very good slug resistance, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: Use it as a backbone for large shade gardens: a specimen, a background for smaller plantings, or a soft living screen under tall trees. Give it plenty of space, and protect young plants where deer and rabbits visit, though it tolerates black walnut.

Companion Plants: Cimicifuga 'Pink Spike' rises behind it to 120 to 150 cm with pink flowers from August into October. Mertensia virginica brings blue flowers in April and May, then fades away as the hosta fills out. Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock' adds bold leaves and pink flowers in June at 55 cm. All three suit shade to partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in deep, moist, rich soil with plenty of compost. Shelter from hot afternoon sun keeps the blue colour longer. Water deeply in dry spells and mulch well. Giant hostas take several years to reach full size, so be patient. Cut the flower scapes after bloom, clear the leaves after a hard frost, and divide in spring only if you need to.

History: 'Blue Angel' was raised by Florence Shaw of Massachusetts and registered in 1986 by Paul Aden, with Hosta sieboldiana in its background for the blue colour and heavy leaves. It holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit and won the American Hosta Society's Benedict Garden Performance Medal in 2016.

Final Thoughts: Plant it where you need a big, cool blue presence in the shade. It's heavenly. WE'RE NOT EVEN SORRY.