Hosta 'Fragrant Blue'
- In stock, ready to ship
Hosta 'Fragrant Blue': Chalky Blue with a Sweet Secret
Chalky powder-blue leaves that keep coming all summer, plus lavender flowers that smell lightly sweet. 'Fragrant Blue' is the friend who always smells nice and NEVER TELLS YOU WHAT PERFUME IT'S WEARING.
Plant Characteristics:
- Botanical Name: Hosta 'Fragrant Blue'
- Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
- Height: 50โ55 cm (20โ22 in)
- Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
- Flowers: Pale lavender, lightly fragrant
- Bloom Time: Late summer (August)
- Foliage: Chalky powder-blue, heart-shaped leaves with a smooth to slightly wavy surface; new leaves keep coming through summer
- Features: Lightly fragrant flowers
Where to Plant: Use it in a mass for a soft blue carpet under trees, or to calm down a bright, busy shade bed. Plant it near a patio or bench so you can catch the light scent on a warm evening.
Companion Plants: The white plumes of Astilbe 'Diamond' rise to 80 cm behind this blue hosta from June to August, a cool, fresh pairing. Epimedium 'Lilafee' makes a low 25 to 30 cm edging with violet spring flowers in April and May, well before the hosta blooms. Ligularia 'Little Rocket' sends up yellow spikes from June to August, and that yellow looks bright against blue leaves. The three together cover spring to late summer in the same shady spot.
Plant Care: Plant it in moist, rich, well-drained soil with compost mixed in. Keep it in shade or gentle morning sun. Blue hostas owe their colour to a waxy coating, and strong sun or heat wears it off. Water deeply during dry spells, especially in the first year. Deer and rabbits like hostas, so protect it where they visit. Remove the flower stems after blooming and clear the leaves after a hard frost. Divide in early spring as shoots appear if you want more plants.
History: Dr. Kevin Vaughn of Massachusetts raised 'Fragrant Blue', and Paul Aden of New York registered it in 1988. It was bred to combine blue leaves with scented flowers, a trait that traces back to the fragrant Chinese species Hosta plantaginea.
Final Thoughts: Plant it along a shady path so you catch a whiff on the way by. EAU DE SHADE GARDEN.
