Hosta 'June'

Hosta 'June': Blue Edges Around a Ripening Gold Heart

A chartreuse-gold centre wrapped in a wide blue-green edge. 'June' is the reliable friend with good taste who never cancels plans, and somehow STILL LOOKS FRESH AT THE END OF THE NIGHT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta (Tardiana Group) 'June'
• Common Name: Plantain lily, hosta
• Height: 40 cm (16 in)
• Spread: 70–95 cm (28–37 in)
• Flowers: Pale lavender
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July to August)
• Foliage: Slightly wavy, pointed leaves with a light green to chartreuse-gold centre and wide blue-green margin
• Features: Hosta of the Year 2001, RHS Award of Garden Merit, Benedict Garden Performance Medal

Where to Plant: Its medium size is ideal for the front or middle of a shady border, a woodland path or a container. Its mix of blue and gold ties together the colours on either side, so it works as a bridge in a mixed shade bed.

Companion Plants: Dicentra 'Alba' brings white flowers in May and June at 60 to 90 cm, before the hosta blooms. Rodgersia aesculifolia adds bold leaves and cream flowers at 90 to 120 cm in June and July. Solidago flexicaulis lights up late summer with yellow flowers from August into October. All three are at home in shade to partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant it in rich, moist, well-drained soil with compost. Some morning sun brings out the gold centre; too much hot sun fades the blue margin and can scorch leaves. Water deeply during dry spells, especially in its first year. The thick leaves hold up to slugs better than most, but deer and rabbits will still eat it. Cut the flower stems after bloom and clear the leaves after a hard frost. Divide in spring as the shoots emerge if you want more plants.

History: 'June' came from NEO Plants Ltd in England as a tissue culture sport of the blue Hosta 'Halcyon', was registered in 1991 and was named Hosta of the Year in 2001. It also holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and received the American Hosta Society's Benedict Garden Performance Medal in 2009.

Final Thoughts: Low maintenance, great in pots or beds and pretty in every kind of shade. A CLASSIC THAT EARNS IT.