Hostias delight with their large, patterned leaves. We will introduce you to the whole diversity of the plant and show you the most beautiful hosta varieties.

The variety of hosta is almost endless - we present the most popular types and varieties

Hostas (Hosta) are available in a wide variety of growth forms and leaf colors. It's easy to lose track of things. So that this doesn't happen to you, in this article we will introduce you to the most important hosta species and give tips for the most interesting varieties of each species.

If you look at the gigantic variety of hostas, it quickly becomes clear that this must be an extremely popular plant. There are around 45 hosta species and over 4000 varieties worldwide. And the number keeps growing as enthusiastic breeders crossbreed more and more special and exciting Hosta novelties. In the following we only present the most interesting hosta species and the selection of mentioned varieties is only a small part of the huge world of hosta diversity.

Hosta fortunei - The Grey-Leaf Hosta

The species Hosta fortunei is a hybrid native to Japan. It is characterized by its long stems and medium-strong growth. The leaves are uniform, pointed and can be 20 to 30 centimeters long. Between July and August, this species blooms light purple to white with flowers about five centimeters long. The plants can grow 60 to 90 centimeters high and up to 120 centimeters wide. There is a large variety of Hosta fortunei . We have put together an overview of the most attractive varieties for you below.

  • 'Albomarginata': The leaves of this variety shine in a strong dark green, from which the white leaf edge stands out conspicuously.
  • 'Albopicta': The leaf edge of this variety is dark green, the leaf center golden yellow.
  • 'Aurea': This variety is also called Gold Funkie because the leaves shine in a bright golden yellow.
  • 'Aureomarginata': This variety is golden-leaved with a broad golden margin.
The 'Aureomarginata' variety convinces with its whiteLeaf margin
  • 'Captain Kirk': The leaves of this variety shimmer yellow-green in the middle, almost orange and are dark green at the leaf margin.
  • 'Carol': This variety has heart-shaped, light green leaves with a narrow yellow edge.
  • 'Fire and Ice': The leaves of this variety are patterned green, yellow and white.
  • 'Francee': This cultivar has particularly large leaves that are dark green and glossy with a narrow white margin.
  • ‘Gold Standard‘: This variety convinces with a green leaf edge and a yellow leaf center.
  • 'Hanky Panky': This cultivar bears leaves that are dark green in color with a creamy white edge.
  • 'Minuteman': The leaf center of this variety is dark green to grey-green and the leaf margin is white.
  • ‘Orions Belt’: This variety provides you with long-stemmed, heart-shaped leaves with a dark green leaf center and a white edge.
  • 'Patriot': The leaves of this cultivar are dark green in the center and have a wide white margin.
  • ‘Piedmont Gold‘: The leaves of this variety are unicoloured light green to yellow.
  • 'Revolution': The center of the leaf is white with green speckles and is surrounded by a green border.
  • ‘Striptease‘: At first glance, the leaves of this variety look like two leaves placed one on top of the other: the light green center of the leaf is framed by a dark green leaf edge.
  • 'Whirlwind': This variety stands out due to its white leaves with green leaf edges and the twirled leaf tips.

Hosta plantaginea - The Lily Funkie

The lily hosta (Hosta plantaginea) comes from China and has been cultivated in Europe and the USA for over 100 years. The leaves of this variety are 15 to 25 centimeters long, oval to heart-shaped and wavy. Lily hostas can grow up to 60 centimeters high and 100 centimeters wide. This species is particularly valued for its large, pure white, wonderfully fragrant flowers that open in late August to September. Some varieties with a particularly beguiling scent can be found here.

  • 'Aphrodite': This variety bears large, pure white, fragrant flowers in August.
  • 'Doubled Up': The large, heavily scented, white flowers of this variety bloom from mid-July to August.
  • 'Emily Dickinson': This variety produces medium-purple, fragrant flowers in August.
The lily hosta comes from China and has beautiful flowers
  • 'Flower Power': Fragrant, pale lavender flowers begin to bloom on this variety from mid-July.
  • 'Fragrant Flame': This strain producesfragrant white flowers in August.
  • 'Ming Treasure': This variety bears fragrant, pure white flowers from August.
  • 'Mistress Mabel': The very pale purple fragrant flowers of this variety form dense clusters and bloom in late July.
  • 'Summer Fragrance': The fragrant, very pale lavender flowers of this variety bloom from mid-August to September.
  • 'Venus': This variety is prized for its huge, pure white, wonderfully fragrant flowers.

Hosta sieboldina - The Blue Leaf Funkie

The blue leaf hosta (Hosta sieboldiana) is probably the best known and most popular hosta species and comes from Japan. There it still grows wild in rocky mountain forests. It can grow into a perennial up to 100 centimeters high and up to 120 centimeters wide. The upper side of the leaves of this species is strikingly blue-green - hence the name. They can grow up to 50 centimeters long. The flowers of this species are up to 5.5 centimeters long and pale lilac in color. They fade to a white over time. The flowering period is from June to August. Countless varieties belong to this species. We present some particularly attractive ones below.

  • 'Abiqua Moonbeam': The leaves of this variety are dark green to bluish in the center and light green to yellow towards the outside.
  • ‘August Moon‘: This variety convinces with its yellow and green striped leaves.
  • ‘Blue Mammoth‘: The leaves of this variety are uniformly blue-green and large.
  • ‘Blue Umbrellas‘: The leaves of this variety are like blue umbrellas - blue-green, matt and, above all, huge.
  • ‘Color Glory‘: Translated into German, this variety means “color splendor” and it keeps what it promises: depending on the season, the leaves are cream-colored, golden, green to white and blue.
  • 'Dream Queen': The large leaves of this variety are green with a delicate creamy white marking in the middle.
The Blue Leaf Funkie comes from Japan
  • 'Elegans': This popular variety grows up to 70 cm high and up to 100 cm wide. The leaves are solid green.
  • 'Frances Williams': The leaves of this cultivar are dull blue with a yellow border.
  • ‘Golden Meadows‘: The leaves of this variety are elongated and strikingly marked: They are yellowish in the middle, almost white and get darker towards the outside until the leaf edges are completely dark green.
  • 'Great Expectations': The leaves of this variety are bicolor with a green border and a lighter center.
  • 'Pizzazz': Because of its spreading, large leavescaptivates this variety. The leaf color is blue-green with yellow margins.
  • ‘Snow Cap‘: This variety impresses with its special leaf colour: The leaves are yellow to cream-colored on the outside and have a green heart in the middle.
  • 'Snowflakes': This variety owes its name "snowflake" to its snow-white flowers. The leaves are uniformly green.
  • 'Wide Brim': This variety convinces with the heart-shaped leaf, typical of hostas, which is green in the middle and has a cream-colored border on the outside.
  • 'Zounds': The leaves of this variety are particularly large and shimmer in yellow-green.
The special thing about the species Hosta undulata are its wavy leaves

Hosta undulata - Snowfeather Funkie

Hosta of the species Hosta undulata are called snow feather hosts or wavy leaf hosts, depending on the variety. They are among the medium-sized species. Medium-sized means that the Hosta will grow up to 30 to 40 centimeters tall, while the inflorescences can reach 100 centimeters. Snowfeather hostas bear dark green foliage that has a creamy white center. The leaves are also spirally twisted and pointed. Hosta undulata produces beautiful light purple, funnel-shaped flowers in July. We have compiled our own interesting varieties for you below.

  • 'Albomarginata': This variety impresses with light green, wavy leaves and a narrow, white leaf edge.
  • 'Erromena': This cultivar bears deep green, unicolored leaves that are elongated and tapered.
  • 'Mediovariegata': The special feature of this variety is the bicolored, green and white striped leaves that are wavy and twisted.
  • 'Univittata': This variety has an irregular, creamy white marking in the middle on dark green leaves. These are slightly curled towards the end.

Hosra sieboldii - The white-edged or narrow-leaved hosta

The white-edged hosta (Hosta sieboldii) is also called narrow-leaf hosta and also comes from Japan. It is a rather small hosta species. In its homeland, it especially loves damp locations. The plants bear glossy, wavy leaves that are about an inch wide and four to five inches long. The upper side of the leaf is dull and dark green while the underside is glossy and light green. Characteristic of this variety is the white border that all leaves have, hence the name "white-edged Funkie". The almost white flowers, which have dark purple veins, appear in August. Also of this kindthere are innumerable varieties. We will now present the most interesting ones to you.

  • 'Carrie Ann': The leaves of this cultivar are lanceolate, slightly wavy and light green with a white edge.
  • 'Feather Boa': The leaves of this variety are light green to yellow with a very narrow white leaf margin.
  • 'Geissler's Edge': The leaves of this variety are light green with a narrow, white border and are shiny on top and dull on the bottom. The medium purple flowers bloom in August.
  • 'Ginko Craig': The matt leaves of this variety are rich green and have a very narrow, white edge.
  • 'Harry Van Trier': The leaves of this variety are elongated and appear to be green at first, until you can see the almost unrecognizable, narrow, white leaf edge.
  • 'Kabitan': The leaves of this variety are yellow to light green with a dark green border.
Hosta sieboldii is also from Japan
  • 'Krossa Cream Edge': The leaves of this variety are slightly wider than other variants of Hosta Sieboldii . But they also have the typical white leaf edge on green leaves.
  • 'Lime Shag': This variety differs from other white-leaved hosta varieties with its striking yellow, elongated leaves.
  • 'White Dove': This variety is characterized by very narrow leaves with a white edge.

Hosta tardiana - The Grey-Blue Hosta

Tall Hosta (Hosta tardiana) bears rich, blue-green foliage and is generally about medium sized. Plants of this species produce clusters of pale, lavender flowers from late July to mid-August. We have some interesting variety suggestions for this Hosta species here for you.

  • 'Blue Blush': This cultivar bears uniform blue-green, dull leaves.
  • ‘Blue Wedgwood‘: The leaves of this hosta variety are monochromatic grey-blue.
  • 'Catherine': This variety also impresses with its striking leaf colour. The golden-yellow center of the sheet has a grey-blue frame.
  • 'Devon Green': This variety is distinguished by its very shiny, dark to grey-green leaves.
  • 'El Nino': One of the most popular hosta cultivars is 'El Nino' with its tapering grey-blue leaves and a creamy-white leaf margin.
  • 'Halcyon': What is special about this variety are the uniformly bluish and green shimmering leaves.
  • 'June': This variety has particularly striking leaves: They are elongated, heart-shaped and striped in dark green and yellow.
  • 'June Fever': TheLeaves of this cultivar are yellow in the middle and get darker from light green to gray-green towards the edge of the leaf.
  • 'Remember Me': The leaves of this cultivar are creamy white, fading to light green and grey-green towards the leaf margin.
  • 'Timeless Beauty': The leaves of this variety are a real feast for the eyes. They are patterned in teal, light green and yellow.
  • 'Touch of Class': The large and broad leaves of this variety are grey-green. They have bright yellow-green stripes down the middle.
The gray-blue hosta is known for its blue-green leaves

Hosta ventricosa - The Bell Funkie

Originally, the bell hosta (Hosta ventricosa) comes from central and southern China. There it grows mainly between bushes in damp and shady locations and even occurs at altitudes of up to 2400 meters. It grows up to 90 centimeters tall and bears glossy, dark green, heart-shaped foliage. The mid-purple, bell-shaped flowers with purple anthers appear in July. The two common varieties of this species are as follows:

  • 'Aureomaculata': This variety has yellow spotted leaves.
  • 'Aureomarginata': This variety stands out with its green leaves and irregular yellow leaf margin.
The variety 'Aureomarginata' of the bell host captivates with its bell-shaped flowers

Hosta minor - The dwarf hosta

As the name suggests, the dwarf hosta (Hosta minor) is the smallest of the hosta species with a height of just 22 centimeters and a width of 55 centimetres. Originally from Korea, it has green foliage. This species blooms with purple flowers from early to mid-July. Hostas of this species are usually only sold under the name Hosta minor.

Hosta x cultorum - hosta hybrids

There is a large number of Hosta cultivated forms, for which it is no longer possible to determine which crossings they originally came from. These are so-called hosta hybrids and often have the Latin names Hosta cultivars or Hosta x cultorum. We have listed some exciting varieties that belong to the Hosta hybrids here for you.

  • 'Empress Wu': The impressive thing about this hosta variety is its sheer size: it can grow up to 1.5 meters in height and the dark green leaves are up to 60 cm long.
  • 'Orange Marmalade': The leaves of this variety are yellowish green with a green edge.
  • 'American Halo':This variety grows up to 80 cm high. It bears heart-shaped, dark green leaves edged with creamy white.
  • 'Sum and Substance': The lighter the location, the lighter the leaves of this strain will be. So they can be yellow-green to yellow.
  • 'Pilgrim': This variety has green leaves with a yellow, later white margin.
  • 'Ann Kulpa': This variety has leaves with a beautiful white center and a dark green, wide leaf margin.
The leaves of the hybrid variety 'Sum and Substance' are yellow-green to yellow depending on the location
  • 'Stiletto': This variety is characterized by its very narrow, long leaves. These are green with scalloped cream edges.
  • 'Mata Hari': This variety is also very large. Its leaves are light green in the middle, dark green at the edge of the leaf and there is a white line between the two colors.
  • 'Praying Hands': The name of this strain means "praying hands" in German. That's because the solid green leaves actually resemble clasped hands.
  • 'First Frost': The leaves of this variety are blue-green with a yellow leaf margin.
  • 'Fire Island': The leaf color of this variety is very special: the leaves are bright yellow, while the stems are red.
  • 'Paradise Island': This variety impresses with its red stems. The leaves are light green to yellow with a dark green leaf margin.
  • 'White Feather': This variety owes its name "white feather" to the monochrome light yellow to white leaves.
  • 'Paul's Glory': This cultivar bears light green to yellow leaves with a wide dark green leaf margin.
  • 'Gypsy Rose': This variety has a thin white line between the two leaf colors light green and dark green, as well as on the edge of the leaf.
  • 'Purple Haze': This strain features purple petioles while the leaves are uniformly dark green.
The 'White Feather' variety has light yellow to white leaves

Small hosta varieties for the pot

Funkias can be grown in pots just as well as in the garden bed. For this purpose, only small to medium-sized varieties should be selected that do not get too tight in the pot. We now present the most beautiful varieties for cultivation in tubs.

  • 'Abby': This variety has blue-green leaves with a narrow yellow-green leaf margin and is ideal for pot growing.
  • 'Baby Bunting': This cultivar forms innumerable, small, rounded leaves that are solid green.
  • 'Blue Cadet': This variety impresses with itsmultiple, heart-shaped leaves that are uniformly blue-green in color.
  • 'Blue Mouse Ears': The shape of the leaves of this strain is actually reminiscent of small mouse ears. The leaf color is blue-green.
  • 'Bressingham Blue': This variety has almost round leaves with an intense blue colour. Due to its medium-strong growth, it is well suited for cultivation in pots.
  • 'Carousel': This variety bears large light green leaves with a wide, cream-colored margin.
  • 'Diamond Necklace': This variety bears many small, heart-shaped leaves with white, long stems. The leaves are white with a broad blue-green margin.
  • 'Dragon Tails': The special thing about this hosta variety are the elongated, yellow leaves with a conspicuously wavy leaf edge.
  • 'Fair Maiden': This cultivar bears elongated, heart-shaped leaves that are dark green in color with a creamy edge.
  • 'Fall Bouquet': The special feature of this variety are the red-purple spotted petioles. The leaves are solid green.
  • 'Hi Ho Silver': This variety bears countless small leaves that are very long and narrow. The leaves are green in the center with a wide, creamy white margin.
  • 'Ice Cream': This variety has many small, almost round leaves that are green in the middle and light green to yellow at the leaf margin.
  • 'Little Schelm': Despite its short stature, this variety grows lush and bushy and has dark green leaves.
  • 'Little White Lines': As the name suggests, this variety bears light green leaves with a small white leaf margin. The leaves are lanceolate and numerous.
  • 'Over the Waves': This cultivar sports wavy blue-green leaves and showy red petioles.
Hostias can also be cultivated very well in pots
  • 'Platinum Tiara': This short cultivar has yellow leaves with a white leaf margin.
  • 'Purple Dwarf': The 'purple dwarf' is so called because of its purple flowers. The leaves are light green.
  • 'Tsugaru Komachi': This variety stands out due to its elongated and narrow leaves and the green and white striped leaf markings.

You see, with this extensive variety of varieties, it is not so easy to decide on a Hosta variety. However, once you've managed to do that, here's everything you need to know about buying hostas.

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