
For one thing, there’s an astonishing number of varieties available. Miniature hosta selections may only grow a couple of inches tall and stay 12 inches wide (or less). They’re so small, they can easily get lost in a traditional garden (but are perfect for fairy gardens and container garden troughs). Hosta size moves up the scale to giants that can reach 4 feet tall or more and stretch an astonishing 8 feet wide.
Then there’s the leaf color. While it’s easy to group most hosta varieties into blue, green, and gold, varieties that have variegated foliage offer a much wider range of options. Look for blue varieties with gold edges, for example, or blue hosta varieties with gold centers. These variations give you the opportunity to do some really interesting hosta designs in your shade garden. For example, you can create a gradient effect by planting a gold variety next to a gold variety with blue edges. Keep going with a gold variety with wide blue centers situated adjacent to a blue variety with gold centers, then next to that, a blue variety with thin gold edges, and finish it with a blue hosta.
Or, design by creating contrasts with leaf shapes. Some hosta varieties, for example, have wide, almost heart-shaped or rounded leaves. Others are long and thin, seeming almost grassy by comparison.

See a range of hosta varieties in our Plant Finder!
Looking for more? Discover more shade-garden perennials to plant with your favorite hosta.
Written by Justin Hancock