18 Colorful Hostas To Add A Burst Of Brightness To Your Shade Garden

Finding low light plants for the garden can be a challenge, and that’s where colored hostas save the day. There are over 2,000 registered cultivars of hosta plants. Hosta colors include hues of blues, greens, cream, and yellows. And often these colorful hosta plants sport several colors on the broad leaves. Add to the foliage tones and hostas also offer brightly toned flowers in spring. Growing hosta plants just requires some shade during the day, well draining soil, and bulbs.

Different Colored Hostas

Colored hostas make standout specimens in the garden. These ornamental, herbaceous perennial plants are native to Asia and relatives of asparagus. There are 5 major leaf color classifications. These are green, gold, blue, medio- variegated, and marginal variegated. Medio-variegated varieties of hosta have dark margins with a light center, while marginal variegated colorful hostas have light margins with a dark center.

There are also new cultivars that have a leaf color different from the petiole. In these, petioles in hues of purple and red support the huge leaves. Hostas prefer full to partial shade, although there are some sun tolerant hostas that can be grown in full sun. They also need a few months of exposure to temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit ( 4.4 C).

Red Hostas

So far science hasn’t developed red leaves in hosta plants, but Raspberry Sundae, Beet Salad, and Purple have brightly hued petioles in some seem to bleed out into the center of the leaf.

Some of the new cultivars have created differently hued flower scapes.

In the case of Cherry Berry, the leaves are white with dashes of green but they also boast red flower stems and deeply purple flowers. Red Hot Poker has red flower stems. Red October produces burgundy petioles or leaf stems.

Yellow Hostas

Lipstick Blonde is quite amazing with lemon yellow leaves and bright red petioles.

More Colorful Hosta Plants

Still not satisfied? Here's a quick list of 18 more stunning hosta varieties.

1. Blazing Saddles: medium plant with yellow marginal variegation and creamy white.
2. Blue Cadet: a small hosta with heart shaped blue leaves and tall flowering stems.
3. Blue Mouse Ears: a very diminutive plant with deeply blue, small, slightly curved leaves.
4. Plantain Lily: probably the most commonly known and one of the varieties with the most sun tolerance.
5. Gold Edger: chartreuse leaves compliment lavender flowers.
6. Lemontini: small plant with butter yellow pointed leaves.
7. Blue Silver: quite narrow, pointed greenish gray leaves.
8. Autumn Frost: the leaves have grayish blue centers bordered irregularly by gold.
9. Albomarginata: large oval green leaves with a white border.
10. Hyacinthina: a color changing plant with blue leaves most of the year that turn olive green in summer.
11. Empress Wu: one of the largest of the group with huge green oval leaves and flowers that present up to 4 feet ( 1.2 m.) in height.
12. Gold Standard: another color changer who emerges with green leaves that turn to gold with blue-green borders.
13. Golden Tiara: a small plant with green heart shaped leaves bordered by gold.
14. Francee: pointed dark green leaves with a defining white edge.
15. Elegans: one of the wavy leaf varieties in blue.
16. Red Dragon: one of the newer cultivars with red petioles and light green leaves.
17. Twist of Lime: a tiny plant with yellow leaves bordered neatly by green.
18. Wrinkle in Time: the dark green leaves have light yellow margins in spring which turn to white in summer.

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