Canadian Blue Hosta

18" tall, 32" spread, lavender flowers, part-full shade. Bold, ovate leaves become a deep, frost blue color as the plant matures. Rippled leaves are quite thick and will stand up to damaging slugs. For best color, plant in the shade, as too much sun will cause the leaves to become green. Attracts hummingbirds. Zones 3-9. #1 grade, bareroot.

Hosta grow best in moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Sandy loam is better than clay because it provides more aeration for the roots. High-filtered or dappled sunlight is necessary for clean, healthy growth. Morning sun is tolerable and will help to intensify the leaf colors, but hot afternoon sun is usually deadly to Hosta. They are most at home in shady, woodland settings and often work well as specimen or edging plants.

Especially in northern zones, Hosta should be mulched with a layer of finely shredded organic material to prevent heaving in the winter. Mulch is beneficial because it retains moisture around the plant's roots, but it is also the ideal place for slugs to hide. Watch for holes in the center of the leaves. If they are present, so are slugs. Applying a slug bait in early spring when new shoots are beginning to emerge will help to reduce the slug population. After a few years when plants are firmly established, the mulch can be removed completely, which should eliminate the slug problem altogether. Also be sure to clean all Hosta foliage out of the garden in early winter after the plants have gone dormant. By doing so, you will be ridding the area of the eggs of slugs and other leaf-eating insects.