Hosta 'Blueberry Muffin'

True to its name, Hosta 'Blueberry Muffin' forms a medium-size mound of uniformly colored, sugar-frosted blue leaves with corrugation and puckering aplenty to add texture to shade and part-shade gardens. Adding more interest, the leaf stems can take on mauve tones and the petioles (the spot where the leaf meets the stem) are sprinkled with purple dots. Pale purple appears again in summer when the plant’s bell-shaped blossoms arrive. Bear in mind that the glaucous blue leaf color is most consistent when plants are given full shade and cooler temperatures. Plant ‘Blueberry Muffin’ amid lime-colored or variegated Hostas, Hakonechloa ‘Aurea,’ and Ferns.

This genus of shade lovers has 70 species, all of them from China and Japan, and hybridizers have produced hundreds of exciting crosses. Hostas have many handsome leaf colorations and lavender or white Lily-like flowers on graceful stalks. Plants prefer a moist location, but we've had a mass planting thrive for more than 30 years under a row of Sugar Maples. (In the South and West, evenly moist soil is required.) Because Hostas are grown primarily for their foliage, we give the height of the leaves, not the flowers.

For more information on growing Hostas, click Growing Guide.