Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Blue Angel Hosta: A Giant Blue-Green Dome for Deep Shade
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Blue Angel hosta is a giant blue-green hosta and one of the most decorated varieties around, including a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. Its huge, heart-shaped, heavy-textured leaves are held level on upright stalks before the outer ones spill downward, building a layered dome about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
In midsummer, light lavender bell flowers rise on 4-foot stems. It is the closest a deep-shade plant will come to growing lavender, at least in color.
Blue Angel at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hosta 'Blue Angel' |
| Foliage | Giant, heart-shaped, heavy-textured blue-green |
| Flowers | Light lavender bells on stems about 48 inches tall |
| Size | About 36 inches tall, 48 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Part to full shade |
| Deer | Susceptible |
A shade-side companion
Blue Angel belongs in the shade garden, not the sunny, dry lavender bed. Hostas want moisture and richer soil; lavender wants sun and lean ground. On the same property, though, they make a fine pair of anchors. Lavender rows hold the open, sunny ground. Blue Angel holds the shade under trees, beside ferns and woodland perennials, with its own lavender-colored flowers echoing the summer show happening out in the sun.
Because it gets so big, give it a spot where it can be the focal point: the end of a shady path, the center of a woodland bed or the corner of a north-facing foundation. The Companion Plant Planner helps you place sun and shade plants on one map.
Care through the year
- Light: shade from afternoon sun. Leaves can scorch in hot, dry sites.
- Soil: evenly moist, humus-rich and well drained.
- Water: during dry spells, especially in its first few seasons.
- Spring: divide crowded clumps as new shoots appear.
- Fall: remove collapsed foliage after frost to reduce slug eggs and disease.
- Winter: fully hardy in Michigan; avoid soil that stays waterlogged.
Its heavy leaves are very slug resistant. Deer are a bigger concern, so fence or protect it in deer country.
Two tray sizes
Blue Angel comes as a 72-cell plug tray, suited to large shade plantings and growers who pot up their own stock, and as a 20-cell plug tray with fewer, deeper plugs for smaller projects. Hostas this large take a few seasons to reach full size from plugs, so patience pays. See each product page for current availability and the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
How much space does Blue Angel need?
Plan for about 4 feet across at maturity, plus a little breathing room.
Can I cut the flowers?
Yes. The tall lavender flower stems are fair for cutting and add height to shade-garden bouquets.
Will it grow in sun?
Not well. It grows best in part to full shade, and hot sun can scorch the leaves.
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