Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Cathedral Windows Hosta: Fragrant Late Flowers for Shady Beds
Save
Cathedral Windows hosta forms a big, full clump of rounded, bright gold leaves with very wide, dark green margins. As the leaves mature they become domed, which gives the mound depth, like light coming through stained glass in a dim room. It fills in quickly and holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Its other gift arrives late. In August, long after the lavender harvest, tall stems carry large, fragrant, near-white trumpet flowers well above the leaves. Just plan on giving it shade, because it will not grow in the lavender bed.
Cathedral Windows at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hosta 'Cathedral Windows' |
| Foliage | Bright gold center, very wide dark green margin; leaves dome with age |
| Flowers | Large, fragrant, near-white trumpets on stems 40 to 43 inches tall |
| Size | About 19 inches tall and 34 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early August, peaks mid-August |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Part sun to part shade, or full shade |
| Deer | Susceptible |
Fragrance for the shady side
Most hostas are grown for leaves alone. Cathedral Windows comes from a line of hostas known for big, sweet-scented flowers, and it is one of the later hostas to bloom. That makes it a nice bookend to a lavender garden: lavender perfumes the sunny beds in early summer, and Cathedral Windows takes over the scent duty in the shade in August.
Keep the two apart, though. Lavender needs full sun and dry, lean soil; this hosta needs shade and steady moisture. Plant it in a moist, shaded bed with coral bells, ferns and bleeding hearts, perhaps along a shaded path you walk in the evening, when the flowers are easy to enjoy. The Companion Plant Planner keeps the sun and shade areas straight.
Planting and care
- Planting plugs: set them with the crown at soil level in loosened, humus-rich soil, then water well.
- Light: shade from afternoon sun. Leaves scorch in hot, dry sites.
- Water: evenly moist soil, with extra water in dry spells. Winter soil should not stay waterlogged.
- Slugs: the main pest in damp springs; keep mulch thin near the crown.
- Fall: cut the collapsed foliage down after hard frost to reduce slug eggs and disease.
- Dividing: split crowded clumps in spring as new shoots appear.
Remove any plant with mottled or distorted leaves, since that can be a sign of hosta virus.
Hummingbirds and late-season interest
The tall white trumpets draw hummingbirds as well as bees, and their height lets them rise well above neighboring shade plants. A drift of Cathedral Windows under high tree canopy makes a bright gold carpet all summer with a white, fragrant finish.
About the plug tray
Cathedral Windows is offered as a 20-cell plug tray, which gives sturdy, deep plugs for filling a shade bed or potting up. See the product page for current availability, or visit the Wholesale Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Are the flowers really fragrant?
Yes. The large near-white trumpets carry a moderate, sweet fragrance in late summer.
How fast will it fill in?
It is known for filling in quickly, heading toward almost three feet wide at maturity. Space plants with that in mind.
Share how it went in your field