Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Drop-dead Gorgeous Hosta: A 7-Foot Specimen for Big Shade
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Drop-dead Gorgeous hosta earns its name with size and polish. Its large, arching, oval leaves have green centers and bright yellow margins that ripple gently along the edges, and it grows quickly into a mound about 30 inches tall and, at maturity, more than 7 feet across. In midsummer, tall stems carry white flowers with lavender veins, opening from broad lavender bracts that give a water-lily look before the buds open.
Drop-dead Gorgeous at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hosta 'Drop-dead Gorgeous' |
| Foliage | Green centers, bright yellow rippled margins |
| Flowers | White with lavender veins on 28 to 41-inch stems |
| Size | About 30 inches tall, up to about 86 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Part sun to full shade |
| Deer | Susceptible |
Planning for a giant
A hosta over 7 feet wide is closer to a shrub than a border plant. That makes it useful in ways smaller hostas are not: as a living screen in shade, a single centerpiece under a big tree, or a bold anchor at the corner of a woodland bed. In a garden plan built around lavender, it gives the shady side of the property the same sense of scale that long lavender rows give the sunny side.
It should not share space with lavender, which needs dry, sunny ground. Pair it instead with coral bells, ferns and bleeding hearts, keeping them outside its mature footprint. Mark that footprint in the Companion Plant Planner before planting smaller neighbors.
Care
- Space: it grows quickly, so leave room from day one rather than moving it later.
- Light: shade from afternoon sun to keep leaves from scorching.
- Soil and water: evenly moist, rich soil; water deeply during dry spells. A plant this size drinks a lot.
- Slugs and deer: keep mulch thin near the crown and protect from deer browsing.
- Health: destroy any plant showing mottled or distorted leaves, a sign of Hosta virus X.
- Fall: cut collapsed foliage after hard frost. It is fully hardy in Michigan.
Tray options
Drop-dead Gorgeous is offered as a 72-cell plug tray and a 20-cell plug tray. The larger tray suits landscape-scale shade plantings and growers; the 20-cell tray gives fewer, deeper plugs. See each product page for current availability, or visit the Wholesale Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow it in a container?
Only while young. At full size it needs open ground in a shaded bed.
What are the water-lily bracts?
Before the flowers open, broad lavender bracts wrap the buds, giving the flower stalks a water-lily look for a short time.
How fast does it reach full size?
It is a quick grower for a hosta, but expect several seasons for a plug to reach its full spread.
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