Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Fire and Ice Hosta: Bright White Centers to Light Up Shade
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Fire and Ice hosta has heart-shaped leaves with wide, pure white centers framed by crisp dark green margins. It is one of the brightest white-centered hostas you can grow, and it holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In midsummer, stems about 30 inches tall carry lavender-colored bell flowers above the mound.
Those lavender flowers are as close as it should get to the real thing. Hostas want shade and steady moisture, so Fire and Ice belongs in a shaded bed away from your lavender plants.
Fire and Ice at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hosta 'Fire and Ice' |
| Foliage | Heart-shaped, wide pure white center, dark green margin |
| Flowers | Lavender bells on stems about 30 inches tall |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July |
| Size | 20 to 22 inches tall, about 30 inches wide |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Part shade to full shade |
| Deer | Susceptible |
A bright spot on the shady side
White foliage is the best way to light up deep shade, and Fire and Ice does it with real contrast. In a garden plan that includes sunny lavender beds, use it under trees, along the north side of a building or beside a shaded patio. Its white centers glow at dusk, much the way pale lavender flowers do in the evening light out in the sun.
Pair it with darker foliage to make the white pop: ferns, astilbe and deep purple coral bells are all good partners. It also works as a specimen in a container or in mass plantings along a walk. Map sun and shade in the Companion Plant Planner.
Care for white-centered hostas
White-centered leaves have less green tissue, so they are less vigorous than all-green hostas and need a little more care.
- Soil: rich, humus-rich and evenly moist, never waterlogged in winter.
- Light: no afternoon sun. The white centers scorch easily.
- Water: keep moisture steady, especially in dry spells.
- Slugs: keep mulch thin near the crown and check leaves in damp springs.
- Fall: cut the foliage down after a hard frost to reduce slug eggs and disease.
- Dividing: split crowded clumps in spring as shoots appear.
In containers
Fire and Ice is a showy container hosta. A large pot with drainage holes and a rich potting mix lets you place it right where you want a bright accent, and makes slug patrol easier. Water more often than you would in the ground.
About the plug tray
Fire and Ice is offered as a 72-cell plug tray, suited to growers and large shade plantings. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my white centers turning brown?
Usually too much sun or not enough water. Move it to deeper shade or water more consistently.
Do the flowers attract pollinators?
Yes. The lavender bells are visited by bees and hummingbirds in midsummer.
Can I plant it near my lavender?
Not in the same bed. Give it a shady, moist spot elsewhere on the property.
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