Praying Hands Hosta - Bare Root Plant

Praying Hands is a true conversation piece. Its narrow, dark green leaves are folded tightly lengthwise and stand straight up, like hands pressed together, each with a very thin gold edge and heavy ripples along the blade.

The clump stays upright and narrow, about 14 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 16 inches wide. Because the leaves are folded, their shiny undersides catch the light. Lavender flowers appear in abundance on 18-inch scapes in late summer. It makes a striking specimen in a container or at the front of a shade bed.

What it looks like

Narrow, upright, tightly folded leaves in dark green with a very thin gold margin, heavily rippled along their length. The upper surface is matte, while the folded shape shows the shiny undersides. Leaves stand vertically in a narrow, vase-shaped clump about 14 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 16 inches wide. In late summer, scapes about 18 inches tall carry many lavender trumpet flowers. At peak the clump looks like a bundle of upright, twisted green spears with lavender flowers above.

Growing it with lavender

Hostas want shade and steady moisture, the opposite of lavender's hot, dry bed, so give this one a spot under trees or along the north side of the house with ferns and astilbe.

Care

Plant in part to full shade in rich, humus-heavy soil that stays evenly moist but drains well; water deeply during dry spells, especially the first summer. Hardy in zones 3-9. Cut spent scapes after bloom and divide crowded clumps in early spring as the shoots emerge.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Hosta
• Flower color: Lavender
• Foliage: Dark green with very narrow gold margins
• Growth habit: Narrow, upright clump
• Mature size: 14–18 in tall × 12–16 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
• Light: part sun to part shade, full shade
• Bloom start: Early-August
• Peak bloom: Mid-August
• Bloom pattern: Single Flush
• Deer resistance: Susceptible
• Pollinator value: Good

Sizes and shipping

Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.