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Blue Hostas: Best Varieties and How to Keep Them Blue

Published 2018-06-01 · Updated 2026-10-06

Quick answer

A “blue” hosta is a normally green leaf covered with a waxy “bloom” (a glaucous coating) that reflects blue light, so the leaf looks blue-gray (The Hosta Helper). Summer heat and rain beating on the leaves wear the wax away, so most blue hostas turn greener as summer goes on (The Hosta Helper). To keep them blue, plant in shade or morning-only sun and water the soil rather than the leaves. Varieties range from the 4-inch-high Blue Elf to giants such as Blue Angel (see the table below).

Blue Angel

One of the largest blue hostas: the registry records a mature plant 36 inches tall and 48 inches wide, with flower scapes to 48 inches and blue leaves up to 18 inches long and 12 inches wide (AHS Registry). Like most hostas it does best in part shade with some morning sun, in evenly moist soil that is never allowed to dry out (Missouri Botanical Garden).

Blue Mouse Ears

Named for its rounded, slightly curled leaves. The registry describes them as medium blue-green with a heart-shaped (cordate) base and records the plant as a miniature, only 5 inches tall and 9 inches wide (AHS Registry). See the Blue Mouse Ears card.

Elegans

H. sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ is recorded at 20 inches tall and 40 inches wide, with heavily glaucous, bluish gray-green leaves about 10 by 9 inches and flower scapes 24 to 40 inches tall (AHS Registry).

Blue Cadet

Small, blue-green, heart-shaped leaves only about 2.5 inches long; the registry places it in the miniature class, yet it forms a dense mound up to 15 inches tall and 38 inches wide. The leaves turn medium-green by mid-July (AHS Registry).

Fragrant Blue

A small hosta with blue-green foliage, recorded at 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide with flower scapes to 20 inches (AHS Registry). It bears fragrant, pale lavender flowers in August and was the first registered cultivar to combine good blue foliage with fragrant flowers (The Hosta Helper).

Bressingham Blue

Finely ribbed, cupped, blue-green leaves about 15 by 12 inches on a plant recorded at 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide, with white flowers (AHS Registry).

Why are blue hostas blue?

Blue hostas have no blue pigment. The leaf is normally green, and the blue color comes from a waxy “bloom” covering its surface; the registry descriptions call it a “glaucous bloom”. This wax is thickest, and reflects blue light best, in early spring just after the plants emerge (The Hosta Helper).

Because the color depends on this coating, anything that wears away the wax makes a blue hosta greener: summer heat and rain beating down on the leaves remove it and reveal the green below (The Hosta Helper), and keeping the foliage dry helps blue cultivars keep their color (University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension).

How to keep blue hostas blue: checklist

  • Shade or morning sun only. Blue-green hostas are less tolerant of direct sun and keep better color in cool, shady spots (Missouri Botanical Garden), and hot afternoon sun will scorch most hostas (Ask Extension).
  • Water the soil, not the leaves. Drip tubing or soaker hoses keep the foliage dry, which reduces disease problems and enhances the color of blue-leaved cultivars (University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension).
  • Expect seasonal change. In hot summers most blue hostas turn blue-green by mid or late summer — the registry notes, for example, that Blue Cadet “turns medium-green by mid-July” (AHS Registry) and Big Daddy “turns green by late summer” (AHS Registry).
  • Choose cultivars that hold their color. For example, the registry describes Blue Cascade as “very blue, maintains blue color all summer” (AHS Registry).

Blue hostas by size (registry data)

All sizes below are the mature plant height × spread recorded in the American Hosta Society registry for each cultivar; the size class is the Roman numeral of the registry section class (I giant, II large, III medium, IV small, V miniature). Real plants vary with climate, age and growing conditions. Each row links to its registry record.

CultivarRegistry size classHeight × spreadLeaf notes from the registry
Blue ElfSmall (IV)4 × 11 in (10 × 28 cm)Very thick, intense blue-green, round leaves; slow growth (#6293)
Blue Mouse EarsMiniature (V)5 × 9 in (13 × 23 cm)Medium blue-green, heart-shaped base (#646)
Dorset BlueSmall (IV)8 × 8 in (20 × 20 cm)Blue leaves 4 × 3 in (#1484)
Hadspen BlueSmall (IV)8 × 10 in (20 × 25 cm)Blue leaves 5 × 3 in (#2411)
Blue SkiesSmall (IV)9 × 10 in (23 × 25 cm)Blue-green leaves 4.5 × 4 in (#671)
PewterwareSmall (IV)8 × 24 in (20 × 61 cm)Glaucous bloom on both sides (#4322)
Love PatSmall (IV)14 × 16 in (36 × 41 cm)“Intensely blue”, upright (#3536)
Abiqua Drinking GourdMedium (III)16 × 14 in (41 × 36 cm)Dark blue, leaves wider than long (7.5 × 8.25 in) (#62)
HalcyonSmall (IV)21 × 23 in (53 × 58 cm)Blue leaves 4 × 3 in (#2422)
Silver BayMedium (III)13 × 34 in (33 × 86 cm)Intensely blue-green, glaucous both sides (#5146)
Canadian BlueMedium (III)18 × 40 in (46 × 102 cm)Intensely blue-green; fast growth (#887)
NeptuneLarge (II)24 × 47 in (61 × 119 cm)Rippled margins; “bluest in spring” (#4001)
Krossa RegalGiant (I)36 × 36 in (91 × 91 cm)Blue-gray, upright habit; scape to 72 in (#3109)
Bressingham BlueGiant (I)24 × 36 in (61 × 91 cm)Cupped, finely ribbed blue-green leaves (#790)
Blue AngelGiant (I)36 × 48 in (91 × 122 cm)Blue leaves to 18 × 12 in (#572)
Big DaddyGiant (I)25 × 66 in (64 × 168 cm)Intensely corrugated; turns green by late summer (#485)
Blue UmbrellasGiant (I)36 × 54 in (91 × 137 cm)Blue leaves 14 × 10 in (#685)
Blue MammothGiant (I)34 × 58 in (86 × 147 cm)Intensely blue-green, 18 vein pairs (#636)

For a complete list of registered blue cultivars see best blue hostas; for larger plants see giant hostas.

Blue and white hostas

Blue hostas with white or cream margins combine the blue leaf center with a bright edge that shows up in shade:

  • El Niño — intensely blue-green center with a narrow pure-white margin; 19.5 × 29.5 in (AHS Registry).
  • Blue Ivory — a sport of Halcyon with a wide creamy margin; 10 × 12 in (AHS Registry).
  • First Frost — margin emerges yellow and turns white; 16 × 36 in (AHS Registry).
  • Earth Angel — large, slightly blue-green leaves with a creamy-white edge; 16 × 39 in (AHS Registry).

More white-edged hostas are in our white hostas guide.

Blue and gold hostas

  • Frances Williams — blue-green center with a chartreuse-to-yellow margin; 18 × 36 in (AHS Registry).
  • June — light-yellow center with a dark blue-green margin; 15 × 20 in (AHS Registry).
  • Tokudama Flavocircinalis — blue-green with a yellow margin; 17 × 48 in (AHS Registry).

Blue and red: blue hostas with purple-red stems

Red or purple leaf stems (petioles) are rare in blue hostas, but the registry records several:

  • Delaware River — “blue hosta with red purple petioles up into the leaf” (AHS Registry).
  • Evening Blush — “white backed, intense blue, red petioles” (AHS Registry).
  • Mr Blue — “deep red purple petioles, entire plant with glaucous bloom” (AHS Registry).
  • Miss Linda Smith — blue-green with “purple all the way to the leaf” (AHS Registry).

Black and blue hostas: the darkest blue-leaved hostas

No hosta has truly black leaves. Searches for “black and blue” or “blue-black” hostas usually mean the darkest blue-green cultivars, or very dark green ones that look almost black in deep shade. From the registry descriptions:

  • Coal Miner — leaves recorded as “black-blue” with glaucous bloom; a giant-class plant, 31 × 46 in (AHS Registry).
  • Clear Fork River Valley — “intensely dark blue-green”, nearly round leaves; 30 × 56 in (AHS Registry).
  • Midnight Dream — dark blue-green; 32 × 72 in (AHS Registry).
  • Abiqua Drinking Gourd — “dark blue” leaves with glaucous bloom, wider than they are long (AHS Registry).
  • Black and Blue — a registered cultivar with lance-shaped leaves described as “dark green to light blue”; small, 10 × 16 in (AHS Registry).

If you want the darkest green rather than blue, look at Black Hills (“very deep green”) (AHS Registry) and Old Black Magic (“very dark green”) (AHS Registry).

Frequently asked questions

Why is my blue hosta turning green?

The waxy coating that makes it look blue is wearing off. Summer heat and rain wear the wax away and reveal the green leaf underneath (The Hosta Helper); many blue hostas routinely change from blue-green to dark green every season (The Hosta Helper).

Can blue hostas grow in sun?

They tolerate some morning sun, but they keep their color best in shade; blue-green hostas are less tolerant of direct sun than yellow, green or chartreuse ones (Missouri Botanical Garden), and hot afternoon sun will scorch most hostas (Ask Extension). For sunnier spots, see hostas for sun.

What is the bluest hosta?

There is no measured ranking. Registry descriptions use words like “intensely blue” (for example Love Pat), and color always depends on light and weather. Compare plants in person in spring, when the wax is thickest and blue hostas are at their bluest (The Hosta Helper).

Are there black hostas?

No hosta is truly black. The darkest are deep blue-green (for example Coal Miner, recorded as “black-blue”) or very dark green (Black Hills, Old Black Magic).

Are blue hostas more slug-resistant?

Some are. Hosta tokudama, a blue species, is noted for the thick substance of its slug-resistant leaves (Chicago Botanic Garden), and the registry describes Coal Miner as slug resistant (AHS Registry). Resistance is not immunity, so keep watching for damage. See hosta pests and diseases.

When should I divide blue hostas?

Spring, as the leaves begin to emerge, is the best time to divide hostas, but they can be divided any time from spring to late summer; mulch late-summer divisions in late fall so frost heaving does not lift them (Iowa State University Extension). See how to divide and transplant hostas.

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