H. ‘Beckoning’
Hosta ‘Beckoning’ is a registered cultivar () .
| Year registered | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Section class | I-6b (Giant) |
Last checked against the AHS registry:
Overview
'Beckoning' is a sport of the giant 'Blue Angel', registered in 2002 and patented as PP18,371. It keeps the blue-green of its parent only as a broad 2 in (5.1 cm) margin; the center of the leaf is greenish yellow and lutescent, meaning it brightens toward yellow during the season. The registrant stresses that this lutescence "arrives late", and the scapes are recorded as lutescent too.
In the Garden
The late color change is what decides whether this plant suits you. Because the yellow center is recorded as arriving late, a young plant in a nursery pot early in the year may not yet show the leaf it is sold for. The record describes an upright plant with broadly ovate, slightly cupped leaves carrying a glaucous bloom on both surfaces.
How it compares
'Blue Angel', the parent, is the plain blue version and a much bigger plant on paper: 48 in (121.9 cm) across and 36 in (91.4 cm) high, with leaves 18 by 12 in, against 31 in across for 'Beckoning'. 'Blue Angel' shared the Benedict Garden Performance Award in 2016.
'Earth Angel' is another 'Blue Angel' sport, but with the variegation reversed in color: a slightly blue-green center and a creamy white margin 0.5 to 1 in wide. It was the 2009 Hosta of the Year, and the booklet lists it as a giant at 60 in wide.
'Liberty' gives a similar two-tone of blue-green and gold the other way round, with a golden yellow margin 2.5 in wide around a blue-green center. It is a sport of 'Sagae' rather than 'Blue Angel', and was the 2012 Hosta of the Year.
Flowers and other notes
Near-white flowers from early July into August are recorded from Stockport, England, but there is no light preference, and it does not say how late in the season the center colors up; the hosta care guide fills in the basics. No awards for 'Beckoning' appear in the AHS Hosta of the Year or Benedict lists.
Sources: AHS Registry records for 'Beckoning' (#431), 'Blue Angel' (#572), 'Earth Angel' (#1549) and 'Liberty' (#3374), hostaregistrar.org; AHS Hosta of the Year booklet, 3rd edition; AHS Benedict Garden Performance Awards by year (2026).
Size and leaf
| Clump height | 21 in (53.3 cm) |
|---|---|
| Clump width | 31 in (78.7 cm) |
| Leaf length | 13 in (33 cm) |
| Leaf width | 11 in (27.9 cm) |
| Vein pairs | 16 |
| Leaf | greenish yellow with 2in (5.1cm) wide, medium blue-green, slightly rippled margins; glaucous bloom on top; glaucous bloom underneath; slightly cupped |
| Flower scape height | 38 in (96.5 cm) |
| Seasonal colour change | center lutescence - arrives late |
| Notable characteristics | late arriving lutescent center |
| Plant patent | PP18,371 |
From the American Hosta Society Registry record.
Parentage
- Sport parent: Sport of H. 'Blue Angel' — H. ‘Blue Angel’
Similar cultivars
Other registered hostas in the same AHS section class (I-6b, giant size):
- H. ‘Mark Anthony’ (2004)
- H. ‘Devil's Advocate’ (2007)
- H. ‘Guardian Angel’ (1995)
- H. ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown’ (2013)
- H. ‘Reflected Glory’ (2015)
Related guides
Registration data: AHS Registry #431. How we check this data.