H. ‘Black and Blue’

Overview

'Black and Blue' (2010) is a small hosta registered by R. Kuenster, AHS, with its parentage recorded as unknown. The registry's color entry reads "dark green to light blue slightly rippled margins", a single color range rather than a contrasting edge. The upper surface is slightly shiny and the underside carries a glaucous bloom.

In the Garden

It is registered at 10 in (25.4 cm) high and 16 in (40.6 cm) in diameter, mound-like, with a moderate growth rate. The leaves are 5 in (12.7 cm) long and 3 in (7.6 cm) wide, lance-shaped with a tapered base, lightly wavy and lightly corrugated, with 6 to 8 vein pairs.

How it compares

'Chocolate Mint' (2014), in the same show class, is also mound-like with a moderate growth rate, but registered lower: 7 in (17.8 cm) high on a 15 in (38.1 cm) diameter. Its leaf is ovate with a rounded base, 3 in (7.6 cm) by 3 in (7.6 cm), dark green, slightly shiny on both sides and moderately wavy; its entry notes "great substance". Choose 'Chocolate Mint' for a lower plant with a rounder dark green leaf; 'Black and Blue' has the longer lance leaf with a blue range and a glaucous underside.

'Green Bag' (2014), a sport of 'Lakeside Little Tuft', also has a lance leaf with a tapered base, 5.5 in (14.0 cm) by 3.125 in (7.9 cm), but recorded as green and dull on both surfaces. It is registered upright, 12 in (30.5 cm) high and 15.75 in (40.0 cm) across, with a fast growth rate.

Flowers and other notes

Flower and scape details are not part of the entry: the scape field reads N/A, and there are no notable characteristics or comments on file. For light, water and slugs, use the general hosta care guide.

Sources: AHS Registry records for 'Black and Blue' (#536), 'Chocolate Mint' (#1032), 'Green Bag' (#1892), hostaregistrar.org.