'Frances Williams' Hosta
This eye-catching hosta has huge blue-green foliage irregularly edged in chartreuse. Its thick leaves have a puckered texture so the plant always looks robust, even at the end of the season. 'Frances Williams' blooms early to midsummer with white funnel-shaped flowers.
Size: 18 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: White
'Striptease' Hosta
The popular 'Striptease' hosta is a tricolor variety; each green leaf has a golden stripe down the center that is edged by a thin white line. This hosta flowers with pale purple blooms in mid-July to early August.
Size: 20 inches tall, 36 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Deja Blu' Hosta
Plant this lovely hosta where you can view it up close. 'Deja Blu' features big, blue-green leaves that are edged in gold. Take a second look and you'll notice a narrow band of creamy-white that separates the two other colors.
Size: 14 inches tall, 20 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Purple
'Great Expectations' Hosta
One of the bigger hosta varieties, 'Great Expectations' features chartreuse foliage with broad, soft blue-green edges. The leaf centers go yellow in summer, then creamy yellow or white by autumn. Variegated hosta varieties need brighter light than other types of hostas to keep their white and gold stripes.
Size: 22 inches tall, 40 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Pale lilac
'Tokudama Flavocircinalis' Hosta
One of the most elegant of all hostas, 'Tokudama Flavocircinalis' features heart-shaped blue leaves with a pale green edge. The leaves have an attractive corrugated texture that's a great contrast to hostas with smoother leaf surfaces. This hosta flowers in early summer with white blooms.
Size: 17 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: White
'Sagae' Hosta
'Sagae' displays light blue-green leaves that have a frosted look and are dramatically edged in gold. It is a strong grower with wonderfully thick foliage. Since this plant grows very large and upright, it works well to surround it with hosta varieties with smaller foliage.
Size: 20 inches tall, 54 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Limited
Flowers: Light purple
'Pathfinder' Hosta
Known for its thick, textured foliage, 'Pathfinder' has white foliage edged in dark green. It grows 2 feet tall and combines well with white flowers in the shade garden.
Size: 12 inches tall, 24 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: White flushed with purple
'Wolverine' Hosta
Blue and green look great together, and the combination is no exception for 'Wolverine', which features long, narrow, blue-green leaves edged in creamy gold. This hosta flowers in late summer with violet blossoms.
Size: 15 inches tall, 40 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Paradigm' Hosta
'Paradigm' has golden leaves with irregular blue-green edges. If you're looking for hostas for sun, this is the plant for you. Unlike many hosta varieties, its colors become richer through the summer. When given just a little bright sun, its gold center will brighten right up. A vigorous grower, 'Paradigm' grows up to 4 feet wide.
Size: 46 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: Purple
'Pandora's Box' Hosta
'Pandora's Box' is a miniature hosta, a good choice for small spaces. The creamy white foliage has blue-green edges. It bears light purple, bell-shaped flowers in early summer.
Size: 4-6 inches tall, 6 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
'Whirlwind' Hosta
Known for its changing leaf color, 'Whirlwind' has pointed foliage with dark green edges around creamy-white that fade to light green in midsummer and dark green at season's end. Unlike other hostas, its pointy leaves stay upright in a wavy mound. This hosta flowers with trumpet-shaped, light purple blooms from mid- to late summer.
Size: 20 inches tall, 40 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Formal Attire' Hosta
Add impact to your shade garden with 'Formal Attire', a large-sized hosta that grows 30 inches wide. The leaves emerge blue-green in spring with wide yellow margins, but in the summer the leaves turn dark green and the margins become creamy white. In early summer, this hosta flowers with pale purple blooms atop its large mound of foliage.
Size: 30 inches tall and wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Silver Threads and Golden Needles' Hosta
This compact miniature hosta has bright gold leaves that are streaked and splotched with green and silver. Depending on its exposure to the sun, this plant shows different characteristics from leaf to leaf and plant to plant. It flowers in midsummer with light purple blooms. The small size makes it perfect for the front of the border or container gardening.
Size: 6 inches tall, 8 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Daybreak' Hosta
Loved for its deep gold foliage, 'Daybreak' has heavily textured foliage with good sun tolerance. This hosta variety has a very large mound of bright gold foliage that emerges as chartreuse and brightens up as the season progresses.
Size: 22 inches tall, 36 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Limited
Flowers: Light purple
'Sun Power' Hosta
One of the more popular hostas for sun, 'Sun Power' features yellow-green leaves topped by clusters of pale purple flowers. Named for its high sun tolerance, it develops the best color in a spot where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
Size: 24 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: Light purple
'Sum and Substance' Hosta
Put on a big show in your landscape with 'Sum and Substance', an enormous hosta with lime-green leaves that grow almost 2 feet tall. It becomes even more spectacular when it produces light purple flowers.
Size: 24 inches tall, 60 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Limited
Flowers: Light purple
'Blue Mouse Ears' Hosta
Very small and cute, 'Blue Mouse Ears' features rounded gray-blue leaves with a thick texture.
Size: 5 inches tall, 12 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: Moderate
Flowers: Light purple
'Chartreuse Wiggles' Hosta
Named after its wavy leaf edges, 'Chartreuse Wiggles' has bright green-gold foliage and purple flowers. Grow this one with hosta varieties that have wide leaves. It is also small enough to be planted in containers.
Size: 6 inches tall, 12 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Heavenly Tiara' Hosta
Offering light green foliage edged in creamy gold that fades to white, 'Heavenly Tiara' looks great with most other shade plants. The leaf margins start as yellow and turn white as the season progresses. The seasonal color makes this hosta stand out in the shade garden.
Size: 12 inches tall, 36 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Purple
'Aureomarginata' Hosta
Hosta montana 'Aureomarginata' has dark green leaves edged in gold that grow 12 inches long or more. This very showy hosta has foliage that opens into a vase-like shape, allowing its wavy, heart-shaped leaves to arch downwards for perfect viewing.
Size: 27 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Aztec Treasure' Hosta
A charmer with textured golden foliage, 'Aztec Treasure' is a perfect choice for adding a bright splash of color to the shade garden. Its dense mound of wrinkled, heart-shaped leaves provides contrast and texture to the landscape and crowds out most garden weeds.
Size: 12 inches tall, 24 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Tracy's Emerald Cup' Hosta
For most hostas, the main attraction is the foliage—usually because of its variegation. 'Tracy's Emerald Cup' is different, though. The shiny, dark green leaves are intriguing because of their curved bowl shape. Unfortunately, the plant is often attacked by slugs.
Size: 14 inches tall, 24 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Touch of Class' Hosta
'Touch of Class' has chartreuse leaves with a very wide blue-green border. These features set it apart from other hosta varieties. In summer, its leaves become more blue-green with a thin gold center.
Size: 16 inches tall, 24 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
'Krossa Regal' Hosta
Krossa Regal' shows off blue leaves that look like frosted glass. But that's not all; the plant has a lovely vase-shape habit and very tall (5-foot) stalks of light purple flowers.
Size: 36 inches tall, 60 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple
Hosta plantaginea
Hosta plantaginea is a variety you might grow for its flowers. It has green foliage and clusters of fragrant, pure white blooms in summer. Due to the plant's heat tolerance, it is known as one of the best hostas to grow in the southern states.
Size: 24 inches tall, 48 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: White
'Patriot' Hosta
Its crisp, clean variegation has made the 'Patriot' hosta a favorite variety among gardeners. The broad white edges around the dark green leaves practically glow in the shade. 'Patriot' is an exceptional selection that performs very well in the landscape.
Size: 12 inches tall, 30 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Slug-Resistant: No
Flowers: Light purple