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santamiller

Best Blues for the Deep South

santamiller
9 years ago

moccasinlanding brought up an interesting subject on another thread of mine so I thought I'd start a new thread to address it. The blues seem to be the one type of hosta which can take my pillbug army. The two I have in the ground here, Wishing Well (newly added) and Drinking Gourd (2nd spring), both seem to be untouched by them. My other issue would be our lack of cold weather, which is the second reason that all of my other hostas are potted. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Comments (19)

  • funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
    9 years ago

    So far, for me:

    Wishing Well
    Blue Jay
    Prairie Sky
    Pewterware
    Blueberry Cobbler
    Blueberry Muffin
    Skylight

    I'm not sure if I'm technically "The Deep South", but we certainly have the heat and humidity to make blues a challenge.

    These are off the top of my head. I'll probably have more to add to this, once I have some time to think about it. I'm a sucker for the blues!

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    I guess you already know they don't stay blue. That's really not a problem if you like the shape. They look the same just a little greener.

    The only one I've had a long time is Blue Angel. It grows well. Mine has anthracnose, which is a real pain. I'm not sure if it's weakness of the plant or just a happenstance. It was highly recommended in the study done in Tyler, though. Also recommended by in the Tyler Study was Blue Cadet. The Dallas Arboretum recommends Krossa Regal, Blue Cadet, Halcyon and Regal Supreme.

    I just bought a Big Daddy, Halcyon and a Krossa Regal. So I will be able to give you a recommendation on those in a couple of years. Big Daddy scored a 2.0 on a 10 point scale at Tyler, Halcyon scored 2.5 and Hadspen Heron scored 1.2. As a contrast, Blue Angel got a 9.5. Both studies were in ground plantings.

    bk

  • mary52zn8tx
    9 years ago

    One of my favorites is Bressingham Blue. It gets big. I also like Blue Jay, Silver Bay, Halcyon, and Blue Angel. Blue Umbrellas is a good grower, but not all that blue for me.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    Hey Mary,

    Nice to see you back.

    Santa is from San Antonio, so there is someone even south of you.

    Show us some of your photos. Are you still growing with that hydroponic system?

    bk

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    I obviously don't live in the south, but I saw an excuse to post a pic of my 'Prairie Sky'. : )

    Don B.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    do you know what makes a hosta blue ...

    and what degrades it...???

    and therefore.. why they dont favor the south????

    ken

  • santamiller
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    bkâ¦..I read that study done in the Tyler study a year or two ago. When I went to the Tyler Rose Garden I didn't see anything that impressed me in the way of hostas, but the roses were fabulous!

    I just got a Blue Angel last week from Hallson Nursery so I guess that was a good choice. I know that my Drinking Gourd has a green tint to it but didn't realize that all blues turned green. Is that due to our climate? That's good to know. I'll make note of the ones listed here and watch to see how your newbies do for you.

    Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I will make note of all of these, look at pictures and do some research.

    Beautiful Prairie Sky, Don!

  • User
    9 years ago

    This year, I have several blues which are holding the color very nicely. For one thing, I know what spot in my garden stays the coolest, and focus the pots of blue in that location. I'm changing the containers to the black nursery pots which have holes on the sides not the bottom for better drainage. I am spacing them apart or in spaced rows, to also improve air circulation. One way or another, these things keep the plants doing better in my climate. Especially the persnickity blues.

    One that I like a lot, and it had great blue color early on, until I forgot it in the sun, is Stiff Upper Lip. Now it is a blue green, but still a fine hosta with heavy substance. It does not melt.

    One that is seldom mentioned is Bulletproof. Here it is with Halcyon, another blue.

    Here is Bulletproof in mid August of 2013

    and as a bonus, when weather turns quickly it had a really pretty autumn leaf color, like in Dec 2012

    Someone else likes Silver Bay, and it is a great color for me right now. I'll have to watch it, because I do not remember what happened with it last year. Ummm, here it is with from L to R: Bulletproof, Halcyon, Silver Bay, and Blue Hawaii.
    Love the Blue Hawaii, it will be a big bue beauty

    In my experience, to have a blue green is about the best I can hope for late in the summer.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    They say that what makes them look blue is the wax on the leaves. Our sun and heat (+ rain and overhead watering) melts the wax, so they start lookng more green. Also, our hosta grow for 9 months. In Minnesota, they grow for 5 months.

    I also think that it has to do with the angle of the sun (my theory only). When I first got my Big Daddy, I thought it looked green. If I looked from another angle, it looked blue. So, I wondered if maybe it looks bluer up north because of the angle of the sun. Looking out the window from my office, it looks pretty blue still. It's still early, though.

    bk

    The water is beading up on newly emerged hosta. Later in the season, they will look slick after it rains.

  • mary52zn8tx
    9 years ago

    Hi, BKay. I am still using the reservoir system. I retired and instead of having more time, it seems like I am always on the run. I will post some pictures in the near future. I lost two BIG trees last summer, and I have had to move some stuff around. I have added some phlox where I used to grow hosta, but my favorites are still the hosta.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    Yes, I understand the shade problem. My neighbor on the west cut down an old American Elm. I'm going to have to find some shade somewhere.

    Looking forward to your photos.

    bk

  • jadie88
    9 years ago

    For me, the best blue is the one that is still eye-catching when it's green. For example, Deep Blue Sea could be any color under the sun and it's form and texture would still captivate me. Skydancer, Cutting Edge, and other ruffled edged cultivars have a lot to look at even without the blue. Chesapeake Bay isn't super blue to begin with, but its upright shape and unique leaf shape make it worth its patch of dirt. You get the idea... :)

    Most of my blues haven't been in my garden a full year, so I don't know how they'll do with our heat. I'm anxiously awaiting Blue Jay, Her Eyes Were Blue, Wishing Well, Silver Bay, Full Tide, Waukon Water...I went on a solid blue binge late last season!

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    9 years ago

    I obviously have nothing noteworthy to add, being in zone 5. All I wanted to say is, if you have a blue, display it beside a true green or the lightest green, so even when the blue wax wears off you will still see a tinge of it when placed next to a green. You probably know this, but its a reminder I often forget. :-)

    Bk that picture makes me thirsty! A beautiful picture.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Jadie, in your list, when you mentioned Full Tide, is that Lakeside Full Tide?

    I have Lakeside Full Tide, and it isn't all that blue to my eye.
    This is in April, and it is in broken light, not a lot of sun direct.

  • User
    9 years ago

    BKay, Mobile has ordinances against tree removal without a permit, or proof the tree is too unhealthy to let stand. They sometimes make exceptions I'm sure, but it would be hard to imagine them taking out a stately old elm. It could have been such a great "mother" to future generations. So sad..

    BKay, about the angle of the sun, I almost agree but think for another reason. You are talking about ANGLE. I'm talking about light intensity, the beam is making surfaces reflect or absorb differently. When I was near the equator, I tanned more deeply than any other time in my life, and also more quickly. So colors change in relation to the quality and intensity of the light, as the angle changes.

    Which hosta leaf did you share with us above? I am such a sucker for yellows! That one is gorgeous.

  • jadie88
    9 years ago

    Oops! Thanks for catching that, Mocc...I have 'High Tide,' not LS Full Tde. I've goofed that up before, too.

    (not my picture!)

  • in ny zone5
    9 years ago

    I obviously do not live in the south, but would like to share my observation of several blue h.'Halcyon' i grow in a clump in full sun and overhead watering. In summer the blue gets washed/ bleached out to a yellowish green, but at the end of August they return to a blueish green. So wax production seems to return.
    Bernd

  • User
    9 years ago

    Jadie, I get my tides mixed up a lot in "real life." There are also hostas named with the nursery prefix and without it, so some duplication and I did not know if that would be the case with Full Tide.

    With the cooler winter for us, I have really fine blues this spring. The evenings are staying cooler too, which helps prolong the colors. Although I promised myself to steer clear of the blues, it just doesn't seem possible. My corner of the garden, along the south property line and beneath ligustrum low shade and the taller neighboring water oaks, they do fine until high summer and then I scrooch them together further back in the bushes. It is one way of keeping them alive if not exactly HAPPY.

  • hostahosta
    9 years ago

    I'm not in the deep south, so can't directly answer your question. But I am partial to the blues. Serene, tranquil. I think you notice the plant and leaf shape much more than when they are variegated(yes, I love those too)

    Here is a blue that I haven't seen mentioned on the forum.
    Cerulean Magic, in my garden last year soon after purchase.