Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
pittsfordnygardener

Mix Purple and White Hosts

I am in upstate NY. Purple Hostas typically bloom in August,while White Hostas later in September. I thought it would be nice to mix both White and Purple in the bed to maximize bloom time. Would it be ok to do this?

Comments (9)

  • Steve Massachusetts
    11 years ago

    When you are talking about purple and white I assume you mean the flower colors. Most people on this forum grow Hosta for its foliage. Some also for flowers. But yes you can mix purple and white flower colors. Flowers that are pure white are usually fragrant.

    Here's a fragrant flower on Guacamole.

    Here's the foliage of this plant.

    If you are just growing the plain green ones take a look around at the pictures on this forum.

    Steve

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    Purple Hostas typically bloom in August,while White Hostas later in September.

    ==>>> hi

    this is not necessarily a true statement ...

    there are very few true white flowers.. most are tinged with purple at budding.. then fade to white ...

    most of the true white are fragrant ... like steves pic ... and they tend toward august ...

    purples bloom thru the whole season.. depending on the variety ...

    as steve noted.. very few hosta peeps grow for flower in particular ... and it will probably be hard for us to recommend precise timing for the effect you are thinking about capturing ...

    my best suggestion.. is to visit local 'labeled' hosta gardens at the time you want the show in your yard.. and find out which plants .. in your area .. perform as such...

    there are many hosta clubs .. and i am pretty sure there is one in upstate NY ... perhaps we can get you in contact with such ... with a better location ...

    i am sure.. based on this general tutorial.. someone will come along and have the info.. lol .. they always try t prove me wrong.. lol .. or surprise me with their observational skills ....

    ken

  • hostaLes
    11 years ago

    WAY too many for sake of discussion. ken gives good advice.
    -If you are looking for the mixture of colors at the same time: regarding the issue of time of bloom, two species stand out in my mind for late blooming; H.plantaginea for large white fragrant flowers and H. clausa var. normalis for very deep purple flowers. But plantaginea are rather large and clausa is smallish, so locations need planning. Look into places like Hosta Library for cultivars of the species hostas such as Guacamole is a 3rd generation cultivar of plantaginea; hence its white fragrant blooms. The registration information on the AHS website includes the bloomtime information for where the hosta was grown.

    I can't even start to think about hostas to combine for extending bloom mix seasons. It makes my head hurt.

    "Would it be ok to do this?"
    I can't believe ken passed on this question. He is fond of saying things like "it's your garden - do whatever you want with it." Or "I don't think the Hosta Police will arrest you!"---he must have just taken a "serious-pill" before posting. LOL

    Les

  • ci_lantro
    11 years ago

    For a late floral display, plain old lancifolia is great. I have one potted up and sitting on the porch and it's blooming right now.

    Have spent the summer doing extensive bed renovation & additions. I've added some daylilys to the sunnier portions and have Oriental lilies to plant and more on order. And a clematis or two. For more blooms, you can intersperse annuals like begonias & impatiens. All dependent on the amt of sun that you have, of course. I have a goodly long strip that gets quite a lot of sun...enough, I hope!....I already know that impatiens grows nicely along the edges. Vinca is another annual that will take some shade and the critters don't mess with it. One of the nice things about annuals is that you can pot them up and move them if they're not getting enough sun. Or pot up twice as many as you need & rotate them in and out of the shade. Another advantage with the pots is that you can elevate them for more interest and/or get them out of wabbit reach. Some of the lilies are supposed to do well in pots, too, but I'm new to growing them (other than having had Stargazer for a number of years.)

    Another dimension to some of the lilies is that some of them as they're supposed to be fragrant. I purposely have chosen them for color and fragrance.

    Just to mention--Fried Green Tomatoes bloomed for me for a reallllly long time this summer. Just the second year that I've grown it and don't recall that it bloomed last year.
    Anyway, I couldn't believe how long the bloom went on...well over a month. And it started early (for a white bloomer.) Your mileage may vary, of course...and, I'm anxious to see if it has such an extended bloom time every year. (Summer here was much warmer & drier than usual.)

    Anyway, you've a nice long winter ahead to plot & plant. Have fun & Welcome! to the forum.

    Ci

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    I can't believe ken passed on this question. He is fond of saying things like "it's your garden - do whatever you want with it." Or "I don't think the Hosta Police will arrest you!"---he must have just taken a "serious-pill" before posting. LOL

    ==>>> wonder which les this is.. the man.. or the woman .. lol...

    anyway.. in 25 years.. never heard of it done .. its usually a by product of using variegated leaves .. with the flowers as a bonus.. not the root of the scheme ...

    .. and as i queried.. how do you time it all out.. in her garden .... they bloom from mid may thru late septmeber ... and over our zones.. the peeps here.. the same plant can be variable by over a month .... but for the ones that are somehow linked to the inclination of the sun ...

    read this carefully.. i will cap it for all posterity ...

    ===>>>>I AM AT A LOSS AS TO HOW TO ADVISE IN REGARD TO THIS SCHEME ...

    not that i took a serious pill.. lol ...

    regardless... i am not saying it cant be done.. i just dont know how to do it.. other than thru trial and error ... or visiting local labeled garden so as to have some ability to predict bloom times... so as to match then accordingly ...

    refer her to american sweetheart ... the all in one plant.. lol... green and white leaves.. whitish stems.. with mauve flowers ... who needs purple ...

    ken

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    i didnt have time earlier to search for the pic

    here is american sweetheart .. just plant a number of them.. white in the leaves.. purple in the flower ... near white stalks .... all in one ...

    ken

    {{gwi:1096267}}

  • Steve Massachusetts
    11 years ago

    Steve

  • User
    11 years ago

    And I so appreciate you telling me this.

    Why? Because I did not realize until JUST THIS MINUTE that Chris sent me an AMERICAN SWEETHEART as the BONUS HOSTA with my end-of-season order! How awesome can that get!

    Like? Oh yeah, SUPER... LOVE the picture and thank you Ken!

  • User
    11 years ago

    Another one I read was recommended for mass planting which blooms nicely is Verna Jean. I got it because of the name (my best friend's mama is named that). I like it a lot. Check it out also. Smaller and would work nicely in the front of a border. Grows quickly.