Hosta tardiflora 'El Nino'

'El Nino' does what few blue-leaved Hosta cultivars seem able to: keeps its rich blue tones uniformly and dependably all season long! A sport of the classic 'Halcyon,' it's true that it comes by its good looks and robust garden performance honestly. But it is not a pale imitation of its parent. By adding a rich edging that turns from yellow in spring to ivory in summer and fall, it creates another level of interest for the substantial iron-gray leaves!

'El Nino' reaches 18 inches high and about 29 inches wide, very dense and many-layered indeed in the partly to fully shaded garden. The long, heart-shaped leaves emerge a brilliant shade of sea-blue with primrose edges in spring, maturing to summer to a more gray-influenced hue with whiter margins. Magnificent!

Introduced by Petrus Warmerdam of Holland in 2002, 'El Nino' was instantly recognized as a great leap in color stability for the blue-leaved family of Hostas. A selection of the H. tardiflora species, it is a bit slower-growing than many cultivars, and also more cold-hardy, withstanding zone 3 winters with equanimity. Its rather dark purple blooms arise in midsummer on 24-inch scapes, not as brilliant as those of 'Halcyon' by any means. But the foliage is substantial, beautifully rippled, and enduringly rich in hue, while the variegation is simply lovely. You will come to adore this Hosta! Zones 3-9.