Hosta 'First Blush' Plantain Lily

A medium-sized, red-leafed variety, Hosta 'First Blush' is an herbaceous rhizomatous perennial offering 3 seasons of interest. Grown for its dramatic ornamental foliage, Hosta 'First Blush' has broad, heart-shaped, bright green leaves with thin red margins and red petioles that extend into the leaf blade. The leaves emerge yellowish green in spring with a strong rosy blush between the veins, which remains until late summer heat. Funnel-shaped purple-pink flowers, borne on long purplish red scapes, bloom midsummer, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. The flowers make nice additions to floral arrangements.

A Hosta hybrid, commonly called hosta or plantain lily, Hosta 'First Blush' has a compact, symmetrical, mounding habit and a fast growth rate. Hosta is a highly versatile plant, shown to best effect when grouped or massed in beds and borders. But it also makes a lovely specimen or container plant as well as nice edging.

Cold hardy, easy to grow, low maintenance, and very adaptable, Hosta 'First Blush' grows best in dappled to full shade locations with rich, moist, well-draining soil having an acidic to neutral pH, but it tolerates a wide range of soils. Plants should not be allowed to dry out.

Hosta 'First Blush', the first red-leaf hosta, was hybridized in Chapel Hill NC.