Hosta 'Silly String'

Silly String hosta

Deciduous, Herbaceous Perennial

Hosta 'Silly String' brings a different kind of foliage to a hosta bed. Instead of the broad, rounded leaves most hostas are known for, this one grows narrow, wavy-margined leaves in a genuinely good blue—compact and slightly twisted, more texture than mass. It's vigorous and easy, settling in well in containers or tucked along the front of a shade border where its form has room to read. The flowers hold their own too, with color that's saturated rather than washed out—most hosta blooms are an afterthought, this one isn't.

Pair it with a larger, coarse-leaved hosta for scale contrast, or let hydrangea and brunnera fill in around it—the broad hydrangea foliage and the heart-shaped brunnera leaves both give 'Silly String' something to play its narrow blades against.

Growing Conditions

Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Exposure: Full Shade, Part Shade, Open Shade

Water Needs: Average, Low

Soil: Average

Description

Size: 12" - 14" tall x 12" - 24" wide
Shape / Form: Clumping
Foliage Texture: Fine
Foliage Quality: Fine

Features: Attractive Foliage, Attracts Hummingbirds, Drought-tolerant / Water wise, Dwarf / Compact Plant, Flowers, Flexible Culture, Long Blooming, Low Maintenance

Foliage Color: Blue

Flower Color: Purple / Violet
Bloom Season: Summer


Uses and Applications

Landscape Uses: Beds and Borders, Container, Edging, Groundcover, Massed, Mixed Border, Small Gardens
Special Situations: Courtyard / Urban Garden, Once-a-Year Maintenance
Wildlife: Hummingbirds

More Design Considerations

Season of Interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Three Seasons of Interest
Position / Role: front of border
Collections: eGardenGo Favorite

Care and Maintenance

Maintenance Level: low
Maintenance Tasks: Deadheading

Perfect Partners

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' | Variegated Siberian Bugloss