Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ after I brought it home on 6-7-18, #455-12.
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’
Hosta ‘Aden 365’ x ‘H. Aden 361’
Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit
1991 Eunice Fisher Award
1990 Lucile Simpers Award
Before I continue… This plant turned out not to be a Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ as the label said… It turned out to be a miniature!
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ was developed by Florence Shaw and is a result of a cross between Hosta ‘Aden 365’ and ‘Aden 361’. It was registered by Paul Aden on Florence Shaw’s behalf in 1986.
Information I found online says there are 27 registered sports from Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ and it is one of the parents of five hybrids.
I found this Hosta ‘Blue Agnel’ at Mast’s Greenhouse on June 7, 2018, when I was with my sister and her husband plant shopping. They had several pots to choose from, but I chose this one because it also had several Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta) in the pot. I know that sounds a little whacky since it is growing everywhere, but the leaf color of these was different. Oxalis stricta is a variable species. Then when we went down the road to Muddy Creek Greenhouse, they had larger plants for about the same price. Oh, yeah. They didn’t have any Oxalis in the pot, though. 🙂 But still, if we had gone to Muddy Creek first I would have bought the ‘Blue Angel’ there.
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ on 6-9-18, #456-11.
I planted the Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ in one of the new shade beds I made in 2017. I gave it plenty of room. This is supposed to be one of the largest of the blue-leaved Hosta so it has A LOT of growing to do.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly in Liliaceae).
Origin: Developed by Florence Shaw and Registered by Paul Aden in 1986.
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-8b (-40 to 15° F).
Size: 36” tall x 72” overtime if not divided.
Spacing: 36” apart.
Flowers: White flowers in late spring to early summer on 48” stems.
Leaves: Very large dark blue-green up to 12” long or more.
Light: Light to full shade.
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil.
Water: Average water needs once established.
Propagation: Division every 3-5 years.
Uses: Attracts hummingbirds, shade garden, containers, etc.
Tolerates: Dry shade and high humidity.
Resistant: Information suggests this cultivar is slug and snail resistant.
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ on 6-14-18, #459-26.
The leaves of Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ get very large. Different websites have different sizes, but one said the leaves grow up to 16′ long.
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ typically grows to a height of 36″ tall with clumps as large as 72″ wide over time if they are not divided.
Information online also suggests this is one of the fastest-growing of the blue Hosta and multiples more rapidly. Hmmm…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ on 6-21-18, #462-4.
It was weird to me how a Hosta that is supposed to be large can have such small leaves. I guess I really didn’t think about it at the time. I measured the Hosta on June 21 and the Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ clump is still only 4″ tall x 9 1/2″ wide. Well, maybe I was expecting a miracle once I took it from its pot and put it in the ground. The Wood Sorrel is looking GREAT!
But you know what… I think something is wrong…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ on 7-30-18, #488-9.
I just can’t help but think something is weird with this plant. It is growing and doing very well but it looks more like a miniature instead of a plant that will get quite large. Even though the clump may still be small for a few years, it should still have larger leaves than it does. Maybe the company used a growth regulator to keep the plants in smaller pots small. I don’t know… There are several plants in this clump…
Hopefully, Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ will make it through the winter and HOPEFULLY, if it is, in fact, a ‘Blue Angel’ it will show its true colors when spring arrives in 2019. Time will tell.
<<<<2019>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ on 3-7-19, #551-6.
The Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ has survived the winter. NOW, maybe we can see if it is really a ‘Blue Angel’. If it remains small like it was when I bought it, I have no clue what this cultivar is. Time will tell…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ ? on 4-7-19, #558-14.
After a month the Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe is looking pretty good. It is actually leafing out ahead of the other Hosta. BUT… It is showing many signs of being a miniature, or at least a smaller Hosta cultivar. Waiting for this plant to show its true colors is going to drive me nuts!
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ ? on 4-20-19, #560-13.
This Hosta is doing very good, whatever its real name is.
‘Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ ? on 4-23-19, #562-9.
I really like this little Hosta but it is definitely not a Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ like the label says… When I go to Mast’s Greenhouse where I purchased it, I will ask him who his supplier was and maybe we can find out what miniature Hosta they have available. Its leaves don’t even match Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ except for maybe the color.
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe on 5-25-19, #576-36.
The Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe continued to do GREAT despite its mysterious past of being mislabeled…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe on 6-9-19, #585-11.
Well, that is definitely not a Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ leaf…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe on 8-11-19, #613-23.
August 11 was the last day I took photos of the plants in the shade bed in 2019. They had a great summer despite the Japanese Beetle invasion which wasn’t bad in 2019 as it was in 2018. It wasn’t as bad in 2019 because I had a trap right next to the shade beds. I had to keep an eye on them and water a little more often.
<<<<2020>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe on 3-30-20, # 681-16.
Spring was in the air when the above photo was taken on March 30 and the Hosta have been “working on it”. Most of them have been poking out of the ground for a while and now are beginning to turn green. They are a bit slow sometimes when cool temps linger, but as soon as it gets warm enough they will start growing better. It seems like they are waiting for the perfect opportunity. The leaves on the Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe had already started unfurling…
Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ wannabe on 5-15-20, #700-11.
Hmmm… By May 15, the Hosta were well underway and looking great. This plant is definitely NOT a Hosta ‘Blue Angel’…
When I was visiting with Ruth Wagler of Wagler’s GreenhouseI mentioned this Hosta. She said the “bulbs” they have been getting of Hosta ‘Blue Angel” have been very small compared to what they used to be. They likely get them from the same source as Mast’s Greenhouse. I think the grower got screwed up somewhere and possibly their rhizomes were mislabeled previously. Either their supplier or the grower because they likely change hands several times before they get to the consumer. Who knows where it happened, but this plant is NOT Hosta ‘Bue Angel’. If I think of it, I will find out who the supplier and grower are. I will trace the issue back to the source…
<<<<2021-2022>>>>
2021 Wasn’t a good year for the Hosta here. Normally, the deer only nibble on the H. ‘Potomac Pride’ when the Hosta start growing in the spring then leave them alone. In 2021, they kept eating their leaves and wouldn’t let several of them grow. I was fairly busy in 2022, so I didn’t take many photos of the plants in the shade bed.
Unfortunately, this plant did not return in the spring of 2023…
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on the “Like” below if you have visited this page. Click here for my page about the Hosta genus, growing information, and sources. The links below are specifically for this cultivar. There are several good sources of Hosta somewhere toward the bottom on the right side of the page.
The Belmont Rooster 