Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ after I brought it home on 4-23-17, #321-10.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’
American Hosta Society Awards:
2006 Benedict Garden Performance Medal Honorable Mention
2008 Benedict Garden Performance Award of Merit
2011 Benedict Performance Medal Winner!
2008 American Hosta Growers Ass. Hosta of the Year
Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-31-17, #339-17.
I brought my Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ home from Lowe’s on April 23, 2017. This Hosta has been on my wishlist for a long time and I was glad I found one locally. This is the first miniature Hosta I have grown and hopefully the first of many.
I always take a lot of photos during the summer, sometimes only a few days apart. Please pardon the untidiness of the bed. There is always plenty to do on the farm and in the garden during the summer and sometimes the beds get a little neglected. Anyone who is a gardener knows how fast grass and weeds can come up and grow. I put the new Hosta and Heucheras in a new bed I made which was amended with “The Good Stuff”. That is decomposed cow manure and hay from where hay was fed a year or so ago. A lot of grass and weed seeds always come along.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-11-17, #343-18.
The leaves are a blue-green color and very thick. Descriptions online say the leaves kind of curl up making them resemble mouse ears.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-18-17, #345-23.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is a sport of the AWESOME Hosta ‘Blue Cadet’. It was found and introduced by Emile and Jane Dechert in 2000.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-24-17, #349-38.
This cultivar is a multiple award winner and rightly so. Although this is our first year together, it has already made a big impression on me.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 7-9-17, #355-18.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly in Liliaceae).
Origin: Introduced by Emile & Jane Deckert in 2000.
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-8b (-40 to 15° F).
Size: 6-8” tall x 12” wide.
Spacing: 12” apart.
Flowers: Lavender flowers in July through August on 12” stems.
Leaves: Small, roundish, dark green leaves.
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: Slugs and snails.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 7-19-17, #357-34.
While the other new Hosta I added this year were in their “getting used to stage”, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ almost looked like it had been here for several years.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ leaves on 8-29-17, #369-62.
Nice small, rounded, thick, blue-green leaves. I would say “cute” but I am not sure that is a word men are supposed to use to describe anything but babies.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 10-11-17, #382-35.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 10-22-17, #385-7.
Even as the temperatures started getting cooler and daylength was decreasing, Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ still looked very good. The others were beginning to turn yellow and brown.
<<<<2018>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 3-3-18, #415-5.
I always poke around in the Hosta beds as spring tries to approach. I guess I am always a bit anxious to see signs of life. Not all the Hosta were peeking through yet, but the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ was beginning to emerge.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-8-18, #423-13.
After another month it was getting a good start.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-13-18, #425-17.
Lingering cold temps kind of slowed down the process somewhat, but eventually…
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-6-18, #436-26.
We have LEAVES!
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-17-18, #443-42.
With cool evening temps, we were still a little slow…
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-9-18, #456-12.
NICE!
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-14-18, #459-27.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-14-18, #459-28.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-20-18, #461-10.
I measured the Hosta clumps on June 20 and Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ measured only 5″ tall x 9″ wide. Well, it is supposed to be small. 🙂
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-20-18, #461-11.
Even the flower stems are very short, measuring only 6 1/2″ tall.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-21-18, #462-5.
Its largest leaf measured 1 1/2″ wide x 2 1/2″ long.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 7-29-18, #487-52.
This was the last photo I took of the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ in 2017. We had a bit of an issue with the shade because of the Japanese Beetle invasion. Two of the trees above one of the shade beds are Chinese Elms and the beetles love their leaves. It created quite a mess, but I suppose it did add a layer of mulch. But the “mostly” shady area became light shade. The Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ did fine with the extra light but they all needed to be watered more often.
<<<<2019>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 3-10-19, #552-5.
Spring was right around the corner so I took a few photos of the perennials that have started coming up. The Hosta completely disappears over the winter and I always get anxious to see when they start coming up. The above photo shows the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on March 10 beginning to sprout.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-7-19, #558-15.
The Hosta ‘Bue Mouse Ears’ is looking pretty good but growing slowly.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-20-19, #560-14.
The leaves of the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ are finally starting to unfurl.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-23-19, #562-10.
LOOKING GOOD!!!
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-5-19, #566-33.
By May 5, temps had been getting warm enough for the Hosta to start growing much better.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-25-19, #576-37.
Getting in full swing by May 25…
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-9-19, #585-12.
WE HAVE FLOWERS!!!
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 8-11-19, #613-15.
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 Mouse Ears’ on 3-30-20, #681-17.
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.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 5-15-20, #700-12.
By May 15, the Hosta were well underway and looking great.
I was fairly busy over the summer in 2020 so I didn’t get to take many photos. The plants in the shade bed did very well and we had rain off and on. Luckily, we didn’t have much of a problem with the Japanese Beetles like in 2018 and 2019, so the shade beds stayed shady…
<<<<2021>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 6-27-21, #805-8.
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. HOPEFULLY, they won’t be a problem in 2022.
<<<<2022>>>>
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on 4-10-22, #866-10.
The Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ made it through the winter and came back up in the spring. The deer didn’t bother any of the Hosta in 2022, but I was fairly busy and didn’t take many photos of the plants in the shade bed.
There was a continual issue with the moles in the shade bed and the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ as on their target list. For several springs, I would have to pull most of the clump out of the hole. I decided to move the Hosta to the bed on the north side of the house, and all that was left of H. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ was one very small piece… I kept it in a pot on the front porch and it tried its best to stay alive. We shall see if it returns in the spring of 2024… I may have to find another one.
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 