Hosta Big Daddy

Hosta 'Big Daddy' is a large and beautiful variety with blue-tinged foliage, particularly valued for the texture of its leaves. Rounded, thick and deeply puckered, they become concave at maturity and form a broad clump. This opulent foliage gives character to partial-shade beds, even when it is not in flower. This hosta takes several years to reach its full potential, but with a little care and patience, it will become a truly beautiful plant.

'Big Daddy' belongs to the Asparagaceae family. It is an American horticultural selection attributed to Florence Shaw and registered by Paul Aden in 1978. It is often sold under the name Hosta sieboldiana 'Big Daddy', but its precise parentage has not been established with certainty. This variety received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2012. It also received two awards from the American Hosta Society in 1978, including the Midwest Blue Award. The plant forms a dense clump, with foliage reaching 60 to 65 cm in height and 1 to 1.50 m in spread at maturity. Its growth is rather slow. The broadly oval to rounded leaves have a heart-shaped base and a pointed tip. They can measure 25 to 35 cm in length. Their surface has prominent veins and slight puckering. Their thickness makes them less vulnerable to slugs than the leaves of many other hostas, although it does not protect them completely. The blue colour comes from a thin waxy layer called bloom on the surface of the leaves. It is particularly beautiful in spring and early summer, then fades as the season progresses: the foliage becomes greener. A shady position preserves this blue-tinged colour for longer. The leaves emerge in spring, develop during the growing season, then turn yellow and die back in autumn. Flowering takes place between June and August, depending on the growing conditions. The flower stems, which can reach 80 cm in height, bear pendulous, almost white bell-shaped flowers, sometimes lightly tinged with lavender. They rise only modestly above the mass of foliage. The crown is hardy down to −28 °C.

Hosta 'Big Daddy' is particularly beautiful in Japanese-inspired gardens and shady beds where foliage takes centre stage. Its large, blue-tinged and puckered leaves combine well with Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold', the evergreen fern Polystichum polyblepharum and Astilbe chinensis 'Purpurlanze'. Their finer foliage and flowers bring lightness to this display. Over the years, the hosta will fill out and take its rightful place. This variety can also be grown in a large, wide pot on a shady terrace, with regular watering.