Hosta Celtic Uplands

Hosta Celtic Uplands is a vigorous, medium to large-sized variety, prized for its deep green, heavily puckered, blister-like foliage and its red petioles. The plant forms a generous, dense, well-defined clump, a real focal point in a shaded border or a small woodland corner. In summer, the plant is adorned with original, spider-shaped lavender flowers on reddish-tinted scapes. This hardy and robust cultivar is beautiful from spring to late summer. It can be enjoyed in the garden or in large containers in the shade.

Botanically, 'Celtic Uplands' belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Like other hostas, it is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial. One of the parents of this cultivar, Hosta yingeri, is a rare species, endemic to the small rocky islands off the south coast of Korea, known for its thick, glossy leaves and very narrow, spider-like purple flowers.
'Celtic Uplands' is a complex hybrid created by the American Don Dean (Minnesota) and registered in 2005: it results from a cross-breeding [(seedling of Hosta 'Swoosh' × H. 'John Wargo') × Hosta yingeri]. To date, it has already produced at least one variegated sport, 'Paradise Uplands', with yellow-edged foliage.
The plant forms an upright clump, with thick, heart-shaped leaves, approximately 25 cm long by 17 cm wide, heavily veined, strongly puckered, of a shiny deep green. In early spring, the leaf base and petioles take on a purplish-red colour, then the lamina settles into a dark green, almost black, with these red petioles always clearly visible. Its growth is rapid for a hosta: within two to five years, the clump reaches about fifty centimetres in height and 80 to 90 cm in width, even more in rich, moist soil. Towards the end of summer, in August-September, upright, reddish-tinted floral scapes rise slightly above the foliage. They bear elongated, spider-shaped, rather dark mauve flowers streaked with purplish-violet. The flowering is less fragrant than that of some white hostas, but it is nevertheless very decorative and original. Like many thick-leaved varieties, 'Celtic Uplands' is reputed to be less susceptible to slugs.
For connoisseurs: Don Dean developed a small line of hybrids around H. yingeri, interesting for its spider-like flowers and coloured petioles; 'Celtic Uplands' is one of the darkest and most spectacular.

Hostas are traditionally planted under deciduous trees, in damp borders or in rockeries and edgings, but also near water features. It is a perennial that can easily be grown in containers. Hosta 'Celtic Uplands' pairs well with dwarf astilbes or tiarellas and heucherellas, as these plants appreciate the same conditions. To highlight its extraordinary vegetation and unusual flowering, pair it with the hart's tongue fern Phyllitis scolopendrium and Hosta 'Paradise Island', with chartreuse leaves edged with green and red petioles, or with giants like 'Empress Wu' to place in the background.