Hosta sieboldiana Abiqua Drinking Gourd

The Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' offers some of the bluest foliage that can be observed in these plants. It is a medium-sized variety, which develops round and cup-shaped leaves, with a beautiful blue-grey shine. Held almost horizontally by erect petioles, these leaves form a magnificent mound of foliage, from which white flower spikes emerge in summer. This beautiful perennial plant has a great effect in the edge of the undergrowth, in a contemporary or Japanese-style bed, always in shade or partial shade, planted in fresh but well-drained soil.

This Hosta, or Funkia 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd', is a completely hardy perennial from the lily family or the hosta family depending on the classifications. This excellent variety was named "2014 Hosta of the Year". The plant is the result of cross-breeding between a large Japanese species called Hosta sieboldiana and Hosta Tokudama. This perennial shows, from spring onwards, a wide clumping habit. The plant, reaching 45-50 cm (18-20in) in height as an adult in 5 or 6 years, can spread over 60 cm (24in) if the conditions are right. It is a long-lived variety, with strongly veined heart-shaped leaves. The lamina is thick and concave, with an upturned edge. Flowering usually occurs in July-August, in the form of elongated bells, grouped towards the top of peduncles that emerge widely from the foliage. Each flower opens in a pale lavender shade, then quickly turns white. This perennial spreads through stolons, similar to strawberries. All above-ground deciduous vegetation disappears in winter.

Traditionally, hostas are planted under deciduous trees, in cool beds or in rockeries and borders, especially near water features. This perennial can be grown in pots and even as a standalone plant. The Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' pairs well with ferns, foamflowers, and astilbes, for example, as these plants appreciate the same environments. To highlight its extraordinary foliage, combine it with yellow to golden false grasses, especially Carex and Hakonechloa.