Hosta Chris' Alien Species

Hosta Chris' Alien Species looks like it came from another planet: smooth, grey-green foliage with wavy edges, curious folds and twists. Bred by C. Brinkmann from a Sourpuss seedling, it forms medium clumps about 45 cm tall and 70 cm wide and blooms in early summer with lavender flowers just above the leaves. Hosta Chris' Alien Species is best in shade or deep partial shade; full sun is not recommended. A distinctive perennial that adds rare character and texture to collector beds.

How to grow hostas

Save light shade to shade place in your garden to plant hostas. Filtered sun is best for the colorful varieties to reach their full color contrast. The green and blue hostas are the most shade-tolerant. Usually the yellow cultivars are the most sun-tolerant. The most dangerous is a direct sunshine, especially hot afternoon sun. This is the most critical where temperatures are high. Variegated varieties, especially those with a lot of white in the leaves, burn very easily. Blue color of leaves turns to green-blue or even fully green with too much direct sun. Plants with thick leaves are better suited for dry soil conditions than thin-leaved ones, but none is able to grow years-long in very dry soil. Plant hostas in moist, humus-rich soil. Water your hostas well immediately as you plant them. Give them water regularly during their first one or two growing season. Hostas grow slowly and may take 2 to 5 years to reach their full size, longer for the largest species and cultivars. Reserve a plenty of space in your perennial bed for hostas. Most of them are medium sized or large perennials. Hostas are almost fully disease and pest resistant. The most dangerous injury can by caused by slugs, snails and deers.