Hosta 'Touch of Class' PP#13,080

Eagerly anticipated, this sport of world-famous Hosta 'June' exceeds its parent for color intensity and beauty! 'Touch of Class' is a magnificently thick-leaved, tricolored plant that keeps its cool blue tones right through summer heat. The only green you'll see is the narrow band on each leaf where the brilliant gold flame overlaps with the irregular blue edging!

Just 16 high and 22 inches wide, 'Touch of Class' makes a big impact in a small space. Its leaves are substantial, waxy, and nicely held, holding up to spring rains, summer heat, and autumn breezes. Heart-shaped and slightly downturned at the tips, they are puffy looking and texture quite beautifully over time, with a pleasantly "quilted" look as the vertical furrows become more pronounced. All Hostas improve with age, but 'Touch of Class' really outdoes itself for foliage texture!

Part of this Hosta's vigor and strength comes from the fact that it's a tetraploid, meaning that it has twice the chromosomes of diploid Hostas (such as its parent 'June'). This is the beginning of a new trend in Hosta breeding -- the conversion of diploids into tetraploids with greater robustness. And if 'Touch of Class' is any indication of the success of this idea, we're in for a lot of tetraploids in the years to come!

In midsummer this plant is topped by slender 2-foot stems bearing insignificant 1-inch lavender-blue blooms, which may be cut away or kept, as you prefer. Its real beauty is the spring-through-fall display of spectacular tricolored foliage in the partly shaded garden!

If you're new to Hosta growing, you're in for a treat. Like most Hostas, 'Touch of Class' is very tolerant of just about any soil and weather conditions. Hardy from one end of the country to the other, it is very long-lived (plan on several decades!). Periodically you can dig it up and whack the rooty crown into several new plants, or simply let the older ones grow more magnificent with the passing of time!

Space plants about 18 inches apart in the garden or a large container. Very tolerant of heat, humidity, cold, and even drought (once established). Zones 3-8.