Hosta 'Silly String'
Hosta 'Silly String' is a playful shade perennial with narrow arching twisted green foliage that creates a flowing textured mound in shaded garden spaces. Its unique leaf shape adds movement and fine texture to woodland plantings while maintaining the reliable structure and vigor hostas are known for.
Height & Spread: 12 - 18 in x 24 - 36 in
Bloom Time: Mid summer
Light Requirements: Part shade to shade
Soil Preference: Rich moist well drained soil
Watering Needs: Moderate; prefers consistent moisture
Deer Resistance: Not deer resistant
Native Status
This hosta is a cultivated ornamental derived from East Asian species and is not native to North America, but is widely used in shade gardens for its foliage texture and reliability.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Bees
- Attracts bees during bloom when pale lavender flowers appear above the foliage in mid summer.
Birds
- Provides seasonal interest in shaded areas and can offer light cover for small birds in dense plantings.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 24 - 36 in apart to allow the wide arching foliage to fully mature without crowding.
Landscape Placement
- Ideal for shaded borders, woodland gardens, and foundation plantings where its textured foliage can spread and soften darker areas.
Companion Plants
- Heuchera 'Caramel' (Coral Bells) - Provides warm toned foliage contrast that brightens shaded combinations.
- Astilbe 'Fanal' (False Goat’s Beard) - Adds upright plumes that contrast with the hosta’s low spreading form.
- Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' (Siberian Bugloss) - Offers silver patterned foliage that complements the green twisting leaves.
- Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) - Brings fine textured fronds that echo the flowing movement of the hosta.
- Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) - Softens the ground layer with delicate blooms and low mounded foliage.