Hosta Winter Lightning

Hosta Winter Lightning is a truly eye-catching cultivar that brings an electrifying charm to any shade garden. This fascinating tissue culture sport of Hosta Indiana Knight, introduced by Jim Anderson of Winterberry Farms, features broad, twisted, and slightly corrugated leaves with dazzling white netted variegation at the center. The chartreuse-to-gold foliage gradually transitions through the season, creating a dynamic and ever-changing display. Lavender flowers bloom in July, adding a touch of elegance to this medium-sized hosta, which forms an attractive clump. It’s perfect for collectors and enthusiasts alike, offering something truly exceptional.

You'll definitely stop in your tracks when you see this hosta and say, "Wow, this is absolutely crazy and amazing!" However, a small drawback is its irregular variegation - some leaves may lack streaks, and occasionally, the variegation can disappear entirely. To maintain its striking appearance, keep a close eye on this hosta and divide it regularly to preserve the variegation. Hosta Winter Lightning is similar to Hosta Alley Oop, but it features lighter green leaves and more irregular variegation. On the other hand, Hosta Winter Lightning is larger in size compared to Hosta Alley Oop.

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.