Miniature (& Small) Hostas
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops within the US. For catalogues and announcements of local events, please send your full name, mailing address, and cell number to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com and indicate whether you are interested in snowdrops, hellebores, and/or hostas. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.
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‘Holy Mouse Ears’: the miniature hostas in the mouse ears series are my favorites.
I am in stage four of my relationship with hostas. I have noticed that many of my customers go through these stages too. Stage one was when I was a new gardener. I discovered hostas and loved them because they are easy to grow and to divide to make more. I had the green one, the green and white one, the blue one, the variegated one, and the gold one. If you know hostas, you can probably guess fairly easily which varieties I had. I still love these hostas and have large patches of them in my gardens.
‘Lakeside Cupcake’ was a new small hosta for me in 2010 and is a strong grower.
During stage two, I became more “sophisticated”. Hostas were too easy to grow, too ordinary, and multiplied too quickly for my control-oriented gardening style. Besides I wanted flowers, flowers, and more flowers, and hostas just didn’t fit the bill. I didn’t like them anymore. How could people collect such a boring and ordinary plant?
“Carolyn’s Gold”: I selected this miniature hosta from a chance seedling that appeared in my gardens. It is the brightest gold I have ever seen.
I rediscovered hostas in stage three when I got beyond flowers and realized how important foliage is to the garden, especially the shade garden. I learned that hostas did not come in just the five basic varieties but in an infinite number of combinations of colors, heights, widths, leaf shapes, flowers, and habits. Somewhere I read that there are 6,000 hosta cultivars. I wanted them all so I began to collect hostas.
‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is the miniature hosta that started the mouse ears family. Not only is it shaped like a mouse ear, but it feels like one too (all in my imagination because I have never felt a mouse ear). It was designated the 2008 Hosta of the Year by the American Hosta Growers Association–a very high honor.
I entered stage four about the time that my hosta acquisitions topped 100 cultivars. This is just a modest assemblage because you really aren’t considered a hosta collector until you have over 500 varieties in your garden. But I was running out of room. Besides I am not a true collector of any group of plants because I am not satisfied with one of any perennial in my garden. I need at least five, but preferably seven, of any plant to make an impact. Many hostas are quite large, and five ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Sum and Substance’, or ‘Sagae’, which are favorites of mine, with six foot wide clumps and 15″ leaves, take up a lot of room. Were my collecting days over?
Clockwise from upper left: small ‘Blonde Elf’ and miniatures ‘Little Wonder’, ‘Rock Princess’, and a hosta sold to me as ‘Little Blue’.
That’s when I discovered miniature hostas. The American Hosta Society defines miniature hostas as having a leaf no larger than 4 sq. in. The discovery of miniature hostas allowed me to indulge my passion for collecting hostas, which only got worse in stage four, without taking up all the space in my garden. And they are so incredibly cute and have such adorable names: ‘Holy Mouse Ears’, ‘Pixie Vamp’, ‘Blonde Elf’, ‘Mighty Mouse’, ‘Alakazaam’, ‘Cookie Crumbs’, ‘Rock Princess’. How can you resist?
‘Mighty Mouse’ is one of the newer members of the mouse ears family.
I remain firmly mired in stage four and don’t know what comes after it, maybe Hostas Anonymous. But in the meantime, I want to show you some of my favorite miniatures (see photos above and below) and suggest some ideas for displaying miniature and small hostas.
‘Little Treasure’ is new to me this year and has a unique leaf shape and blue-green color.
Because they are so little, most miniature and small hostas can’t be thrown into the garden willy-nilly but benefit from some planning to show them off. Many also require specialized growing conditions, but those cultivars don’t survive at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens where nothing gets fussed over. I display my absolute favorite miniature hostas in their own container to really highlight them. An added benefit is that hostas multiply more rapidly in containers:
I have shown this photo of ‘Crumb Cake’ before, but it demonstrates how a single unusual plant in a container can be so pleasing. ‘Crumb Cake’ and all the other hostas pictured in containers in this post also do well in the ground–a requirement for inclusion at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.
‘Pixie Vamp’: This miniature has elegant mahogany-colored flower scapes that match this container. I leave all these pots outside all winter. Hostas overwinter fine as long as their containers can be left outside without cracking.
I think ‘Praying Hands’, the 2011 Hosta of the Year, looks best in a container. It reminds me of pitcher plants without the hassle of creating a bog. Pictured here with dwarf Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum humile, another plant that thrives over the winter in containers.
“Carolyn’s Malex Two” is another hosta I selected that grows so slowly in the ground that I have never sold it. Its position in the top of my antique strawberry pot highlights its delicate coloring and allows it to multiply faster than it would in the ground.
The straight species Hosta tokudama has the bluest leaves of any hosta and lives in this terra cotta container on my porch.
You don’t necessarily have to buy containers for your hostas. ‘Hanky Panky’, a very unusually colored small hosta, has grown for years in my old dogwood stump.
‘Alakazaam’ has found a home in the chiseled out knot hole of a weathered sycamore branch. My youngest son crafted this “container” for me for Mother’s Day.
Several miniature hostas can be combined in a larger container:
This dish, which I leave out all winter even though it is terra cotta (don’t do this at home!), contains the miniatures (clockwise from upper left) ‘Cracker Crumbs’, ‘Shiny Penny’, and ‘Shining Tot’ with ‘Praying Hands’, sedum, hens and chicks, rosularia, and miniature dianthus.
My antique strawberry pot has 16 pockets with a different miniature hosta in each one. Pictured are (top row left to right) ‘Cameo’, ‘Cracker Crumbs’, and ‘Twist of Lime’, (middle row) ‘Little Blue’, ‘Shining Tot’, and ‘Porter’, and (bottom row) ‘Shiny Penny’, ‘Hope, and “Carolyn’s Tiny Gold”.
My husband gave me this antique trough for our anniversary. It is a perfect setting for my mouse ears collection. Pictured are (front left to right) ‘Holy Mouse Ears’ and ‘Mouse Trap’, (center) ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, and (back) ‘Green Mouse Ears’, ‘Mighty Mouse’, and ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’, all with dwarf Solomon’s seal.
Hostas thrive between rocks and in rock gardens:
The 2010 Hosta of the Year ‘First Frost’ in my rock garden with (left to right) variegated money plant (Lunaria annua ‘Alba Variegata’), Helleborus cyclophyllus, and yellow wax-bells (Kirengoshoma palmata).
‘Little Aurora’ (upper left) and ‘Cookie Crumbs’ (lower right) in my rock garden with (left to right) ‘Red Lady’ hellebores (Helleborus x hybridus ‘Red Lady’), pink violets (Viola species), and spring-blooming hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen coum).
Miniature and small hostas can be massed for maximum effect and to create groundcover:
‘Kabitan’ (lower right) massed with (left to right) ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’, 2009 Hosta of the Year ‘Earth Angel’, Spanish bluebells (Scilla campanulata ‘Excelsior’), yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea), and fern-leafed corydalis (Corydalis cheilanthifolia).
“Carolyn’s Gold” (lower left) and ‘Lemon Lime’ (upper right) used as groundcover.
‘Twist of Lime’ (lower right) massed with (left to right) sweet violet (Viola odorata), red epimedium (Epimedium x rubrum), and ‘Fantasy Island’.
I hope I have given you some good ideas for using miniature and small hostas in your garden. I would be very interested to hear in a comment/reply which miniatures you like and how you use them.
Carolyn
For two more articles on hostas, click here:
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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
May 9, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Thank you for showing us how versatile Hostas with mouse ears can be.
May 9, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Allan, Your comment really made me laugh. I really am infatuated with this series. Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 8:42 pm
I’m not sure what stage I am at in my relationship with Hosta’s yet…I’m finding it more and more difficult to leave a greenhouse without a new Hosta.
I think I have about 21 cultivars now…a far cry from your collection. I’ve never seen the miniatures here but now I’ll be looking for them! I love your Hosta strawberry pot 🙂
May 9, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Netty, You have definite signs of addiction and may want to stop before it is too late :-). Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Netty, I tried to leave a comment on your blog but I couldn’t without a Goggle account. Usually there is an open account/WordPress option. Also you should think about registering your blog on Blotanical.com, the international garden blogging registry. Carolyn
May 11, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Thanks Carolyn! I’ve changed the settings for comments on my blog. I think it should work now 🙂
May 9, 2011 at 8:45 pm
You can NEVER have enough hostas as I often say to my family. Now I can put them in containers..
May 9, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Reggie, I think that is a very good outlook on life. Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 9:12 pm
oh I love, love, love hostas…I have never been to stage 2…I bolted from 1 to 3 when I had my shade gardens at the old house…sadly I left most of the over 100 different hostas I had and have now started over where I have more sun..I poke them all over and have begun to carefully place the miniatures in special spots…i have not put them in containers since I do not keep containers outside in our weather….I will be making a new list of must haves and hopefully if I ever get down I may be able to purchase some from you…love crumb cake …
May 9, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Donna, Jean and Jan said they never went through stage 2 either. I guess it just took me longer to figure things out. You can put the containers in an unheated garage for the winter with barely any water, and the hostas will still thrive. I didn’t water that beautiful blue hosta by my front door all winter last winter and it was fine. Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Interesting you have so many and use them is such varied ways. Living near Buffalo, the Hosta capital, where every garden overflows in Hosta, I never caught the bug. I use them in design, but not excessively, mostly because they are so commonplace here. The tiny Hosta are cute, and I have a couple in my garden, but again, really don’t look at them a prized or collectable plant. They just grow too darn good here. You have a nice collection and I don’t remember seeing so many Hosta in PA.
May 10, 2011 at 6:35 am
Donna, You are showing definite signs of stage 2 when you say they are too easy to grow. Your basic hostas are commonplace everywhere, including PA, because they are easy to grow (see stage 1). Hostas are the biggest selling perennial in the US and have been for many years. But the more unusual and desirable varieties and the miniatures are not commonplace anywhere. Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 11:13 pm
This post will cause any member of hostas anonymous to fall off the wagon! I was thinking I was approaching stage four, but I am no where close! I have a large stump with several planting pockets waiting to be filled. You have definitely convinced me that hostas should be included in my little stump garden. Thanks for the idea! I have only recently come to appreciate miniatures. I still love the giants, but the miniatures are so cute. I want some mouse ears!
May 10, 2011 at 6:40 am
Deb, You can’t go wrong with mouse ears, especially ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ which is a very strong grower and definitely deserved the Hosta of the Year award. Hostas will look great and thrive in your stump garden. I would love to see a photo. Carolyn
May 9, 2011 at 11:40 pm
Dear Carolyn,
This blog and the photos are magnificent!
As you know, I always said “you can never have enough Venustas “. The first miniature I ever purchased! I don’t know what stage involves hiring a landscaper and having all my personal plantings moved from my old residence to my new location when I recently moved? I just could not bear to part with them and leave all those beautiful plants to unskilled landscaping henchmen and people who would not love and care for them. Your “babies” were too beautiful to abandon. Having my personal plants moved with my household belongings must be its own special stage! They all survived and are just perfect in my newly designed home and garden!
I think now I actually may have enough Venustas, but I definitely don’t have enough Mouse Ears. They are just too cute for words!
My friends LOVED the miniature hostas and native plant selection you helped me pick for a hostess gift for their party. They will enjoy these plants for many years. Thanks so much for you help and expertise.
May 10, 2011 at 6:43 am
Betsy, You are very kind. You were one of the first miniature hosta enthusiasts among my customers and got me started selling and collecting them. I am glad you didn’t let the “unskilled landscaping henchman” get you Hosta venusta and all your other plants. Glad our collection of plants we put together was appreciated. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 1:47 am
Like you , I feel that contrasting foliage is very important in a garden and Hostas fit this bill nicely. Most of mine are large to very large, but having seen your miniatures, I must try some, they are so lovely. Putting them in pots is a wonderful idea, they would get lost here otherwise !
May 10, 2011 at 6:44 am
Pauline, Nice to hear from another hosta enthusiast. You will love the miniatures. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 5:37 am
I’ve never seen miniature hostas before. I’m sure you can’t buy them in Italy, I have enough problems finding any more than a few varieties – this is probably a good thing as I’m sure I’d join you in collecting too many. I have some in my one shady area under the mulberry tree and I have to admit that I love this area almost more than all the flowery borders. Christina
May 10, 2011 at 6:54 am
Christina, That’s very interesting. I don’t know anything about hostas in the rest of the world. I believe that most of the plants I grow were selected in the US by hosta enthusiasts. A great resource is the Hosta Library which shows photos of all the thousands of hostas. From there you can access MYHostas Databse which contains written descriptions including measurements for each cultivar. I use these resources constantly. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 6:21 am
I have always loved hostas and am continually adding more to my garden. Just recently got praying hands which I love and I do have several mouse ears. I am not even close to having as many as you but I am working at it! I like your planting combination with your hostas. Really pretty foliage!
May 10, 2011 at 6:56 am
Karin, I have had ‘Praying Hands’ for a number of years and had a hard time placing it effectively in the garden and getting it to thrive there. Then I went over to the home of the head of the Delaware Valley Hosta Society and saw it in a pot–it was magnificent. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 8:02 am
You have them displayed so artfully and perfect. I don’t have many miniatures here but just bought ‘Hacksaw’. I’m thinking I planted it wrong and might want to put it in a container. I put it in the garden hoping it will spread but I like those containers with the alot.
May 10, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Tina, I just saw a photo of ‘Hacksaw’ today–very unusual. Not sure how large it gets, but it would probably look great in a container. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 8:33 am
Carolyn, this post is almost hosta porn 🙂
Now that I have a deer fence, I becoming more enthusiastic about growing hostas. But voles devoured some of my first plants, so I tend to keep them in pots. Do you do anything to protect hostas in the ground from voles?
May 10, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Sheila, I have a deer fence (actually netting) around my whole garden now. Hostas top the menu on the deer buffet so the fence had to go up. I don’t have voles so I don’t know what you can do about them. I remember seeing something about a homemade trap you can make with PVC piping. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 9:06 am
Carolyn you have such fantastic Hostas, are you not troubled with slugs. We have always grown Hostas and in the past I felt somewhat indifferent towards them. However as with so many other plants which I felt this way towards I now love them and keep looking for spots to add more. Also for someone like me who was addicted to annuals in tubs, I found out several years ago how amazingly well Hostas grow in containers, and I think we have to learn to appreciate the Hosta flowers.
May 10, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Alistair, I really hate to say this out loud, but I don’t have a problem with slugs. And it’s not because they aren’t a problem in my area–they are. I don’t question it. There are many hostas that I would grow for their flowers. Among others, all the fragrant varieties especially H. plantaginea ‘Grandiflora’ which would be in my top ten flowers of any kind, H. ventricosa with purple stripes, any of the white flowered cultivars, H. lancifolia with dark purple flowers in the fall, H. fortunei ‘Aureomarginata’ with compact lavender flowers, ‘Pixie Vamp’ with mahogany stems….I could go on and on. I try to limit my use of annuals, but hostas are great combined with annuals in a container to have beautiful leaves and flowers all season. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 11:17 am
Love the miniature hostas and the containers you have made for them. Your Carolyn seedling is very beautiful but I’m astounded at the knot hole in the branch used as a planter. I’ve used stumps before but would never have thouught to use a branch. genius!
May 10, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Marguerite, As I said the knot hole in the branch was my son’s creation. I love the look and will have to keep up with watering it. Miniature hostas are great plants for all those containers you have that are really too small to hold enough plants to make an impact otherwise. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 11:26 am
Is there a “swoon” stage? Because I think that’s where I am.
Until now I feel like I’ve been in your “stage 2” – I always considered them boring, suburban, and “blah.” ????
Last summer when we moved to an apartment with a shady backyard, a friend gave me some hostas to get me started – some small, some large, some deep green, cool blue, and one variegated.
I have since come to fall in love with these plants and I’m just beginning to appreciate all the many varieties of color and shapes and sizes…and your post has just knocked my socks CLEAN OFF.
How could I have lived until now without these plants in my life?
Maybe one day I’ll see you in HA – “My name is Aimee and I started planting hostas in the fall of 2010.”
Fabulous post, Carolyn! Thanks so much for documenting these beauties so well and for sharing them with us.
May 10, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Aimee, It is so fun to get a comment that expresses the essence of what I was getting at in the post. I will be at HA with you: “My name is Carolyn, and I received my first hosta in 1986. It was H. ventricosa given to me by my friend Leslie….” Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 11:34 am
Carolyn, do you not have slugs in PA?? Whenever I have grown hostas in the UK, they have been ravaged by the little darlings. But yours all look so completely unchewed…
May 10, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Jill, I am saying this in a whisper: I don’t have problems with slugs. As I said to Alistair, I don’t know why but I try not to think about it for fear of attracting them. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 12:17 pm
You have wonderful arrangements with hostas. They are very imaginative and beautiful. There is such variety of texture and color, and you are right, foliage is important in a garden. I love hostas too but they don’t love it here – too hot – they are annuals in my climate :(.
May 10, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Masha, So sorry that hostas don’t grow where you are. Readers should visit Masha’s blog for gorgeous photos of roses and lots of helpful info. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Carolyn, I was at stage zero, until I read your post. Thanks for introducing us to miniature hostas. I have big gaps between my paving stones full of weeds, I’ve been thinking about planting something more attractive in between and I think mighty mouse fits the bill. I like your containers (and their stories) too.
May 10, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Bag, I have not planted miniature hostas between paving stones but I think it’s a great idea. ‘Mighty Mouse’ might be too big, but ‘Rock Princess’, ‘Little Wonder’, or H. venusta would be great. I might try this myself! Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Definitely the collection of a nursery owner… Just wonderful in its depth! Thank you for sharing.
We have slug for sure in PA… what measures do you use? Diatomaceous earth? Hand-picking only?
May 10, 2011 at 6:42 pm
WMG, I am afraid that all this commentary on slugs will attract them to my garden. Don’t tell them, but I don’t have any. As a nursery owner, I am constantly perusing plants at wholesale prices so collecting is much easier and cheaper for me. I am glad to share the results in photos. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 5:00 pm
OK, clearly you are actively recruiting for Hostas Anonymous, and I think your blog should carry a warning that it is seriously dangerous to the bank balance. I love the massed plantings of miniature hostas. I’m not sure which my favourite is, “Praying Hands” is wonderful, but I think it is either Alakazaam or Kabitan. Perhaps. But what on earth do you do to keep them so prsitine?! Even with all the frogs in my pond, the hostas in my pots still get munched and I have long since given up putting them in the ground.
May 10, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Janet, I am concluding from all the comments that hostas are difficult to grow in the UK because of the slugs. And honestly the Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania, US) Hosta Society, of which I am a member, is always having articles about all the noxious chemicals that can be used to deter slugs and voles. I just don’t have them. All three hostas that you mentioned are wonderful (can you see me saying that I didn’t like a miniature hosta?). We could form an international HA group with Aimee (see her comment), but I could not give them up so it’s hopeless. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Love, love, love the ‘praying hands’…I’ve added a lot (well, not a lot; maybe 4 varieties) to my container garden this year. I love them for their texture and structural qualities. I especially love that I don’t have to protect them in the winter!
May 11, 2011 at 6:04 am
Cat, ‘Praying Hands’ is a very unique hosta. It took me a while to get used to it and figure out how to use it, but now it’s one of my favorites. Carolyn
May 10, 2011 at 7:44 pm
beautiful hostas!!!! the garden looks so fresh!! I love it
May 11, 2011 at 6:07 am
Andrea, thanks for visiting. Carolyn
May 11, 2011 at 7:34 am
I have found that my success with hostas is reversely proportional to how much I spend on them. All the ones I have bought are gone. Good bye to Francis Williams, Sum and Substance and Albiqua Drinking Gourd. The ones I have left are unnamed varieties we have given away at work as a promotional incentive. I saw my first Praying Hands last year and was about to buy it until the price made me walk away. Looking at your containers, I think I will try some that way.
May 11, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Les, You have such beautiful gardens that I am amazed that you could kill a hosta, and the three you mentioned are incredibly vigorous cultivars. The only hostas that have ever died here are some of the miniatures that require specialized growing conditions (‘Cheatin’ Heart’ and ‘Pandora’s Box’ come to mind). Definitely ‘Praying Hands’ in a container—fabulous!!! Carolyn
May 11, 2011 at 10:16 am
Hosta-addicted? 🙂 Your arrangements are so lovely!
May 11, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Dona, Hosta-addicted and proud of it. Carolyn
May 12, 2011 at 8:36 am
Stage 1 for 3 years. I did purchase ‘Praying Hands’ this winter and also have it in a pot. And….i think I will add solomens seal to the pot, a new variety. Great post. I do appreaciate Hosta.
May 12, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Greggo, Stage One is a very exuberant place to be. But I think you are ready to jump straight to Stage Three: ‘Praying Hands’ is a connoisseur’s hosta. you will love the Solomon’s seal. Carolyn
May 12, 2011 at 1:33 pm
What a wonderful collection you have, Carolyn. I love hostas and have just begun collecting a few minis. 😉 Beautiful post. You are inspiring.
May 12, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Shady Gardener, Watch out the minis are like potato chips: once you start you won’t be able to stop. Carolyn
May 13, 2011 at 10:48 am
I really enjoyed seeing all of your varieties, Carolyn…a few of which I have. I will look forward to the day (year!) when my Twist of Lime might actually serve as a ground cover;-)
May 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Jan, I divide and replant my mini hostas to make more. ‘Twist of Lime’ is one of the easier cultivars to divide. Just dig it up, pull it gently apart, and replant it in the ground. Carolyn
May 13, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Defintely hostas and violas work beautifully in color and shape, what a lovely collection!
May 13, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Lula, I rarely grow annuals, but I love violas. They are the perfect scale for mini hostas. Carolyn
May 13, 2011 at 10:56 pm
I first saw some of the mouse ears hostas last fall at a local nursery. So cute!! I love them paired with dwarf solomon’s seal. That’s a great combo to file away for future reference!
May 14, 2011 at 6:56 am
CM, I am on a quest to get all the different mouse ears hosta for my collection. It is kind of fun, kind of expensive, but doesn’t take up much room. There are a lot worse things to be addicted to. Carolyn
May 13, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Carolyn, you have a wonderful collection of beautiful hostas. I don’t have any hostas because I have very little shade in my garden right now. Thank you for identifying plants in each of your photos. This helps me to know what to look for when buying plants that I want to incorporate in my garden. By-the-way I really enjoyed your spring plant combinations post.
May 14, 2011 at 7:04 am
Ramona, It takes me much longer to write my posts because I include the botanical and common name for each plant, and I often don’t know the common name. But I do know that I get frustrated when I am reading a blog and there is a plant I am interested in but no name. glad you have enjoyed my recent articles. Carolyn
May 14, 2011 at 12:54 am
Lovely post with fascinating content. Hostas do not thrive here; I believe due to lack of winter chill.
May 14, 2011 at 7:12 am
Nell jean, I don’t know anything about hostas in warmer climates. NC is a hotbed of hosta breeders but I guess the weather patterns chage significantly in your part of GA. Carolyn
May 14, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Dear Carolyn, I love hostas and have several in my shade garden, but can, by no means, be considered a collector. Your hostas are incredible! I didn’t know there were miniatures. Thanks for the info. P. x
May 15, 2011 at 6:27 am
Pam, I remember calling someone big in the hosta world less than ten years ago to ask if he was interested in any of the mini hostas I had selected. He told me that there was no market for mini hostas. Boy was he wrong! I am glad I could introduce you to these cute little plants. You will love them. Carolyn
May 14, 2011 at 9:48 pm
What an excellent post… I haven’t done a lot with miniature hostas and this will make a great reference! The photos are wonderful as well! L
May 15, 2011 at 6:28 am
Larry, I am surprised you haven’t done a lot with minis because you are such a hosta lover and are generally up on all the new plants. You will love them. Carolyn
May 15, 2011 at 6:43 am
Carolyn’s gold is brilliant. Love the swathe planting but peeking out of containers, mouseears are shown at their best. You’ve inspired me to go on the trail of these.
May 15, 2011 at 6:58 am
Laura, I was talking with one of the top hosta breeders the other day, and I realized I was going on and one about mouse ears hostas and how I wanted to collect them all. I said sorry you must be tired of hearing about these, and she said no, I collect them myself!!! Carolyn
June 27, 2011 at 8:30 am
What an amazing collection of perfectly healthy and happy hostas! It’s a great pleasure to look at the pictures of your garden, thank you! I’m a beginner hosta collection having about 70+ varieties mostly minis. They are so cute! I liked you Pixie Vamp, what a beautiful plant! Mine is very small and couple of days ago it’s growth point was eaten away by a slug. I have my minis in the ground in a special bed dedicated to minis, so I have problem with slugs destroying some leaves. I tried to plant them in pots last year, but they didn’t feel well. Many were rotting despite very easily draning potting mixture I used. I saved them by planting them in the ground and now slugs are the main danger for them.
I will put up the link to your blog to my bloglist to follow the posts.
Happy gardening!
June 27, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Olga, I too have a special bed/rock garden dedicated to miniature hostas, but I don’t have a problem with slugs. I am surprised you had problems with pots, but I don’t know where you live or what the weather is like. My miniature hostas grow twice times as fast in pots and never rot. Carolyn
July 11, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Hi Carolyn,
I saw some dwarf varigated Solomon’s seals yesterday in a garden and did an internet search and found your site. Can you tell where can find them for sale?
Thank you,
J. R.
July 14, 2011 at 10:13 am
R1010, You should try Arrowhead Alpines in Michigan. They have a website.Carolyn
July 29, 2011 at 5:16 pm
I love your mini collection. Growing them in containers is a great way to bring attention to these little gems. Your antique trough is a great showcase for your mouse collection. I agree with you, garding in the shade is the best.
July 31, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Some fun ideas! Mini hostas are lots of fun…and there is always room for one or two or three more. But then, I say that about all hostas…
July 31, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Josh, I am making room for more large hostas by reducing the size of my patches and getting rid of duplicate plantings. It is hard being an addict! Carolyn
July 31, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Thank You so much for all the ideas. Even in Norway we collect these wonderful Hostas, but we do import from Fransen Hosta, very good plants from there. thank you again.
July 31, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Bjorg, Glad you like the miniatures. I just built a whole rock garden to hold my collection. I should have taken photos as I went along. Carolyn
May 2, 2012 at 9:56 am
I enjoyed looking at all your pictures of mini hostas. I am in the process of landscaping a large doll house like structure outside and I needed some ideas for what to plant. It will be mostly in the shade. I am just getting started. the house will have moss on the roof and minature flowers in window boxes. Inside the house will become a haven for fairies. Complete with minature tables and chairs and resin fairies peeking out of windows etc.
May 2, 2012 at 10:13 am
Sounds adorable. The mouse ears may even be too big but Hosta ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ would be perfect. I don’t know where you are but I sell it mail order. Click here. Carolyn
August 14, 2012 at 3:55 am
Reblogged this on Potted Plant Society.
August 14, 2012 at 4:01 am
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October 1, 2012 at 7:28 pm
I have a small collection of Viola odorata cultivars and I love them. But I have not been able to locate a source for the one that I want most. In 1907 William Henry Maule of Philadelphia introduced Viola odorata “Winter Gem”. According to English author Roy E. Coombs book about violets it has “very large, rich, dark purple flowers on long stems produced freely. Fine perfume. It was believed to be the best of all.” If anyone knows of a current source for it, please share that information. Sincerely, Mike
October 1, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Mike, I have the straight species and the white flowered form. They both came from the same source. Send me an email carolynshadegardens@verizon.net, and I will put you in touch with the source to see if he has the one you want. Carolyn
June 9, 2013 at 5:37 am
Love these little miniature hostas – do you know of any UK supplier of Regal Tot and Cracker Crumb please? Thank you for your time
June 9, 2013 at 10:32 am
Krysia, I do not know anything about UK suppliers of hosta, sorry. Carolyn
September 7, 2013 at 9:59 pm
I’ve loved hostas for years and have always used them in my gardens. I just created a fairy garden in the shade. My collection of miniatures hostas are a wonderful addition.
July 14, 2015 at 12:10 am
please send me a catalogue
July 15, 2015 at 9:38 am
Andrea, All catalogues are on my website on the right sidebar under Pages. If the sidebar is not visible, click the top of the page. If you would like to be on the email distribution list for miniature hosta info, please email me your name and phone number. Carolyn
September 8, 2015 at 12:04 am
It is now 2015 … and there are 40 some Mouse Ears out there – I hope you’ve opened a whole wing of Mouse Ears in your garden. Plus the sport I have hiding in my garden!
You noted that House Ears have a lower range of diameter of 12 in / 30.48 cm. which I will keep in mind as mine grow up. I have read that some might a diameter of 18 in. / 45.72 cm.
Carolyn, assuming the question has not be asked already … could you tell what you’ve found to be the height range of these prolific mice? Might you also discuss which of the mice might have the largest leaf surface?
Peter Kelley
St Paul, MN USA
The mice I have are: Church Mouse, Frosted Mouse Ears, Holy Mouse Ears, and Holy Mouse Ears [solid sport].
September 9, 2015 at 12:35 pm
As you pointed out there are all different heights and clump spreads for the mouse ears and mice proliferating everywhere. Plus hostas vary widely in stature based on the cultural conditions. I wouldn’t be able to discuss your question without a lot of research. There is a mini hosta yahoo group where a lot of info is available about mouse ears.
June 12, 2016 at 7:23 pm
Great website. What other containers do you winter outside?
June 16, 2016 at 3:37 am
I have containers made of lots of materials. The only ones that have cracked are cheap terra cotta. I ha e mostly mini hostas, sedums and ferns in the.
August 3, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Thank you for the information with beautiful photos! I am planning to start a few mini gardens and wonder how you handle them in the winter? I will end up with quite a few pots. Any instruction would be appreciated!
August 5, 2016 at 6:01 pm
For miniature hosta, I leave my containers outside all winter as long as the containers can survive freezing.
March 23, 2024 at 3:07 pm
still accurate after all these years….4 stages 😉
March 24, 2024 at 5:54 am
I am still adding a few minis each year and still love hostas.
March 24, 2024 at 5:54 am
Great idea!
March 23, 2024 at 3:18 pm
P.S. we made hypertufa containers so we could keep mini hosta and dwarf conifers out in Cape Cod winters
Loved your post.