I LOVE Mice
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 and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. 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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It is very hard for me to pick a favorite mouse ears hosta, but I think ‘Holy Mouse Ears’ is it. The colors in the leaves are magical.
My post Miniature (& Small) Hostas is the most popular article I have ever written for my blog. In that post, I described how, when I discovered miniature hostas, I reached a new level of hosta addiction. I try not to purchase (five of) every new miniature hosta I can get my hands on, but it’s a struggle. Luckily my nursery allows me to mask this addiction as “business development”. Now I specialize in miniature hostas, and mail order them all over the US.
Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is the parent of all the miniature hostas in the mouse ears clan. It is so special that in 2008, the American Hosta Growers Association named it the Hosta of the Year.
The miniature hosta that really took me over the edge was ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. It was definitely love at first sight. I fell for the very blue, very round, very rubbery leaves and the perfectly symmetrical habit. When ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ emerges from the ground, it is in a cluster so tight it looks like a rose. It reaches about 6″ in height and scoffs at the idea of slugs as do all the mouse ears hostas. Most days I stop on my garden ramble to touch its thick leaves. To me they feel like mouse ears, not that I have ever felt one.
‘Blue Mouse Ears’ emerging in the spring.
‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is a descendant of ‘Blue Cadet’, which is a beautiful small blue hosta with very clean leaves and an elegant habit. Boy was I in trouble though, because ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ was only the beginning. As is the nature of hostas, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ has given rise to a whole family of little mice. All of them are between 5 and 8″ tall and form a clump about 12″ wide. Technically, some of them get slightly larger than what the “authorities” consider mini. Their unique characteristics are their very round rubbery leaves and their symmetrical habits. However, I may be prejudiced by my love of mice, but I think these little gems have some of the best leaf colors of any hostas on the market.
‘Mouse Trap’ is one of the newer mice to hit the market. Its bright white leaves with a blue-green border are striking.
Naturally I had to have all the mouse ears hostas in my collection, and my quest began. I now have seven mice and have located a source for two more, ‘Royal Mouse Ears’ and ‘Calico Mouse Ears’, which I will be ordering shortly. While researching this post, I found a Rutgers University site with the hysterical name of Hosta Garden Mouse Index. The photos are not very good, but it seems to list all the mouse ears hostas available. Apparently my quest will last a while longer.
Photos of three of my mice appear above, and here are the remaining four:
I think ‘Mighty Mouse’ has the cutest name in the mouse ears series.
This early spring photo of ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’ does not do it justice. It matures to a dark green leaf with a wide white margin.
‘Green Mouse Ears’ is the smallest in the family with very shiny, thick bright green leaves. Don’t you want to touch it?
‘Mouse Tracks’ is my latest acquisition, and I love its tie dye swirls of yellow, green, and blue. It is a child of ‘Mighty Mouse’ and very rare.
I haven’t mentioned one of the wonderful features of the mouse ears hostas, their flowers. Instead of having the long, dangly, out-of-proportion flowers that are produced by some miniatures, the mice have short, fat flowers in proportion to their size as illustrated by the photo below. I grow them for their flowers too, which is something I can’t say about most hostas.
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‘Holy Mouse Ears’ in bloom
Of course my mice deserved a special place in the garden where touring customers could view them up close and admire their cuteness (is that a word?). What better place than the trough that my husband gave me for our anniversary. My mice nest happily there:
‘Green Mouse Ears’ upper left, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ middle, ‘Mighty Mouse’ middle right, ‘Mouse Trap’ lower left, ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’ lower right. The companion plants are dwarf Solomon’s seal and miniature lady fern.
The whole mouse ears family.
It is easy to add mice to your garden, and they will bring a smile to your face for the whole season.
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens specializes in miniature hostas. I have 25 varieties available at my nursery right now. I am thinking of starting a mail order business for miniatures. If you would like to mail order some this year and help me test out my plan, click here (US only).
Carolyn
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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
April 25, 2012 at 7:33 am
Carolyn, You are woman of many talents, not the least of which is writing! What a great article. I have to stop over and buy some closing gift plants for my clients for their new homes. I don’t know why I did not think of that before. Plants are such a great gift for anyone, really.
April 25, 2012 at 8:00 am
Thanks, Linda. I have another local realtor who is getting plants here for her clients. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 8:46 am
They are all very cute. At first I thought I ‘d easily be able to choose a favorite, but that fell by the wayside quickly. I love the use of a trough for their home!
April 25, 2012 at 8:59 am
Patty, I also have them incorporated into my garden. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ makes a great edger—that’s the only one I have in quantity. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 8:54 am
Super tiny hostas, hadn’t really considered them for my garden here because of their lack of size, thought they would soon get swallowed up by everything else. Of course, should have thought of a planter like you, what a great idea!! We have Bowden Hostas not far away (they get a gold at Chelsea every year) so I can see us paying them a visit soon!
April 25, 2012 at 8:58 am
Pauline, My previous post on miniature hostas gives several different ideas for incorporating little hostas into your garden. I also have a miniature hosta rock garden which I may feature in my next post. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 9:29 am
A delightful article. I have a blue mouse hosta which I love. Can’t wait to get other varieties from you. Thanks.
April 25, 2012 at 9:48 am
Louise, See you this weekend at the Great Hosta Blowout. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 10:23 am
When the title to this article appeared (silly me) I thought it was going to be about mice in the garden. I have now positively identified voles which are munching on most everything in the front bed, including my much prized Mertensia and hostas. Put down something called MoleMax before the rain as suggested by Waterloo Gardens. They’re still here. Any help greatly appreciated so I can get on with planting. Thanks. Woe is me…
April 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm
I have two hunting cats and plenty of foxes so mice and voles are not a problem I have had to deal with. I don’t really have any advice except get a cat! Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Thanks for the reply. I do have plenty of foxes, but my cat is an indoor cat. It’s quite a large area with the voles. Probably my fault for leaving a large amount of oak leaves as winter mulch compounded by the mild winter. (Where is the great hosta blowout?}
April 25, 2012 at 3:11 pm
You seem to be local. Are you on my customer email list? The Great Hosta Blowout is an event where customers pre-order from a set list of hostas and get them for $9 a pot. The pick up is this weekend and then they get to preview my May 12 open house sale offerings. If you want to be notified of events like this, then email me your full name and phone number for backup contact info. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 10:47 am
Hostas really have such beautiful leaves. I look forward to seeing the hostas that I inherited from my parents’s old garden!
April 28, 2012 at 6:33 am
There is a hosta leaf for every occasion and some that I even grow for the flowers!
April 25, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I love the mice in my garden and had no idea there were so many…your display is wonderful Carolyn…I should consider a better display for my miniatures!
April 28, 2012 at 6:35 am
Donna, Right now I am busy making my miniature area into a rock garden. It is a little difficult getting the large rocks in between the already existing hostas but I really like the effect. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I think they look great in the trough. They really get lost unless shown in such a special way. I have a couple varieties and like you, have them in a place where they will be seen. Right now though, they are barely out of the ground.
April 28, 2012 at 6:37 am
Donna, All the warm weather we have had pushed the hosta out of the ground in March, then I had to cover them in the freeze. You are right, you just can’t throw miniature hostas randomly into the garden. They require special placement. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 3:31 pm
The white edge of holy mouse ears really makes it stand out compared to the others. There’s a word to describe the texture of the leaves but I can’t remember what it is.
April 25, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Bag, That’s what my husband loves about that photo of Holy Mouse Ears too. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 7:13 pm
How fun! I had no idea what you were going to talk about just from the title of your post! Love all your mouse ears! I love the name Mighty Mouse, too. I have one in my garden, and it really does make me smile. I think that’s the best reason to have a plant – because it makes you smile. 🙂
April 25, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Holley, The mouse ears hostas are very smiley plants. Carolyn
April 25, 2012 at 11:25 pm
I love your mice as well! They look so dainty and charming… we are doing some renovations in and around the Fairy Garden (our rock garden) which is a perfect place for these little sweeties. I would love to acquire some later in the year or next spring — I’ll be in touch!
April 26, 2012 at 6:01 am
Cathy, I only sell the miniature hostas in the spring so it would have to be a year from now. Carolyn
April 26, 2012 at 8:08 am
I love the mouse series as well. Miniature hostas are so cute! I am fortunate in that Plant Delights Nursery with their botanical gardens is not too far away from me. I get to see some of the miniatures not on the market yet there (and wish I could buy them!)
April 28, 2012 at 6:38 am
Indie, I visited Plant Delights last May for the second time. It has really grown. Carolyn
April 26, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Wonderful post. I now have names for some of the hostas I have in my garden plus varieties I want to add.
April 26, 2012 at 4:00 pm
They really are cute! Are they really, really slug resistant?
April 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Denise, I don’t have a problem with slugs but there are some around. I have about ten ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ in my garden and have never found a hole. The leaves are incredibly thick. Carolyn
April 26, 2012 at 8:20 pm
I have a few of these beauties, and I like them very much. They have a softness that blends well with other foliage. I love your ‘trough’ with the mouse ears…perfect in the garden.
April 26, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Oh, i love that kind of mice too:) I only have Blue Mouse Ears but plan on adding to my collection. Last year I discovered a place about an hour from me that sells thousands of hosta. i thought I died and went to Hosta Heaven. It is so hard to choose when you have that many to pick from. I’m going again in a few weeks so I’m getting my list ready!
April 28, 2012 at 6:47 am
Pearl, A thousand hostas would be kind of overwhelming. My nursery has all kinds of shade plants but I do try to have a big selection of the best hosta cultivars. I have almost 30 miniature varieties this year. Carolyn
April 26, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Wow… I have no mice and feel like I’m missing something after seeing your collection… I have two large empty troughs just now… maybe…. Larry
April 27, 2012 at 6:19 am
Larry, If you like small hostas (I know you like the big ones), you will love the mouse ears series. And how can you resist when you have the empty trough!!! Carolyn
April 27, 2012 at 4:24 am
Carolyn, when I saw this post title I remembered your last feature on these diminuitive characters. Particularly,the charming strawberry pot planting. Wonder why I hardly ever see these in the nurseries here? Some of them look barely bigger than their nemesis – slugs. What do you do about these?
April 27, 2012 at 6:21 am
Laura, Good memory, I have 15 other miniatures in the strawberry pot but no mice. I don’t have a big problem with slugs, but the mouse ears hostas have really thick rubbery leaves that resist slugs. Carolyn
April 27, 2012 at 8:24 am
Ha! You really had me with that title. I have several destructive rodents in my house and garden – can’t stand them! But of course the ‘Mouse’ hostas are wonderful. Thanks for the overview!
April 28, 2012 at 6:48 am
I am so glad people fell for the title.
April 27, 2012 at 11:47 am
At first I thought, hey I got mice, lots of them, I’ll ship you a container full. OH not that kind of mouse. These are much cuter and having just moved 9 hosta the other day into a dedicated hosta bed I can see where a couple of mice would be very desirable. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled at my upcoming nursery trip.
April 28, 2012 at 6:49 am
Marguerite, If you don’t have any mice, then I would start with ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. It is the most vigorous and looks good in garden beds with other hostas because it is substantial enough. It is also less expensive because it has been around a while. Carolyn
April 27, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I would love mice too if they looked like this! I’m not addicted yet but the large leaved varieties of hosta are one of the joys under the mulberry tree. Christina
April 27, 2012 at 9:33 pm
I was all prepared to tell you that you were crazy…but the hostas are acceptable 🙂
April 28, 2012 at 1:44 am
I love you little hostas! Too bad they don’t do well in California.
Jeannine
April 28, 2012 at 6:50 am
California is a big state with a lot of different climates. Are you in southern California?
April 28, 2012 at 9:12 am
Yes, San Diego.
April 28, 2012 at 5:06 am
Thanks for this post, I never heard of this type of Hosta, definitely worth looking into!
April 28, 2012 at 8:17 am
Carolyn, I remember well your post last year on miniature and small hostas. I am not surprised that you are a mouse addict. The glossy leaves of green mouse ears look fabulously leathery, and yes I did touch them.
April 28, 2012 at 9:00 am
Alistair, A virtual touch is the next best thing—hostas only though. Carolyn
May 1, 2012 at 1:46 pm
I’m glad you are starting a mail order option! I love all your mice, and I love the trough, too. I would like something very similar in my own woodland garden. My favorites among your mice are Holy Mouse , Mouse Trap, and Mouse Tracks, but the others could easily be my favorites as well. I am going to have to think hard about this. I’m afraid I could quickly become a mouse addict, too!
May 1, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Deborah, All mouse addicts welcome. Carolyn
May 11, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Carolyn, will you also be selling the tiny associates-like the darling Solomon Seals and fern in the trough? How about troughs? I can’t find any good ones here.
You know I don’t need another plant addiction!
Val
May 11, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Val, I am only selling the miniature hostas themselves mail order. I may expand in the future. Carolyn
May 11, 2012 at 1:09 pm
my h. venusta says,” thanks.It’s lonely down here.”
May 11, 2012 at 1:38 pm
I wouldn’t want your H. venusta to be lonely so friends are available mail order :-).
May 27, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Carolyn, I have been admiring your trough since I saw it last year. Would you mind sharing the dimensions as i cannot find anything like it so I’m going to attempt to make one of my own? Yikes!!
May 29, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Nikki, The dimensions are 34″ long, 10″ tall, and 16″ deep. Good luck. Carolyn
July 24, 2012 at 3:09 am
[…] had a whole post about the ‘Mouse‘ series, apparently ‘Blue’ has been a busy boy and spawned a very large […]
May 20, 2013 at 10:46 pm
I have a small hosta that managed to come back this year but it’s not thriving – any suggestions for it? It’s in the shade tho’ it gets a little sun.
May 21, 2013 at 6:35 am
Murray, Hostas do even better in containers than they do in the ground. They multiply much faster. They like loose soil, water, and a fair amount of light. Carolyn