The Mice Have Multiplied Again
My Mouse Ears Hosta collection in pots, back row left to right: ‘Mighty Mouse’, ‘Mini Skirt’, ‘Mouse Cheese’, ‘Lucky Mouse’, front row left to right: ‘Green Mouse Ears’, ‘Pure Heart’, ‘Desert Mouse’, ‘Funny Mouse’.
Our 2016 Miniature Hosta Catalogue is now on line, click here. It lists all the wonderful little hostas that are available for pick up at the nursery and by mail. Local customers are encouraged to pre-order.
I love Mouse Ears miniature and small hostas. I like them because they are cute, they have a look all their own, they have adorable names, their colors are beautiful, I would actually grow them for their flowers, and their thick leaves give them a unique presence and repel slugs. There are two new Mouse Ears this year: ‘Mini Skirt’ and ‘Pure Heart’, but I am also including photos of other members of this captivating family of hostas.
Nursery News: 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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Newly introduced ‘Mini Skirt’ has the same variegation as ‘Mighty Mouse’ but with heavily ruffled leaves—stunning and already a customer favorite!
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Newly introduced ‘Pure Heart’ has the reverse variegation of ‘Mighty Mouse’. This tiny Mouse Ears hosta is named after Pearl Pureheart, Mighty Mouse’s cartoon girlfriend.
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‘Mighty Mouse’ is still one of the best Mouse Ears both in the ground and in a pot.
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‘Mighty Mouse’ in my miniature hosta rock garden. I hope you can stop by this weekend and see all the minis growing there.
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‘Blue Mouse Ears’ started it all and is still the best of the bunch if you are just getting into Mouse Ears. It is much larger than the other Mouse Ears and is not considered a mini hosta. The American Hosta Society defines miniature hostas by their leaf size. The leaf blade area, length x width, can be no greater than 6 square inches. Clump spread is irrelevant.
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Another photo of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ highlighting the silver edging on the almost perfectly round leaves.
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‘Mouse Cheese’ has the look of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ with thick round leaves and lovely proportionate flowers but starts out chartreuse and turns more and more gold throughout the season.
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‘Green Mouse Ears’ has really taken off this year in a pot. Always one of my favorites because of its ultra thick leaves, its bright green color is a nice contrast to the other Mouse Ears.
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‘Holy Mouse Ears’ is slow growing but remains one of my favorites.
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Like ‘Mouse Cheese’, ‘Sunny Mouse Ears’ changes from chartruese to gold over the course of the season, but it has rounder, tinier leaves.
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That’s it for my Mouse Ears update. If you would like to read more about little hostas, click on any of the following links:
New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014, Part 2
New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014, Part 1
2013 New Miniature and Small Hostas
Hostas Containers and Companions
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Carolyn
Nursery Happenings: The 2014 Miniature Hosta Availability for mail order and pick up at the nursery is here. Our next open hours are Saturday, May 31, from 10 am to 2 pm. Our final big spring sale, featuring miniature hostas and summer and fall blooming shade plants is Saturday, June 7, from 10 am to 3 pm. Customers on our list have gotten an email with all the details. You can sign up to receive emails by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net.
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.
If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.
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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
May 20, 2015 at 9:34 pm
I have a big container that I’m thinking of planting with perennials for my new front entrance. Mouse Ears are on my list of possible plants, so I’m happy to learn more about their varieties.
May 20, 2015 at 10:11 pm
Jean, if it is a big container, you can’t go wrong with Blue Mouse Ears. Carolyn
May 21, 2015 at 6:03 am
I adore Mouse Ears and I love the new Mini Skirt and Pure Heart….may have to add these to my list….
May 21, 2015 at 9:41 am
Donna, They are very cute. Carolyn
May 21, 2015 at 10:55 am
Are mouse ears best grown in pots?? I have a Mighty Mouse in the ground and it came bounding back up this spring. Yes. These are adorable.
May 21, 2015 at 11:29 am
Linda, I have most of mine in the ground and in pots and they do well in both places. Carolyn
May 21, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Cute title. I was out in the garden today just thinking the same thing. This year the Mouse Ears got frisky and there are so many more of them. No wonder it is called Mighty Mouse.
May 22, 2015 at 8:32 am
Donna, I was actually referring to more mouse ears cultivars. The only one that really multiplies for me prolifically is Blue Mouse Ears. I am glad Mighty Mouse does so well for you, others have mentioned that. Carolyn
May 22, 2015 at 10:02 am
I have them in a very well protected part of the garden, so maybe that is why. It was only this year that they really started to multiple so well. Last year I divided them for the perennial sale and this year they just took off.
May 22, 2015 at 2:41 pm
They are very cute. Especially the Blue Mouse Ears.
May 22, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Denise, Cute and addictive. Carolyn
May 22, 2015 at 4:59 pm
I think the mouse ears collection are some of my favorite hostas! The shape is just so cute. I love Mighty Mouse. Sadly, I think there will be very few hostas in my current garden due to too many munching critters around.
May 23, 2015 at 7:57 am
Indie, Hostas are number one on the deer buffet. However, the great thing about Mouse Ears and other miniature hostas is that you can plant them in containers that are inaccessible to deer and other pests. They allow people who want to have hostas but are plagued by deer to have them! Carolyn
May 24, 2015 at 12:34 pm
That looks a great collection of hostas!
May 24, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Thanks, Lula, mouse ears are my favorites!
May 26, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Dear Carolyn, We are moving to Atlanta in two weeks to a retirement community, so reluctantly I should ask you to drop me from the mailing list. But I think the hellebores made it easier to sell our house, which we have done. There’s a beautiful garden in the new place, Canterbury Court, so we’ll get to enjoy that, with no work! But I’ll miss it. Thanks, jim
May 26, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Jim, We will miss you here at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens. I hope you will continue to read my blog and comment. You are one of my original customers—I remember you helping me when I first put everyone on email. Studies by The University of PA show that landscaping can increase the value of a house very significantly. I am glad my hellebores contributed. Enjoy your new location and the garden there. Carolyn