CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

Clockwise from upper left: Twinkle Little Star, Leather and Lace, School Mouse, Sun Mouse, Tiny Gems, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Lettuce Wrap.

The hostas available at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens for spring 2026 are described below with photos.  We are very excited about the broad selection of miniature to small hostas we are offering this year!  This online catalogue will be updated regularly to indicate when plants sell out or are in short supply.  In most cases, the hostas are in 3.5″ to 4.5″ wide pots.

How to Order (sorry no mail order): Hosta supply is limited so please don’t order without double checking this online catalogue.  Please send an email to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com (or reply to the notification email) with the plant names, quantities, your name, cell number, and preferred pickup day: Friday, May 1, or Saturday May 2 (you will always get your first choice).  We will send you an acknowledgment of your order, usually within 24 hours.  Please contact us immediately if you don’t get an acknowledgment.  Payment is by cash or check at pickup.

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Hosta in Containers:  If deer are an issue in your area, hostas, especially miniature hostas, are perfect for you as they thrive in containers of all sizes and can be left out all winter on your porch or deck.  There are 17 miniature hostas in the strawberry pot above, which stays in place all year round without damage from freezing.

What does hosta “sport” mean?  A sport is a mutation from an existing hosta usually producing a plant with a different leaf color or form, e.g., the 2024 Hosta of the Year ‘Mini Skirt’ is a sport of ‘Mighty Mouse’.

What does Hosta of the Year mean? Only 30 hostas, out of the over 7,000 registered hosta cultivars and as many or more unregistered cultivars, have received this award from the American Hosta Growers Association, making them exceptionally superior plants.  You can’t go wrong picking one of these winners for your garden.  Click here to see all 30 Hostas of the Year.

Photos appear above the descriptions.

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MOUSE EARS HOSTAS

I am a big fan of mouse ears hostas.  They are so wonderful—from their round, rubbery, slug-resistant leaves to their lovely, proportionate, bell-shaped flowers (unlike most other hostas, I would grow them for their flowers alone) to their adorable habit—and they make a fun collection.

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‘Blue Mouse Ears’: 2008 Hosta of the Year; 8” tall by 19” wide; very blue, round, and thick leaves; short, dense clusters of striking lavender flowers in July; tight and elegant symmetrical habit; rubbery leaves make all mouse ears hostas slug resistant; the original mouse ear and still one of the best; shown in top photo with dwarf Solomon’s seal, an excellent companion for little hostas, available in this catalogue;  $15  only 3 left

.‘Frosted Mouse Ears’:  7” tall by 18” wide; leaves 2 ½” long by 2 1/4′’ wide; round, frosted, blue-green leaves with yellow margins becoming creamy white later in the season; thick, slug resistant; attractive proportional purple flowers and habit similar to its parent ‘Blue Mouse Ears’;  $18  available

.‘Green Thumb’:  newer introduction; 2″ tall by 10″ wide; no mouse in its name but definitely a mouse ears hosta; a more vigorous successor to ‘Green Mouse Ears’ with thick, very round, dark green leaves; forms a dense, tight clump; it’s adorable!   $15   available

.‘Mighty Mouse’: 4″ tall by 8″ wide; leaves 3″ long by 3″ wide; almost round blue-green leaves with a yellow margin fading to white in the fall; lovely compact, bell-like flowers; possibly the most adorable mouse ears hosta, definitely the cutest name;  $15   available

.‘Mini Skirt’:  2024 Hosta of the Year; 5″ tall by 13″ wide; leaves 2″ long by 1 1/2″ wide; my favorite mouse ears hosta and now recognized as superior by its much-deserved Hosta of the Year Award; forms a miniature mound of very wavy, thick, blue-green leaves with wide, heavily ruffled creamy yellow margins; lovely compact, pale lavender flowers with purple stripes in early summer; a sport of ‘Mighty Mouse’ and a vigorous addition to the mouse ears clan;  $22   only 5 left

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‘Mouse Madness’: newer introduction; 5″ tall by 12″ wide; small mound of thick, rounded, frosty blue leaves with a bright white margin; a recent addition to the collectible mouse ears family;  $15   available

.‘Mouse on the Moon’: newer introduction, rare; 6″ tall by 14″ wide; thick, blue-green, undulating leaves with wide creamy margins; new to the mouse ears clan, a vigorous and fast-growing “mouse” but variegated; forms a tight clump; cute, lavender, bell-shaped flowers;   $15   available

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‘Our Mouse’: new introduction by well known hosta hybridizer Doug Beilstein, exclusively available in our catalogue; 7” tall by 14” wide; leaves 2 1/2-3” long by 2 1/4-2 3/4′’ wide; lime green leaves with wide blue margins; a sport of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ and a significant improvement over the similarly colored ‘Holy Mouse Ears’, which is no longer available;   $18   available

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‘School Mouse’: 8″ tall by 12″ wide; forms an attractive mound of thick and slug-resistant, blue-green leaves with very wavy and seer suckered yellow edges; perfectly proportional lavender flowers in early summer; a sport of ‘Church Mouse’;  $15   available

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‘Sun Mouse ‘: 6″ tall by 18″ wide; leaves are 3″ long by 2″ wide, the best yellow mouse ear; very similar to ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ but with glowing, round yellow leaves that hold their color well into summer; proportional lavender flowers in midsummer;   $15   available

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OTHER MINIATURE AND SMALLER HOSTAS

What is a miniature 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 and height are irrelevant.  Little hostas have leaves bigger than the AHS definition but are still small enough to place at the front of the border or in a container.

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‘Appletini’: 6” tall by 14” wide; leaves are 2.5” long by 1. 75” wide, striking very glossy gold and pointed; the brightest little hosta in my garden; short, pale purple flowers in August; excellent in containers for an eye-catching accent; a personal favorite;   $15   sold out

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‘Blue Cadet’: small, 12″ tall by 24″ wide; heart-shaped blue leaves with heavy texture;  fast growing blue edger that forms perfectly round and compact mounds—a very useful hosta in the garden; purple flowers in midsummer;   $15   available

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‘Christine’s Joy’:  newly introduced; 8″ tall by 18″ wide; leaves are 3″ long by 2″ wide, tight mound featuring very shiny leaves of dark forest green—great contrast to gold-leaved minis; pale purple tubular flowers in early summer;   $15   sold out

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‘Coconut Custard: 5″ tall by 12″ wide; leaves 4″ long by 2″ wide, yellow heart-shaped leaves with a thick waxy coating making them look frosted; bright red leaf stems are a lovely contrast to the gold leaves; frosty blonde stems hold orchid-colored flowers in midsummer; great for a sunnier spot; honored as on of the “Top 12 Tiny Hostas” by Fine Gardening magazine, click here to read;   $15   only 4 left

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‘Cosmic Dew’:  newly introduced—so new there are no measurements yet!;  this tiny hosta produces a dense, spiraling mound of blue-green leaves whose color streaks into the ruffled white margins, very unusual; lavender flowers;   $22   available

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‘Country Mouse’: rarely available;  3″ tall by 8″ wide; tiny round, blue-green leaves encircled with a pure white margin; adorable, dense, flat clump of tiny leaves are perfect for rock gardens, containers, and along woodland paths;  lavender flowers in mid-summer;   $15   sold out

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‘Crumb Cake’: customer favorite; 5″ tall by 14″ wide; leaves 3″ long by 2.5″ wide; wavy and shiny, round honey-gold leaves with mahogany stems;  good substance, rapidly forms a very tight flat mound in the ground and excellent container plant (photo);  mahogany scapes have pretty lavender flowers in summer;   $15   available

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‘Fairy Dust’:  5″ tall by 8″ wide; leaves 3″ long by 1″ wide; upright, shiny, narrow intensely yellow leaves with wavy edges, holds its color all summer; lavender flowers in early summer;  $15  sold out

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‘Forest Nymph’: new introduction by internationally famous hosta breeder Bob Solberg, exclusively available in our catalogue; small, 9″ tall by 18″ wide; leaves 5″ long by 2 1/2″ wide, ruffled cream to white margins extend down the leaf stem with leaf blades of varying shades of green and chartreuse, heavily rippled and lightly twisted foliage; lavender flowers in mid-summer;   $18   available

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‘Fruit Loop’: recently introduced; 7″ tall by 12″ wide; leaves 3″ long by 3″ wide; wide, bright white margins on cute little shiny, round leaves that are cupped, puckered, and crinkled; forms tight, neat clump; lavender flowers in summer; very unusual look!   $18   available

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‘Leather and Lace’: small, 11″ tall by 27″ wide; heavily wrinkled and corrugated, blue-green leaves contrast beautifully with the serrated yellow margin, which turns white in summer; forms a very unique, tight, ruffled pinwheel; lavender flowers in late summer;   $18   available

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‘Lemon Delight’: 6.5″ high by 11″ wide; leaves 3 3/4″ long by 1 1/4″ wide, rippled, green-centered with a chartreuse margin, the opposite variegation to ‘Twist of Lime’; bright purple flowers in July; spreads to make an excellent dense ground cover or edging;   $15   available

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‘Lemon Lime’: 5″ tall by 7″ wide; leaves 3″ long by 1″ wide; dense mound of narrow wavy gold leaves tolerant of sun and brighter colored with direct sunlight; bright purple flowers in July; outstanding low ground cover hosta, spreading rapidly as illustrated by the photo of my stand;   $15   available

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‘Lettuce Wrap’: newly introduced; 7″ tall by 14″ wide; leaves 3.5″ long by 3″ wide;  round, shiny, bibb lettuce-like bright yellow leaves on wide red stems that extend the red well up into the leaf; forms a tight flat clump; pretty purple flowers on mahogany stalks in mid-summer; newly introduced and very desirable!   $22   available

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‘Little Squirt’: newly introduced; 3 1/2″ tall by 7″ wide; leaves 2″ long by 1/2″ wide;  ruffled and shiny, narrow green leaves on a tiny plant; the long narrow, folded and ruffled leaves on short petioles in a tight compact clump make it look like a pincushion; vigorous grower; white flowers in late summer; newly introduced and very desirable!   $15   available

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‘Munchkin Fire’: 4″ tall by 9″ wide; leaves 2″ long by .5″ wide, forms a diminutive fountain of very narrow brilliant gold leaves tapering to a sharp point; glows in shade with its bright yellow color intensifying as the season progresses; lavender flowers in midsummer; another customer favorite;   $18   only 1 left

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Hosta venusta ‘Nikko’: this tiny hosta, a cultivar of the smallest hosta species, is so rare that there is very little information about it; leaves 1.5 long x .75″ wide bright green edged with a wide ivory margin streaking to the center; purple flowers in July; growing well in my tiny trough (photo) and probably best in a container;   $22   only 3 left

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‘One-trip Salad Bar’: newly introduced; 7″ tall by 14″ wide; very unusual, round and shiny light green leaves are puckered and cupped like ‘Lettuce Wrap’ but are edged in bright yellow; very desirable deep red leaf stems extend the red color into the leaf; flower stalks display dark purple blooms in late summer; sun tolerant and vigorous;   $22   available

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‘Stranded on a Sandbar’: 2024 introduction; 7″ tall by 14″ wide; variegated form of very popular ‘Lettuce Wrap’ from hosta breeder Bob Solberg  with crinkled, rounded, chartreuse-yellow leaves edged by wide, yellow margins that turn creamy-white by mid summer; red leaf stems add a three-color effect; light purple flowers in late summer;   $22   available

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‘Surfer Girl’: ”4″ tall by 12” wide; leaves 3” long by 1.5” wide, very shiny, medium green leaves with heavily rippled foliage reminiscent of ocean waves; purple flowers in July; creeps to fill in a wide area; excellent for troughs or edging the front of the border;   $15   sold out

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‘Tiny Gems’: 4” tall by 14″ wide; thick blue, heart-shaped leaves are pointed, folded, and wavy, forming a vigorous mound of thick blue foliage; descended from the smallest hosta species, H. venusta, and possibly the smallest blue hosta; pale lavender flowers in summer;   $15   available

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‘Twinkle Little Star’: newer introduction; 8″ tall by 16″ wide; leaves 4″long by 2.5″wide, extremely compact mound of wavy, folded and twisted, intense blue leaves; star-shaped habit; pale lavender flowers in summer;   $15   available

.‘Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’: small, 9″ tall by 17″ wide; eye-catching sport of ‘Striptease’ with the characteristic white lightening bolt dividing the wide yellow border from the darker center; very unique twisted and cupped leaves and upright habit; lavender flowers in mid-summer;   $25   only 4 left

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Polygonatum humile, Dwarf Solomon’s Seal: 6″ tall spreading plant; flowers with little white bells along arching green-leafed stalks; excellent companion for smaller hostas in containers or in the ground (surrounds ‘Praying Hands’ in photo); very rare;  $18   only 2 left

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Instructions for Ordering are at the beginning of the catalogue.

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Photos of School Mouse, Sun Mouse, Munchkin Fire, Walters Gardens Inc.