Hosta Sieboldiana Frances Williams

Another old favorite Hosta is Hosta Sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’. Frances was named for the person who discovered it and is grown in many shade gardens.

This large plant gets to about 28’ high and 48’ wide so it needs plenty of space to grow. A large garden is required if you want to grow this plant (unless it is the only plant you want to grow).

This variegated hosta has blue grey leaves with a cream colored border that are nicely puckered. If you give this shade plant a little extra sun the cream becomes more yellow but you could get a little leaf burning because this cultivar can’t handle much in the way of heat or sunlight.

The flowers of Hosta Sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’ are lavender in color and will bloom in or around July.

Dividing the Hosta Frances Williams is just like dividing any other Hosta except that it does not grow as fast as some so you may not get as many new plants as quickly as you could with another variety.

A sport of Hosta Sieboldiana Elegans which started the “blue hostas” that we are so familiar with today this plant has many sports of its own which are just as beautiful in different ways.

Caring for the hosta Frances Williams is like caring for any other hosta, give it lots of shade, lots of water, and plenty of room to grow.

This is a slug resistant garden plant (not slug proof) but it is susceptible to leaf burn if exposed to too much sunlight. Protect this plant from the heat and sun (and deer) and it will stay healthy for decades.

This plant is a great companion to other shade loving and water loving garden plants including other types of hosta. Don’t plant this plant with your drought tolerant plants because the soil conditions that each need are not similar enough to keep both happy in the same garden bed.

If you are wanting to try out hostas this plant is a good plant for the beginner gardener and is tolerant to many types of soil. If you enjoy this plant you will begin to look for and pick up many other cultivars and before you know it you too will have a hosta collection that is the envy of … someone who wants a collection of their own.

Hosta Sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’ is a standard in shade gardens for a reason. It is easy to grow and easy to love and will brighten many dark corners with its variegated leaves.

Hosta Sieboldiana Elegans

This is the common ancestor of most blue hostas, Hosta Siboldiana Elegans is an old favorite in the garden. It is easy to grow and a great starter plant for a beginner to the shady garden.

Elegans has huge blue/grey leaves and flowers around July depending on your zone. It is hardy from zones 3 – 9 so there is no excuse (other than no shade or a desert) for not having this plant in your garden.

It follows most of the Hosta growing rules… Lots of water, mostly shade, you know the drill right? This Hosta Plant not only has huge leaves but it also is a large plant both in height and diameter, it will grow to at least 30inches in height and 48 inches across. This is most definitely not a plant that will go unnoticed in your garden.

The flowers bloom low to the plant, unlike most Hostas, which throw their flowers up on a large stalk. Having the whitish/lavender blooms just above the gorgeous leaves will help to set them off and make them something to look at which most Hosta Plants miss out on. A few white flowers hanging out waaay above the plant is not always the most striking feature, which is one reason why hostas tend to be “foliage plants” rather than great foliage AND great flowers.

Although Hosta Siboldiana ‘elegans’ is sold and marketed as a blue hosta it actually is bluer if you give it a bit of filtered sunlight. This plant will grow in full shade but for it to be at its best looking give it a bit of sunlight and see just how great it can get.

Don’t expect to get true to type baby plants if you decide to try to sow the seeds that it sets, like all hosta types you will get a surprise with every seed that you manage to keep the birds away from.

A golden edged sport of elegans is Hosta Siboldiana ‘frances williams’ which is also a large leaved and generally large sized hosta that makes a great companion to it’s parent plant.

Hosta Siboldiana ‘elegans’ is a long lived, easy to propagate, and hardy plant that should find a place in most gardens. Since it is one of the more common Hosta Varieties it is not a plant that will cost a fortune to purchase and by dividing the plant in early spring you can increase the number that you have in your garden.

Descendents of Hosta Sieboldiana Elegans

Abiqua Parasol (Pod)
Academy Blue Borealis (Sport)
Academy Blue Titan (Pollen)
Agawa (Pod)
Ahr (Pollen)
Alabama Bowl (Pod)
Ansty (Pollen)
Arett's Wonder (Pod)
Aurora Borealis (Sport)
Barbara Ann (Sport)
Bix Blues (Pollen)
Blauspecht (Pollen)
Blue Belle (Pollen)
Blue Blush (Pollen)
Blue Danube (Pollen)
Blue Diamond (Pollen)
Blue Dimples (Pollen)
Blue Edger (Pollen)
Blue Giant (Sport)
Blue Moon (Pollen)
Blue Mountains (Pod)
Blue Saucers (Pod)
Blue Skies (Pollen)
Blue Umbrellas (Pollen)
Blue Wedgwood (Pollen)
Bold Ruffles (Sport)
Borwick Beauty (Sport)
Brigadier (Pod)
Brother Ronald (Pollen)
Chesterland Mystery (Sport)
Color Glory (Sport)
Crater Lake (Pod)
Crumples (Pod)
Curlew (Pollen)
Devon Blue (Pollen)
Dilys (Pollen)
Dimple (Pollen)
Dorset Blue (Pollen)
Dorset Charm (Pollen)
Dorset Flair (Pollen)
El Dorado (Sport)
Eleanor J. Reath (Pollen)
Eric Smith (Pollen)
Hosta Sieboldiana Frances Williams (Sport)
Fulda (Pollen)
George Smith (Sport)
Glacial Lake (Pollen)
Golden Meadows (Sport)
Great Expectations (Sport)
Grey Goose (Pollen)
Hadspen Blue (Pollen)
Hadspen Hawk (Pollen)
Hadspen Heron (Pollen)
Hadspen Sampshire (Pod)
Halcyon (Pollen)
Happiness (Pollen)
Harmony (Pollen)
Helen Doriot (Pollen)
Irische See (Pollen)
Kingfisher (Pollen)
Kite (Pollen)
Lady in Waiting (Pollen)
Lahn (Pollen)
Lilac Giant (Pod)
Marge (Pod)
Metallic Sheen (Pod)
Mosel (Pollen)
Myerscough Magic (Sport)
Naomi (Pollen)
Nightlife (Pollen)
North Atlantic (Pollen)
Northern Exposure (Sport)
Northern Halo (Sport)
Northern Mist (Sport)
Northern Star (Sport)
Northern Sunray (Sport)
Oder (Pollen)
Osprey (Pollen)
Paradise Blue Sky (Pod)
Puckered Giant (Pod)
Purbeck Mist (Pollen)
Regal Ruffles (Pollen)
Reginald Kaye (Pollen)
Rhein (Pollen)
Rosedale Tractor Seat (Pollen)
Rosy (Pollen)
Schneekuppe (Pollen)
Serena (Pollen)
Sherborne Profusion (Pollen)
Sherborne Songbird (Pollen)
Sherborne Swallow (Pollen)
Sherborne Swan (Pollen)
Sherborne Swift (Pollen)
Silvery Slugproof (Pollen)
Stonewall (Pod)
Sumi (Pod)
Temptation (Sport)
Thunderbolt (Sport)
Tomoko (Pollen)
Wagtail (Pollen)
Weser (Pollen)