Avocado Hosta

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2 Feet

Mature Spread

3-4 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 9

Searching for a low-maintenance perennial to add to your yard as a groundcover or as part of a hedge? Or, hunting for a vibrant plant to fill that 20-inch terra cotta pot your Aunt Agnes gave you during the holidays? Well, Avocado Hosta, otherwise known as Hosta plantaginea ‘Avocado’ and Avocado Plantain Lily, may be your ideal choice with its gorgeous, variegated, emerald leaves, shaped somewhat like a heart and brushed with a streak of chartreuse. This minimal-fuss champion reaches thirty inches at maximum height, and produces showy, fragrant pearl-white blooms during the height of summer. Plus, this variety is unsavory to little bunnies, so you don’t have to worry about rabbits munching your Avocado Hosta’s lush foliage; the leaves will still be there long after the cottontails have come and gone.

Drought tolerant, Avocado Hosta has foliage with a waxy coating that helps prevent water loss. Possessing average watering and low fertilizing needs, this perennial requires little work. Being relatively disease resistant, this original from southern China has a long shelf life, making it perfect for any newbie gardener in need of adding color to a partly shady spot outside or to a container inside. Producing variegated vibes, pristine white blooms, and sweet perfume, Avocado Hosta will jazz up any dull space.  

Avocado Hosta Care

Choose a spot inside or outside that gets ample amounts of indirect light and plant Avocado Hosta in the spring. Having variegated leaves, Hosta ‘Avocado’ requires a little more sun than its typical green-leaved Hosta varieties. This deciduous perennial thrives in loamy, moist soil with an ideal pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. Amending a typical house potting soil with peat moss will help the soil retain moisture and increase the amount of humus. Possessing average watering needs, this herbaceous gem needs to be watered approximately three times per week except during its dormant phase in the winter. Aim for about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Not being a hungry feeder, this minimal fuss plant can be fertilized once in the spring and summer if needed. 

Avocado Hosta requires little pruning. During the summer, to encourage more abundant blooming, deadhead spent scapes, or Hosta stalks with flowers attached, after a majority of the flowers have bloomed. Then, in the fall, after the first major frost, prune all of the dead growth and mulch for the winter. Avocado Hosta is a deciduous plant, meaning it goes dormant in the winter.

Avocado Hosta Spacing

When grown in groups, space Avocado Hosta about 3 to 4 feet apart. If groundcover is your preference, decrease the spacing in between these lovely perennials to about 2.5 to 3 feet. If you choose to plant Avocado Hosta in a container, a good sized pot to start out with is 20 inches.