Product Description
Hosta 'Emperor's New Clothes' PP34312(20)ct Flat
Hosta 'Emperor's New Clothes' is a truly exceptional cultivar, heralded as one of the most exciting introductions from its breeding program in recent years. This unique Hosta distinguishes itself with a captivating display of flecking that adorns each leaf. In the spring, the leaves emerge with a predominantly white hue, which gradually becomes more variegated as the season progresses, with the distinctive flecks increasing in size and number. This dynamic foliage is complemented by near-white flowers that emerge in early summer, adding a delicate touch to the plant. While a sport of the renowned 'Empress Wu', 'Emperor's New Clothes' offers a more compact growth habit, making it suitable for a wider range of garden applications. Hostas are incredibly versatile perennials, prized for their ability to add subtle color, intriguing textures, and substantial foliage to garden designs, filling a unique niche that few other plants can achieve. Their broad leaves also provide excellent cover for the fading foliage of spring-blooming bulbs, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the garden. Furthermore, Hostas demonstrate good tolerance to urban environments, performing well even in areas with car exhaust and other air pollutants.
- Height: Reaches a mature height of approximately twenty-one inches (53 cm).
- Spread: Develops a broad spread of 36 to 42 inches (91-107 cm), creating a substantial clump.
- Scape Height: Flower scapes rise to an impressive height of 21 to 32 inches (53-81 cm) above the foliage.
- Foliage: The leaves are large and coarse, displaying a captivating blend of green, blue, and white shades. The distinctive flecking pattern becomes more pronounced as the season progresses, adding to its variegated appeal.
- Flowers: Near-white flowers appear in early summer, borne on tall scapes, offering a delicate contrast to the bold foliage.
- Flower Color: White Shades
- Foliage Color: Green shades, Blue shades, Multicolored, Variegated
- Bloomtime: Early Summer
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Attracts: Hummingbirds
- Other Features: Border Plant, Container Plant, Cut Flower, Easy to Grow, Attractive Foliage, Specimen Plant, Focal Point.
Hosta 'Emperor's New Clothes' is a testament to careful breeding, offering a plant with exceptional aesthetic appeal and garden performance. Its unique flecking and dynamic foliage coloration makes it a standout in any shaded garden. The plant's relatively compact size, especially when compared to its parent 'Empress Wu', expands its utility, allowing for placement in smaller garden spaces or containers. Its ability to thrive in challenging urban conditions further enhances its appeal.
While 'Emperor's New Clothes' is a cultivated variety, Hostas in general are native to shady, woodland environments in East Asia, particularly Japan, Korea, and China. They naturally grow in moist, well-drained soils under the canopy of deciduous trees, which provides them with filtered sunlight and protection from intense sun.
Landscaping Design Tips
Hosta 'Emperor's New Clothes' is an incredibly versatile plant for adding texture, color, and structure to shaded garden areas.
- Woodland Gardens: Its natural affinity for shade makes it an ideal choice for woodland settings, where it can be incorporated into beds alongside ferns, astilbes, and other shade-loving perennials.
- Border Plant: Use it as a striking border plant along pathways or at the edge of shaded beds to define garden spaces and provide a lush, textural element.
- Specimen or Focal Point: Its distinctive variegated foliage makes it an excellent specimen plant, drawing the eye and serving as a focal point in the garden. Plant it where its unique flecking can be admired up close.
- Container Gardening: Due to its more compact size compared to 'Empress Wu', it excels in patio containers, bringing its beauty to smaller outdoor living spaces. Combine it with trailing annuals or other shade-loving plants for a dynamic container display.
- Mass Planting: For a truly dramatic effect, 'Emperor's New Clothes' is highly effective in mass plantings. Planting multiple individuals closely together creates a breathtaking sweep of variegated foliage, providing excellent groundcover and suppressing weeds in large, shaded areas. The consistent texture and evolving coloration of the massed plants will create a cohesive and visually impactful design.
- Underplanting: Utilize its broad leaves to effectively underplant deciduous trees and shrubs, providing excellent coverage for areas that might otherwise appear bare, especially during the spring when bulb foliage is dying back.
- Garden Styles: Integrates seamlessly into various garden styles, including Asian-inspired gardens, Cottage gardens, Eclectic designs, Formal landscapes, and particularly Woodland Shade gardens.
Hardiness
Hosta 'Emperor's New Clothes' is remarkably cold-hardy, thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9. This wide range makes it a reliable perennial for a significant portion of North America.
Planting and Cultivation
- Sunlight: Thrives in Part Shade (4-6 hours of direct sun) to Full Shade (less than 4 hours of direct sun). High-filtered or dappled sunlight is ideal for clean, healthy growth and to prevent leaf scorch. The morning sun is tolerable and can help intensify leaf colors, but hot afternoon sun should be avoided as it can be detrimental to Hostas.
- Soil Requirements: Prefers moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5 (Acidic to Neutral soil chemistry). Sandy loam is preferred over heavy clay as it provides superior aeration for the roots. While it tolerates Average Soil Quality, it will flourish in Fertile Soil Quality.
- Water Requirements: Has Average Water Needs to Consistent Water Needs. Ensure the soil remains consistently moist, especially during dry periods, but avoid waterlogging.
- Mulching: Especially in northern zones, apply a layer of finely shredded organic mulch around the plants in late fall or early winter to prevent winter heaving and help retain soil moisture. While mulch is beneficial, be aware that it can provide hiding places for slugs.
- Slug Management: Inspect plants regularly for holes in the leaves, which are indicative of slug activity. Apply slug bait in early spring when new shoots are emerging to control populations. Once plants are firmly established after a few years, the mulch can often be removed to discourage slugs.
- Winter Care: In early winter, after the plants have gone dormant, thoroughly clean all Hosta foliage out of the garden. This crucial step helps to eliminate slug eggs and other leaf-eating insect eggs, reducing pest problems for the following season.
Approximate Plug Measurements: 3.25 inches deep x 2.6 inches wide.
Other Details
The most important part of the plant is its root system. Healthy roots are the foundation of a healthy, vibrant plant. The type of plug container used is based on the specific needs of the plants. Perennials offered as bare root traditionally perform better when planted as bare root.Planted in a specialized mix, potted plants have well established root systems. Top growth stage will vary depending on the current life cycle and time of year when shipped. In Winter and early Spring dormant plants may be shipped. Dormant plants may be planted right away, even before the last frost date.
Most bare root varieties are field grown for at least one season, though Hemerocallis and Hosta are grown for two seasons. The bulk of the soil is removed during the harvesting process and the tops of most varieties are trimmed back to the crown. They are graded, packed in shredded aspen or sphagnum moss and stored in freezers until ready to be shipped.
See our Container Sizes and Bare Root Perennials pages for more information.
Plant information and care is provided in the Overview section, Plant Genus Page and general information is provided in the Planting Care & Guides. Additional questions can be asked on each Plant page.
Plant Spacing: Using the maximum mature spread or width of a plant to guide spacing, ensures space to grow to full size. To fill an area sooner, plant them closer together. Just remember, future thinning or transplanting may be needed.
Water: Keep a close eye on newly planted perennials, especially throughout the first growing year. Most early plant loss is due to too much or too little water!
