Empress Wu Hosta (Hosta ‘Empress Wu’)

The Tallest Hosta around! The Empress Wu Hosta, (Hosta ‘Empress Wu’) is a very impressive Hosta that rises above any other Hosta plant! It was named in honor of the only female emperor to rule China and it carries on the legacy beautifully.

Empress Wu produces a strong clump-forming plant that is a fast grower with an outstanding upright growth habit. It boasts dark green leaves that are simply massive! You simply have to see for yourself to believe their size! The pale lavender trumpet-shaped blooms appear in the summer on tall scapes that attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden and add lovely blooms to your cut flower bouquets!

With leaves easily twice the size of dinner plates, we suggest lifting up the lowest level of foliage to water underneath. Otherwise, a simple overhead watering may be deflected by the greenery, leaving the roots just as dry as they were before. Spreading a fantastic 5-6 feet in width and growing 3-4 feet in height when in bloom! Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 3-9.

Planting and Application:

Try planting this impressive Empress Wu in a particularly shady area of your garden to create a large-scale specimen and focal point. We promise it’ll grow to be quite the spectacle sure to be noticed by guests and neighbors alike. These are eye-catching anchors to garden beds in the understory, or create a very modern wilderness garden! They’ll also help control erosion on slopes and gullies, and is a fine size for groundcover, edging, or specimen use!

You could also plant at the base of a wise old oak tree whose shady canopy might not be conducive to full sun perennials. Create a large skirting of soft green, broad leaves that act as great facer plants around large plants, to hide their leggy stems, and as backdrops to your Rose and Pollinators gardens, shady Cottage gardens, and foundation plantings on the shady of your home!

• Humungous Dark Green Leave
• Light Lavender Flowers Mid-Summer
• Supports Hummingbirds & Pollinators
• Living Work of Art, Edging, Specimens & Large Planters
• Perfect Filler for Shade Gardens
• Hosta of the Year Award-Winner by American Hosta Growers

Tips for Care:

High-filtered or dappled sunlight is necessary for clean, healthy growth. Because of its size and fast growth rate, Empress Wu demands soil that is consistently moist but not soggy. In order for Empress Wu to reach its mature growth size, it needs consistent soil moisture and is fed three times per season. It is a low-care perennial that is ideal for a shady area. This Perennial grows best in moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Provide moderate yet consistent moisture throughout the growing season and these appreciate a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch chips to help hold in moisture. It is best to keep areas around Hostas clear of excess leaf debris to reduce the presence of slugs and snails. Deadhead these Perennials after flowers fade, and clean the foliage away from the plant once it dies back in the autumn.

• Glorious in Full Shade or Partial Shade
• Moderate Moisture & Needs Well-Drained Soil
• Appreciates Mulch
• Prune in Late Fall After Leaves Die Back
• Divide Every Few Years
• Extremely Cold Hardy

Empress Wu is tall enough to be added in a back row planting or as a north-facing foundation plant.