In the last few years some of the most popular hostas have been hostas with red petioles and red blushed leaves.
What makes the petioles red? The appearance of anthocyanins in the hostas are what make the petioles red as well as the flower scapes and even the flowers. I found an article online about this that identified 9 different anthocyanins in the genus Hosta. The type of anthocyanin and the amount of it is what determines the strength of color. Hosta longipes and Hosta pyncnophylla are the two hosta species that exhibit the red in the stems.
Hosta breeders have been working tirelessly on creating better hostas with more red pigments throughout the whole plant. Thanks to these breeders we now have hostas in all sizes and colors with the beautiful red legs.
Add a striking red accent to your shade garden with our red petiole hosta plants!
