Hosta (Hosta 'Tattoo')
Discover Hosta 'Tattoo', a small, low-maintenance perennial featuring unique golden-green leaves patterned like a maple leaf. Perfect for shade gardens.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Hosta ‘Tattoo’ is a highly desirable, small cultivar prized primarily for its unique and intricate foliage. This Hosta variety stands out as it features rounded golden-green leaves, each highlighted by a distinctive center marking resembling a maple leaf—the characteristic “tattoo.” As a low-maintenance herbaceous perennial, it brings consistent texture and color to shaded landscapes.
Ideal for close viewing, Hosta ‘Tattoo’ forms a tidy, compact mound, making it excellent for edging borders or brightening dark corners of the garden. The genus Hosta offers unparalleled reliability in providing ornamental excellence where turfgrasses and many flowering plants fail due to low light conditions.
Beyond its stunning foliage, this Hosta produces charming, funnel-shaped light lavender flowers in mid-summer, adding a subtle vertical element above the dense leaf mass. Its robust nature and manageable size ensure Hosta ‘Tattoo’ remains a staple in shade garden design.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Asparagaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.5-1.5 ft
- Spread: 0.5-1 ft
- Bloom Time: July
- Bloom Description: Light lavender
- Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
These low-maintenance perennials thrive when planted in evenly moist, organically rich, and well-drained soils. The best location for Hosta ‘Tattoo’ provides part shade, meaning it benefits from dappled sunlight or morning sun exposure but should be shielded from intense afternoon heat. While established plants exhibit some drought tolerance, especially if they possess thicker leaves, consistent moisture is crucial for achieving the plant’s best size and quality form throughout the growing season.
Watering should be directed to the soil beneath the leaves rather than overhead to promote healthy foliage and minimize fungal issues. Hostas are famously easy keepers; fertilizing is rarely required if the soil health is adequate. Protect young or exposed plants from harsh winds, which can tear or scorch the leaves.
Division of Hosta clumps is easily managed, usually best performed in early spring before the new leaves unfurl, or alternatively, in the autumn. Proper siting, ensuring rich soil and consistent watering, bypasses most cultural struggles for this resilient Hosta variety.
Landscape Uses
Hostas are foundational plants, serving as the backbone of any successful shade garden. While Hosta ‘Tattoo’ produces lovely, showy flowers, its primary value lies in its exceptional ornamental foliage, creating structure and unifying complex shaded borders. Use this cultivar generously where space allows, massing them for high impact or grouping them to contrast with finer-textured shade companions.
The small, defined habit of Hosta ‘Tattoo’ makes it an excellent choice for edging the fronts of perennial borders beside woodland pathways or beneath mature trees. Because its unique leaf markings are a feature that demands close inspection, position it near seating areas or walkways where its intricate pattern can be appreciated.
Consider pairing Hosta ‘Tattoo’ with spring-blooming bulbs that die back before the hostas fully emerge, ensuring continuous interest. It also pairs well with ferns, Astilbe, or other broad-leaved shade lovers for textural synergy.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
‘Tattoo’ is a small Hosta sport known for its rounded golden-green leaves (up to 2 3/8” wide) which feature a unique, tattoo-like maple leaf outline in the center. This plant forms a mound typically reaching only 7” tall and spreading to 12” wide, topped by light lavender, funnel-shaped flowers in early summer rising on scapes often 12-18” high. Hostas originated in the open woodlands of Japan, Korea, and China, and are revered for their ornamental leaves that rise from a central rhizomatous crown.
Tolerances
- Heavy Shade
- Black Walnut
Potential Problems
Slugs and snails represent the most common threat to Hosta foliage, readily chewing ragged holes unless managed aggressively. Monitor plants regularly, especially after rains, and employ appropriate baiting or trap methods to keep populations controlled early in the season. Foliar nematodes can cause interveinal browning, while leaf spots and crown rot pose less frequent issues associated with overly wet conditions. Deer and rabbits frequently find Hosta leaves delicious, so protection may be necessary in vulnerable locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Hosta suitable for?
Hosta ‘Tattoo’ is reliably hardy across USDA Zones 3 through 8.
How large does Hosta ‘Tattoo’ grow?
This small Hosta typically matures to a height between 0.5 and 1.5 feet and spreads approximately 0.5 to 1 foot wide.
What sun exposure does Hosta ‘Tattoo’ need?
This variety performs best in part shade to full shade conditions; avoid intense, direct midday or afternoon sun exposure.
When does Hosta ‘Tattoo’ bloom?
The plant produces its light lavender, funnel-shaped flowers during the month of July.
Conclusion
Hosta ‘Tattoo’ delivers exceptional value through its durable, uniquely patterned foliage, making it an indispensable element for shaded garden spaces. This low-maintenance Hosta cultivar requires consistent moisture but rewards gardeners with dependable texture and rich color. Before planting, confirm your site falls within USDA Zones 3-8 and is protected from the harshest afternoon sun.
Companion Planting
Selecting appropriate companions for Hosta ‘Tattoo’ is key to creating a layered, dynamic shade garden that remains visually interesting all season. Look for plants that thrive in similar part shade to full shade environments and appreciate moist, rich soil. Good partners include astilbes, which offer airy, colorful plumes contrasting with the Hosta’s solid mound, or various woodland ferns that enhance the fine, lacy texture.
Consider using plants with contrasting foliage color to make the golden-green leaves of Hosta ‘Tattoo’ truly pop. Heuchera varieties with deep purple or near-black leaves offer a striking backdrop. Alternatively, groundcovers such as Vinca or Pachysandra can help retain soil moisture around the base of the hostas while suppressing competition.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Spring cleaning involves removing any lingering dead foliage from the previous year and checking the crowns for emerging growth; this is also the best time for division if needed. Through the summer, focus your care strategy on consistent watering, especially during dry spells, to maintain the rich color of your Hosta. While maintenance is generally low, vigilant pest scouting for slugs and snails should commence right as the leaves emerge in spring and continue until the first hard frost.
As autumn approaches, shade garden plants like Hosta benefit from a final deep watering before temperatures drop significantly. Unlike many perennials, hostas require minimal winter preparation; the foliage will naturally die back; simply leave it until early spring when you can cut it back to the ground. This natural dieback provides some winter insulation for the crown.
