Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta
Perennial
- The largest hosta, reaching over 6 feet wide!
- Massive blue-green foliage.
- Leathery texture is resistant to slug damage.
- Soft violet flowers in midsummer.
- Zones 3-9, part sun/shade, 4' tall x 6' wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Patent #: USPP 20,774
Common name: Hosta
Zone: 3 - 9
Sun exposure: Shade (< 4 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 3-4' X 5-6'
Flower color: Pale violet
Foliage color: Blue-green
Season of interest: Spring through fall
Bloom time: Early summer, midsummer
Features: Proven Winners, heat tolerant, container plants, cold tolerant, best sellers, best for beginners
Uses: Accent, background, border, container gardening, foundation planting, hedge, massing, privacy, screen, specimen, woodland
How to Grow
Light: Thrives in shade (< 4 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun).
Water: Has average water needs, and once established, plants have some tolerance for dry shade (particularly plants with thick leaves). In general, soils should never be allowed to dry out.
Spacing: 5 - 6'
Fertilizing: In spring, a light fertilizer can be applied around the emerging plant, but not touching it.
Winterizing: Leave foliage standing in fall to help protect the crown. If desired, a layer of mulch can be applied in a 2" layer very near the base.
Maintenance & pruning: Groom plants by removing yellow or dead leaves and cut flower spikes back as they finish blooming in summer.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
I just planted her when my husband accidentally ran over her with the lawn mower (dont worry he got an ear full) … Empress Wu still grew back! Long live the queen!
The review I posted earlier was a review of the wrong plants! But my review of everything I have gotten from Great Gardens is the same: Excellent! My Empess Wu Hostas are large and healthy and are thriving even in the extreme heat. I have been amazed at the quality of Great Garden plants.
This is the 3rd year of my Empress Wu being in the ground in Indianapolis Indiana. North side of my house. Be patient. The smaller ones are Dream Weavers.
Plants received in great condition. I'm looking forward to seeing them grow!
Lovely hosta, good size and packaged well. Would buy again
Shipped promptly and arrived in excellent potted condition in a VERY sturdy box.
4 strong rooted branches with healthy leaves, just very slightly wilted. I watered it and put it in a north facing kitchen window and it perked right up. Waited until day 2 after a night freeze to plant it. I can't wait to watch it grow 😊
Healthy plants. Thank you
Plants arrived quickly, and the hostas are so big!
Love ! Very big !!
aRRIVED QUICKLY, TOAL CARE WAS GIVEN TO THEIR AWESOME PACKAGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DEFINETLY BE BACK FOR SPRING 2025
My hostas are doing very well. They arrived in good shape and are acclimating well to their new home.
The plants arrived pretty beat up but the roots look good. I'll know next year if they were worth the purchase. I'll be giving them TLC until then.
Hello! We’re sorry that you received plants that are not up to our standards. We try our best to provide excellent plants, but some factors, like shipping and handling, are outside our control. That’s why we have a 60-day guarantee on all of our orders. Please email your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Beautifully packaged. ALL arrived on a super hot windy day looking great❣️
so far/so good !
The plant that arrived was expertly packaged and was in very, very good shape. Well done!
The plan arrived in a timely manner, and was a good size and it was in excellent shape. I planted it immediately, and it has already grown quite a bit. I could not be more pleased.
They arrived looking great but the deer ate them after the first two days lol
Hello! Thank you for your feedback. Hostas are notorious for being eaten by deer! We're sorry to hear that they enjoyed your new plants before you were able to enjoy them. Please email pictures of what remains of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures.
We do have a collection of plants that deer tend to avoid here: https://www.greatgardenplants.com/collections/deer-resistant
Happy Gardening!
I was expecting a roots with the tops lopped off but was pleasantly surprised with healthy plants with leaves and all. Very happy and will come back!
Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta
Arrived in perfect condition and has continued to thrive.
Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta
Are the Empress Hosta fragrant?
Hi there! Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta isn't known for its fragrance, but pollinators love the soft violet flowers anyway.
Do you sell wu la la hosts as well?
Yes, we do! You can find Shadowland® 'Wu-La-La' Hosta here:
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/products/shadowland-wu-la-la-hosta
How to keep deer from eating my hosts?
Deer love hostas just as much as people do. You can build a fence, spray deer repellant or check out our blog on alternative plants that deer will leave alone:
https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/five-plants-to-avoid-if-you-have-deer-and-what-to-plant-instead/
I'm considering planting an Empress Wu over a mound of soil, to make it look even taller. Assuming it still gets adequate moisture, can you think of a reason why that approach would be a problem?
Provided you're located in the correct growing zone and you give the hosta the light and water it needs, you should be good to grow!
6a zone. Will it grow under my large shady maple tree?
Hostas love shade! And, because this hosta has a USDA rating of zones 3-9, you should be good to grow!