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Aphrodite Hosta with Fragrant Blooms

Aphrodite Hosta is a zone 4 perennial shade plant with large, white fragrant flowers that blooms in mid-August. Find growing information for this Hosta and other resources.

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of beauty, and until about a week ago, I had totally forgotten how gorgeous the ‘Aphrodite’ Hosta is when it blooms.

During the spring and summer months, ‘Aphrodite’ is a plain Jane shiny green leafed hosta that most people just pass on by and don’t give a second glance. I don’t think anyone ever seeing this here, has ever said, “Oh, My, What a Pretty Hosta!”

But in mid-August, if you are lucky, it comes alive with very large pure white fragrant blooms that are 6″ long and 4″ wide and with what seems to be a double flower no less!

It Blooms!

The ‘Aphrodite’ that I have is maybe 10 years old and hasn’t bloomed for at least 3 years, but this past summer, of 2010, with all the rain we had, there must have been the right conditions to send out gorgeous double blooms. I have it in quite a shaded area, but there must be enough late afternoon and evening sun shining down on it to bring the buds out.

I had considered moving the plant this year but sure am glad I ran out of time and left it in place to be able to see these beautiful blooms again.

In the spring 2010 issue (Volume 41, number 1) of the Hosta Journal there is an article by John J. Smead that talks about just that, the much needed moisture this variety needs as well as enough sun light. He goes into detail his trial and errors in growing this specific Hosta. Read more here.

How Big Does An Aphrodite Hosta Get?

My ‘Aphrodite’ Hosta matures at maybe 18″ tall by 24″ wide. This of course, as with all plants depends on conditions. Mine competes with tree roots and so maybe isn’t as large as it could be. The blooms stand out and above the shiny green leaves and offer a stark contrast with the pure white blooms.

The buds open slowly over a couple of days for even longer enjoyment, and there are many buds on the flower stalks for at least 2-3 weeks of enjoyment.

I will certainly be watering this specimen a lot more in dry years to see these gorgeous blooms in mid-August when there is not much else blooming.

Growing Information for Aphrodite Hosta

Mature size is about 18″ tall and 24″ wide.

Aphrodite Hosta have white fragrant blooms that are 6″ long and 4″ wide.

Best for full shade, but can handle limited sun.

Suitable for Zone 4 gardens.

Judi
 

Hello, my name is Judi Ruedy and I have been a Master Gardener Volunteer for about 20 years and have been involved in a local garden club since 1975. My love for Hostas started a long time ago before I knew anything about growing anything, and Hostas were not in vogue. I created this website specifically for zone 4 Northern gardeners that need help finding perennials specific to their growing area. So much information out there on the web doesn’t apply to our colder growing climate, so I thought I would share my own findings here on this site.

  • John Marsh says:

    Excellent description of the sheer joy of seeing this plant bloom. This year has been the first time in some years that I have seen it in bloom also. In zone 4, in shade, amo g tree roots , and with its marvellous double white flowers.

    • Judi says:

      Thank you for your comment. I have only 2 blossoms this year and they haven’t opened as of yet so am anxiously awaiting that show. I also have dug some of the new plants that have multiplied from the Mother plant this fall and so now it has more room to grow.
      Happy Gardening, Judi

  • Mark Roberts says:

    i just bought an Aphrodite from Sandy’s plants, after looking everywhere. i want to find out as much info about this plant , have tried to find John’s article in Hosta journal the magazine has not gotten back to me .any info would be wonderful . 2010 volume 41 number 1 is where his article is at. thank you

    • Judi says:

      http://www.websad.ru/articles/383/hosta2010_1.pdf

      Hi Mark, Try the above link. Copy and paste. It took awhile, but I finally got the Hosta Journal to come up. It is on page 31, so you have to scroll down a ways, but the article is there.
      If it doesn’t work, type in John Smead, Aphrodite Hosta and go down to Warren Pollock’s What’s In a Hosta Name and that is where I found the complete Hosta Journal from Spring of 2010. Hope this helps you out.
      If you are not a member of the American Hosta Society and are looking for wonderful articles on old and new Hostas, you should join. The publications are wonderful.
      Happy Gardening, Judi

  • vickie says:

    can you dig the aphrodite hosta and put in refrig for the chill time needed then replant. we are moving to zone 9 florida and I dearly want my hostas

    • Judi says:

      Hello Vickie,
      I guess my first response is go ahead and try it! I would dig the Hosta and bring it along with you to Florida, and sure try to keep it. I don’t know much about how to put it in a cold storage/refrigerator or how long it needs to stay there. I think I have heard 30-40 days with temps below freezing, but can’t say for sure on that. Refrigerators usually aren’t quite that cold however. I do know however that if they don’t get the cold time, they will slowly get smaller each year as they don’t have enough energy in the roots without the cold resting time.
      Now, there are Facebook groups that might be able to answer this better than me. One is Hosta Culture In Containers, One is The American Hosta Society, One is Hosta Ferns, & Shade Plants, One is Hosta ID, and another is Hosta diseases & pests. These are for regular people that have questions about how to grow Hostas and there will be people from southern states asking too with the hot weather. Zone 9 though, is tropical, I think! I would keep it in the container so you can move it to deep shade when the sun gets too hot. Good luck! Thank you for finding my site! Happy Gardening, Judi

  • Ginty says:

    I live in zone 9. I would like to know if there is a hosta I can plant in a large pot that receives 6 hours of sun?

    • Judi says:

      Hello Ginty,
      Thank you for writing. I am so sorry it has taken me a long time to get back to you. I had this finished twice, and both times lost the e-mail! So, now I start again.
      Zone 9 is challenging I think for Hostas, but give it a try and see what happens.
      I assume by large pot, it is 20″ or more.
      Is there a way to make some artificial shade? Say an umbrella in the large pot also? Some latticework around the area? It would still receive lots of sunshine but be shaded at least some of the 6 hours then.
      Water is a big thing during the growing season. I am guessing zone 9 is 90 degrees most days in the summer? And, then, plan to water the plant almost every day. Even here in Wisconsin, zone 4, in the hot, hot months of July and August, I water my 22-inch pots almost every day and they aren’t in full sun. (They would be Vista Petunias).
      I would start with new potting soil and add some Osmocote or any slow-release fertilizer mixed in. Hostas don’t need a lot of fertilizer, but with all the watering you will do, it gets washed out faster. The Hosta leaves are so wide and big that they dry out quite fast, especially in hot weather.
      Varieties to try might be Sum & Substance, a bright golden yellow that would eventually flow over the sides of the pot and make a wonderful show. Others are Halcyon, June, June Fever, Touch of Class too. Montana Aureo Marginatia but the leaves would maybe burn. Liberty might be a good try too. All of these are very elegant. If you purchase from an online nursery, they won’t be very large the first couple of years, but there are some nurseries that do sell larger clumps.
      Now, overwintering……that is something you will have to experiment with. Hostas are supposed to have 30-40 days in the winter of below-freezing temperatures to let them store up food for the following year. I have heard of people trying to put them in an old refrigerator but I don’t have any experience with that.
      Hope it works out good for you! Happy Gardening, Judi

  • Karen says:

    Love my ‘Aphrodite’, even though she doesn’t bloom every year. Our plant does get flower scapes every year, but they only develop to bloom now and then. What I learned a few years ago is that this plant’s flowers will not bloom if the nights in August are humid. It likes hot days and cool nights. We were lucky this year, and a few of the buds developed and bloomed. The double flowers and fragrance are worth the wait for me. Ours grows great in full sun and some watering in the Chicago suburbs.

    • Judi says:

      Hello Karen, Thank you for looking at my site and contacting me!
      I had not heard about the August nights needing to be dry!….good luck with that in August! You are in zone 5 also, and that may have helped.
      I guess the one year mine had bloomed, it must have been a dry August. I think we had about 8 inches of rain here this year, 2021 in August.
      Happy Gardening, Judi

  • Connie Beck says:

    Do you have any Hosta Aphrodite’s for sale?

    • Judi says:

      Hi Connie, Thank you for checking out my website! I am not a business that sells Hosta, but an individual that loves, loves, loves them! I don’t know what area of the country you are in, but I would check in your area for Nurseries that specialize in Hostas. I have purchased very nice plants from many in my area here, in the Wisconsin and Iowa zones.
      Minnesota also has some real good Nurseries that sell mailorder.
      If I can be of any more help, please contact me. Thank you, Judi and Happy Gardening!

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