Raising the Tini: Meet the Mark Zilis Tini Series — and What’s New for 2026
, by Glenn Wilson, 3 min reading time
Meet the Mark Zilis Tini Series — a cohesive family of small to miniature hostas bred for Canadian gardens. Slug-resistant, zone 3–9 hardy, and available now at Hosta Choice Gardens.
If you have ever wished for a hosta that delivers big personality in a compact, well-behaved package, the Tini series belongs in your garden. Created by renowned Illinois hybridizer Mark Zilis, the Tinis are a cohesive family of small to miniature hostas bred from a tight circle of exceptional parents: Shining Tot, Pilgrim, and Blue Dimples. The result is a series with remarkable consistency — slug-resistant, thick-leaved, and reliably hardy across Canadian zones 3–9 — yet with enough variation in colour, texture, and habit to keep even the most seasoned collector reaching for one more.
The Parents Behind the Series
The Tini series owes its character to three outstanding hostas. Shining Tot contributes the glossy, shining leaf surface and compact vigour that defines so many cultivars in the line. Pilgrim brings refined variegation potential and a tidy, upright habit. Blue Dimples — and its golden-yellow sport — is responsible for the blue-green and metallic tones that run through cultivars like Bluetini, Azuretini, Bubbatini, and Cooltini. Together, these three parents give the Tinis their signature combination of substance and style.
A Series Built for Canadian Gardens
One of the most practical virtues of the Tini series is its adaptability. These are not delicate collector’s pieces that sulk through a Quebec winter — they are tough, zone 3–9 performers that thrive from the Maritimes to British Columbia. Their thick, waxy leaves offer natural slug resistance, and their compact size makes them ideal for the front of a shaded border, a container on a patio, or a sophisticated rock garden planting.
The Tinis at Hosta Choice Gardens
Our Tini Collection currently includes thirteen cultivars, each with its own distinct character:
- Appletini — golden-yellow in spring, transitioning to apple-green; a hybrid of Blue Dimples × Shining Tot
- Azuretini — matte blue foliage in a sleek upright vase shape; pale lavender flowers in mid-summer
- Bluetini — metallic blue-green with a heavy glaucous coating; a fast grower with heart-shaped leaves
- Bubbatini — frosted blue-green foliage with distinctive red-speckled petioles; flowers persist into October
- Citratini — chartreuse-yellow to bright golden-yellow lance-shaped leaves; registered 2009
- Cooltini — medium blue-green transitioning to deep forest green by August; corrugated and slightly rippled (sold out for 2026 — replenishing in 2027)
- Cupatini — distinctly cupped, tea-cup silhouette in blue-green; notable for its white blooms, rare in the series (sold out for 2026)
- Floratini — pale green with oval, slightly wavy leaves; medium purple flowers in August
- Lemontini — shiny, compact, and chartreuse; a cheerful edging plant
- Limetini — golden-chartreuse with a wavy, rippled texture and thick substance
- Martini — dark green, compact, and wavy; a Convention hosta with pale purple August flowers
- Saketini — pale yellowish-green with a slight shine; benefits from morning sun to develop its best colour
- Twirlatini — wavy bluish-green foliage with pale purple flowers; one of the more animated growers in the series
A Note on Availability
The Tinis are fast growers by hosta standards — but demand has a way of outpacing even the quickest clumps. Cooltini and Cupatini are already sold out for the 2026 season. Cooltini will be back in 2027; Cupatini’s return is still to be confirmed. If a cultivar you have your eye on shows as sold out, add it to your Wish List — these are exactly the kinds of varieties that reward a patient collector the following spring.
Explore More This Season
If you are hunting for something you have never seen before, be sure to browse our Newly Listed: 2026 Debuts & Comebacks collection — a separate curated group of cultivars making their first appearance in our catalogue or returning after years of absence. The Tinis are an established favourite here; that collection is where the newest discoveries live.