The Hosta That Wears a Different Face Depending on the Light
Hosta 'Ghostface' is a medium to medium-large enigmatic cultivar developed by Stuart Asch of Michigan as a sport of H. 'Fortunei Hyacinthina'. The name is apt — this is a hosta whose appearance shifts with the quality of light around it, making it genuinely difficult to pin down with a single colour description. The margin is registered as bright yellow, but in practice it presents as a greenish-yellow that transitions toward bronze or khaki as the season progresses, with the exact shade at any given moment determined by the brightness and quality of light in the planting site. In deep shade it reads cooler and more muted; in dappled or brighter conditions the bronze tones intensify. The green centre deepens through the season. Lavender blooms arrive from mid-July through August on tall scapes. It performs reliably across Canadian hardiness zones 3 through 9.
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Light-Reactive Margin: The margin presents as greenish-yellow in spring and shifts toward bronze or khaki through the season — the exact shade is determined by the brightness and quality of light in your specific planting site. No two gardens will show quite the same face.
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Why the Name Fits: 'Ghostface' earns its name honestly — this cultivar resists a fixed colour identity, shifting its expression with the light in a way that makes it one of the most visually unpredictable medium hostas in cultivation.
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Centre: Green, deepening through the season — a calm, grounding anchor to the ever-shifting margin tones.
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A Note on True to Type: Our standard True to Type verification confirms you receive the authentic Stuart Asch Originator's Stock selection. However, the margin colour expression on 'Ghostface' is genuinely light-dependent and variable — this is an inherent characteristic of the cultivar, not a propagation issue. Your garden's light conditions will determine the face it shows you.
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Originator's Stock: Plants are propagated directly from our Originator's Stock plant — the highest provenance available for this rare cultivar.
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Flowers: Lavender blooms from mid-July through August on tall scapes — a generous late-season floral display above the mound.
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Size: 46 cm (18") tall × 130 cm (51") wide — a medium to medium-large mound that makes a strong statement in the shade border.
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Hardiness: Zones 3–9 — reliably cold-hardy across Canada.
| Feature |
Specification |
| Size (H × W) |
46 cm × 130 cm (18" × 51") |
| Hardiness Zone |
3–9 |
| Colour |
Greenish-yellow to bronze margin (light-dependent); green centre |
| Light Requirements |
Partial to full shade; margin colour varies with light intensity |
Grower's Tip: 'Ghostface' handles Canadian winters with ease from Zone 3 through 9. Plant it where you can observe it across different times of day and season — the bronze and khaki tones in the margin are most pronounced in brighter dappled conditions, while deeper shade brings out cooler, more muted greenish tones. This light-reactive quality is what makes it a collector's conversation piece. At our nursery in Bécancour, QC, we grow this cultivar from our Originator's Stock plant and ship the authentic Stuart Asch selection — but we encourage every buyer to embrace the variable face this hosta will show in their own garden.
