Hosta Raspberry Sorbet

Hosta Raspberry Sorbet is a cultivar with green leaves and red petioles, highly decorative due to the contrast between its dark, glossy foliage and its raspberry-red flower stems laden with mauve flowers. This perennial for moist shade quickly forms a compact, regular clump that spreads into a carpet. Its thick, heavily waved, and lustrous leaves add great texture to woodland settings.

'Raspberry Sorbet' belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Like all hostas, it is a deciduous herbaceous perennial: the foliage disappears in winter and regrows from the crown in spring. This cultivar is a hybrid obtained in 1999 by Doug Lohman and Mark Zilis, derived from the botanical species Hosta rupifraga and the cultivar 'Shining Tot'. It is classified among small to medium-sized hostas: the mature plant reaches approximately 30 cm in height and 60 to 80 cm in width. It has a dense, rounded, cushion-like habit. Its growth is regular, quite fast for a hosta: in three to five years, you get a beautiful, wide clump.
The leaves, borne on purplish-red petioles, measure around 18 cm long by 10 cm wide. They are ovate to lanceolate, rounded at their tip, very thick, with a smooth and firm texture. Their surface is a glossy dark green, marked by prominent veins, with wavy margins. The crown develops a short rhizome with fleshy roots, which thickens over time: the hosta does not sucker, but divides easily in late winter or early spring. 
In July-August, bright red flower scapes rise up to 50 cm above the foliage, bearing clusters of trumpet-shaped, lavender to mauve-purple flowers. They are very decorative above the dark green cushion. This 'Raspberry Sorbet' cultivar is hardy to well below -20 °C, allowing its cultivation in most regions. It has given rise to several recent cultivars with red petioles and variegated foliage, such as 'Raspberries and Cream'; it is a reference variety for enthusiasts.

'Raspberry Sorbet' is perfect for enlivening a shaded border, the base of a large shrub, or a slightly dark corner near the terrace. It also grows very well in a large container. In the garden, it pairs easily with other small shade perennials and other hostas with red petioles, such as 'Raspberry Sundae' or 'Frosted Raspberry'. A Heuchera 'Forever Red' and a Japanese fern Athyrium niponicum pictum 'Metallicum' will complete this colourful shade scene featuring red.