Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Plantain Lily

Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat'

£7.99
Very hardyShade-tolerantLoved by pollinators
Pot size
11cm / 0.75L £7.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat' is a refined, narrow-leaved plantain lily and a beautiful sport of the well-known 'Wolverine'. Its long, tapering leaves are a cool blue-green, each neatly edged with a creamy-yellow margin that lifts a shaded corner. The slim, elegant foliage gives it a more delicate look than the classic broad-leaved hostas.

A fully hardy, deciduous herbaceous perennial (RHS H7), 'Bobcat' dies back to the ground each autumn and returns in mid to late spring, so expect bare soil over winter. Spikes of lavender flowers appear above the leaves in summer and are a magnet for bees. See our what to expect guide for how hardy exotics change through the year.

'Bobcat' is especially happy in a container, where its narrow foliage can be shown off and slugs are easier to keep at bay, though it grows well in the ground too. It earns its place in any exotic border and, with its nectar-rich summer flowers, sits comfortably among shade-loving plants for pollinators. Try it alongside the twisted foliage of Hosta 'Let's Twist Again'.

Every plant is nursery-grown, part of our wider hardy exotics range, and carefully packed to arrive in top condition.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Plantain Lily

Give me sun with a little shade and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Plantain Lily

Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat' needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H7 · Hardy Exotic · below −20°C

fully hardy across the UK; no winter protection needed.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingSheltered

partial to full shade, sheltered from cold winds. One of the best plants for shade.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained, at any pH.

Watering

Keep the soil evenly moist through the first two summers, watering deeply in dry weather. Bobcat suits a pot particularly well; use a loam-based compost and never let it dry out. Mulch each spring and protect the new shoots from slugs and snails. Read moreShow less

Keep the soil evenly moist through the first two summers, watering deeply in dry weather. Bobcat suits a pot particularly well; use a loam-based compost and never let it dry out. Mulch each spring and protect the new shoots from slugs and snails.

Mature size

Height30-40 cm
Spread50-60 cm

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Jul-Aug

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Remove faded flower stems; cut foliage back after autumn collapse or tidy in late winter; divide congested clumps in spring.

Toxicity

Toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten. Hostas contain saponins that can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite in pets, so site with care where animals graze. The foliage is also a favourite of slugs and snails.

Native range

Garden origin

Family

Asparagaceae

Also known as

Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat'

Genus

Hosta →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hosta 'Bobcat' hardy in the UK?

Yes. Bobcat is fully hardy across the UK, rated RHS H7. As a deciduous perennial it dies back in late autumn and returns each spring, with no winter protection required.

Does Hosta 'Bobcat' grow well in shade?

Yes. It thrives in partial to full shade, where its narrow blue-green leaves and yellow margins keep their colour best. It is a lovely choice among plants for shade.

Is Hosta 'Bobcat' good in a container?

Very much so. Its slim, upright foliage looks elegant in a pot and growing it raised makes slug control much easier. See more plants for pots.

Are hostas poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes. Hostas contain saponins that are toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten, and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. Plant them where curious pets are unlikely to nibble the leaves.

What does Hosta 'Bobcat' look like?

Bobcat is a sport of Wolverine with narrow, tapering blue-green leaves edged in creamy yellow. Spikes of lavender flowers rise above the foliage in summer.

Do hostas come back every year?

Yes. Hostas are deciduous perennials that die back to the crown in late autumn and re-emerge in mid to late spring. Our what to expect guide explains the seasonal cycle.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Hosta fortunei 'Bobcat'
£7.99