Plantain Lily
Hosta 'Frozen Margarita'
Plantain Lily
Hosta 'Frozen Margarita'
Ordering in autumn or winter? Many hardy exotics arrive dormant or cut back right now. This is normal, and the best time to plant.
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
The Hosta 'Frozen Margarita', a large and beautifully scented plantain lily, is a standout among fragrant hostas. A sport of the well-known 'Fried Bananas', it unfurls broad, softly puckered light green leaves edged with a wide cream-gold margin that gradually cools to ivory white as the season progresses. The effect is a luminous, frosted clump that lifts any shaded planting, and it earns its place among our finest plants for shade.
Unusually for a hosta, this variety is grown as much for its flowers as its foliage. Tall scapes carry large, near-white lily-like blooms in mid to late summer, and they are gloriously fragrant, drawing in bees and other pollinators on warm evenings. A deciduous, herbaceous perennial, it dies back to a dormant crown each autumn and returns every spring, fully hardy at RHS H7 with no winter protection needed.
How and where to grow
- Position: partial to full shade. Keep it out of hot midday sun, which can mark the pale foliage in a heatwave.
- Soil: cool, moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil enriched with leaf mould or garden compost.
- Size: a large hosta, reaching around 50 to 60 cm tall and spreading to 80 to 100 cm over time.
- Hardiness: fully hardy across the UK (RHS H7), dying back for winter and reshooting each spring.
Plant 'Frozen Margarita' where its scent can be enjoyed, beside a shaded path, a seating area or a doorway, and let it anchor a cool, layered scheme of exotic border plants. It is equally happy in a large container among your plants for pots, and looks wonderful alongside the gold-leaved Hosta 'Gold Standard' and the rest of our hardy exotics range. As with all hostas, slugs and snails will seek out the fresh foliage, so stay watchful in spring.
Please note that hostas are toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten, so choose your planting spot with grazing pets in mind. Every plant we supply is nursery-grown, selected for a healthy crown and strong roots, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.
Hardiness & Frost
Fully hardy throughout the UK (RHS H7). This is a deciduous, herbaceous perennial, so the foliage dies back to a dormant crown each autumn and returns reliably every spring with no winter protection needed. A late spring frost can scorch the emerging shoots, so a sheltered spot helps in colder gardens.
Sun & Aspect
Thrives in partial to full shade, the classic home for a hosta. A cool, shaded position brings out the cream-gold to white margins at their best; strong midday sun can scorch this variety, so keep it out of hot, dry spots.
Soil
Grows best in cool, moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil. Dig in plenty of garden compost or leaf mould before planting. Tolerates chalk, clay, loam and sand across acid to alkaline pH, as long as the ground never bakes dry or sits waterlogged.
Watering & Establishment
Keep the soil consistently moist through the first two summers while the crown establishes, and never let it dry out. A spring mulch locks in moisture and feeds the clump. Watch for slugs and snails, which adore the fresh foliage, and lift and divide congested clumps in early spring to keep them vigorous.
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Yes. Hosta 'Frozen Margarita' is fully hardy right across the UK, rated RHS H7. As a deciduous perennial it dies back to a dormant crown each autumn and reshoots reliably every spring, needing no winter protection.
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Yes. This is one of the fragrant hostas. Tall scapes of large, near-white lily-like flowers appear in mid to late summer and carry a lovely scent, so it is worth planting near a path or seating area where you can enjoy it. Bees and other pollinators visit the blooms too.
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It is a large hosta. A mature clump reaches around 50 to 60 cm tall and spreads to roughly 80 to 100 cm across, taking two to five years to reach full size. Lift and divide congested clumps in early spring to keep them tidy or to make new plants.
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Give it partial to full shade and cool, moist, humus-rich soil, out of hot midday sun which can mark the pale leaves. It is lovely among other plants for shade and in a cool, layered exotic border.
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Yes, hostas are toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten. The saponins in the leaves can cause vomiting, drooling and diarrhoea, so site them where curious pets are unlikely to graze and discourage nibbling.
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Yes, it makes a superb container plant in a large pot of moisture-retentive compost, which also helps keep leaves off the ground and away from slugs and snails. Clear leaf litter, use wildlife-friendly barriers and encourage natural predators to keep the foliage pristine. Browse our plants for pots for companions.
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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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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.
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. Whether grown in our own nursery or sourced from trusted partner growers, every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something isn't right on arrival, we'll make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.
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