Hosta 'King Tut' – Regal Gold-Margined Majesty

Hosta 'King Tut' rules the shade garden with its broad, gold margins on large, substantial green leaves. Registered in 1981 by Harshbarger, this early gold-margined cultivar has royal presence.

Botanical Profile

Family:	Liliaceae (lil-ee-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Hosta (HOSS-tuh)
Cultivar:	'King Tut'
Hybridizer:	Harshbarger
Registration Year:	1981

Pharaonic Gold

The large, broadly ovate leaves feature wide, even margins of rich gold that frame deep green centers. The gold color is intense in spring, holding well into summer. The foliage has heavy substance and forms a large, impressive mound. The name evokes the golden treasures of the boy king's tomb—fitting for a hosta with such lavish margins.

Early Gold Standard

Registered in 1981, 'King Tut' was among the first widely available, stable, wide gold-margined hostas. It helped establish the gold-margined category as a reliable garden option. Its heavy substance and large size made it a landscape standard for decades.

Harshbarger's Legacy

Harshbarger's 1981 introduction represents the early wave of American hosta breeding that brought gold-margined hostas into mainstream horticulture. 'King Tut' remains a benchmark for wide, stable gold margins on large foliage.