Hostas or plantain lilies are a group
of large leaved foliage plants that have been bred into hundreds of
different varieties.
There are leaves in all shades of green,
sometimes with white, cream or yellow leaf margins or variations to
them, some are blue-tinged, some smooth, wrinkled, ruffled etc. etc.
There are lots of different Hostas!
They are one of those plants that seem to
get under peoples skin and make them want to collect more and more
varieties. Their habit is of a mound-forming plant with densely stacked
over-lapping leaves. Trumpet shaped flowers in pink or white are borne
on flower spikes from 12 to 24 inches tall, usually in mid summer.
Hostas can be grown as ground cover or as
a part of a mixed herbaceous border, they look particularly good near
water adding an air of lushness wherever they are grown.
They like moist fertile soil and
protection from wind, those large leaves are vulnerable to wind damage
and also to being dried out easily. They tend to prefer shade or partial
shade, the only exceptions being the yellow-leaved varieties that color
up better in full sun, if they don't have sun, they will grow as a
mid-shade of green instead. Hostas are good in heavy clay soils.
Mulching the plants well in spring helps
to enrich the soil around them and also to conserve moisture, both of
which are important.
Propagation is by division in spring or
fall, they can be grown from seed, though the results are very variable,
if you want guaranteed quality plants, then buy named varieties instead.
Hostas are always susceptible to damage
from slugs and snails. If this is a continuous problem, then growing in
containers raised from the ground on feet speared with Vaseline and/or
ash will help keep the molluscs away.
