Plantain Lily (Hosta)
[HOSS-tah]

The classic, endlessly varied shade-garden perennial, grown for its broad, patterned foliage rather than its flowers.

About Plantain Lilies

Meet the MVP of shade. Hostas do best in dappled or indirect light but can tolerate full shade, and because they tend to grow low and wide, they make incredible “filler” plants that thrive under trees, between taller perennials, and along buildings and walkways. Hostas don’t mind “wet feet,” which makes them an unfussy, accommodating choice for that shady, damp corner of the garden where little else seems to survive. Most hostas send up small white, pink, or purple bell-shaped flowers on tall, thin stalks, but their real glory lies in the yellows, blues, whites, and greens that pattern their broad leaves. When a hosta’s flowers die back in late summer, the stalks can be pruned back for a quick refresh, though no pruning is strictly necessary for these low-maintenance plants. Hostas range in size from miniature foliage to clumps over six feet across, so there’s almost certainly an option to fit any shady spot.

Hosta ‘Autumn Frost’ sports blue-green leaves heavily outlined in a thick yellow margin that fades to creamy white over the course of the season. Hosta ‘August Moon,’ like most of its yellow-hued siblings, is more sun-tolerant than most hosta varieties; its heavily ribbed leaves start light green and lighten further to gold by season’s end. Hosta ‘Big Daddy’ has large, rounded, striking blue-green leaves with a heavy, puckered texture that sets it apart from the crowd. Hosta ‘Francee’ sports kelly-green leaves outlined in white that put on quite a show layered over one another in the plant’s mounded shape. Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ is more tolerant of drier growing conditions than most and sets itself apart further with green leaves edged in a light green, irregular margin. Hosta ‘June’ is especially striking, with bluish-green margins surrounding light green interior margins around a green-and-gold leaf center, and it tends to hold color and stay in leaf later into the season than most. Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ is the star of the show for sheer scale — it can reach up to six feet tall and wide, in a beautiful gray-blue not often seen in other plants. Hosta ‘Patriot’ flaunts deep green leaves with thick, irregular white outlines, a contrast that’s hard to miss wherever it’s planted. Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ may have the best name in the genus, and backs it up with scale — a lime-green-to-yellow-green mound that can spread three to five feet wide.

Pros

• Thrives in part shade to full shade, where little else will grow
• Comes in an enormous range of leaf colors, patterns, and sizes
• Low-maintenance once established; no pruning required
• Tolerant of a wide range of soil and moisture conditions

Cons

• A favorite snack of deer and rabbits (new spring growth especially)
• Susceptible to slugs and snails
• Will not thrive in full sun
• Dead flower stalks are unattractive if left unpruned

• One of the most varied perennial genera for color, size, and leaf pattern
• Reliable, long-lived shade-garden perennial
• Low-maintenance once established
• Sizes range from miniature to six feet across

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