Botanical Name: Hosta
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Common Name: Hosta  
Plant photo of: Hosta
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Water Saving Tip:

Even though it's hot, your lawn only needs to be watered twice a week to stay healthy.

And don't water the whole lawn for a brown spot—drag out a hose.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Ground cover, Perennial

 

Height Range

Under 1', 1-3'

 

Flower Color

Pink, Purple, Violet, White

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Gold, Green, Blue Green, Dark Green, Light Green, Yellow Green, Yellow, Variegated

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

Hosta are herbaceous perennials, hardy to Zones 3 or 4, depending on the variety. Sometimes referred to as the plantain lily, hosta have fleshy roots and short spreading rhizomes; in spring broad leaves emerge from a central crown and develop into a mounded form. Leaves come in colors from bright green to gold and even blue tones; some have variegated leaves, with strips, blotches, or margins of varying shades of green, white, cream or gold. Leaf texture varies and can be smooth, veined, or even puckered. Leaf size ranges from petite (a few inches long) to gigantic (a few feet long). Descriptions such as heart-shaped, lance-like, and cupped characterize different leaf shapes. Depending on growing conditions and variety, individual plants range in size from six inches high and a foot or less across to 3 to 4 feet high and 5 to 6 feet across. Although hosta flowers are sometimes discounted as secondary, they can provide great ornamental value. The flower stalks, known as racemes, hold bell-like blossoms of white or lavender to blue. Some flowers are exceptionally fragrant as well as attractive to hummingbirds and bees. Use as an understory plant in the shady shrub or foundation border, or under trees, or in the shady perennial garden.