Hostas are perennials which are native to Japan and China.

They are decorative plants grown for their attractive leaves more than their flowers. If you’re looking for a soft plant to grow under a tall, dense planting blue hostas could be the ideal choice. These plants have blue-grey foliage and grow to form a leafy glade under a tree or in a darker garden corner. Not only grown for their foliage hostas have very attractive bell shaped flowers that rise up above the foliage in summer. They range from white to dark purple and every shade in between some are even heavenly scented.

Hostas are herbaceous perennials. This means the entire plant dies back to roots in autumn but reshoots in spring.

Great in pots, bog gardens or as a groundcover. They like rich and moist soil, prefers neutral pH (that’s is around 7). Feed regularly in the growing season. An ideal situation has morning sun and afternoon shade but they will grow in the darkest of shade to near full sun you just might get a little leaf burn on some varieties.

Hostas are great for flower arranging and can even be eaten maybe you will be game enough to try them in sushi as the Japanese suggest.

Hostas are almost zero maintenance plants, except for snail control which requires vigilance (snails love to eat hostas). Use some form of snail bait in or around hostas, especially in early spring (August to September) when new hosta leaves are at their most vulnerable. Sawdust sprinkled around the base of the plants will also slow down slugs. You can also half fill a bucket with beer and let the snails drown happy and drunk.