Most gardens in the UK will have a hosta lurking somewhere. It just may be that you haven’t identified it yet! All hostas are hardy perennials, which means that they come up year after year with fresh new leaves (sometimes a wonderful surprise when you had forgotten about them!). They tend to bud in the early spring - some in April, others later - and go on until early October. They thrive in spots where other plants would not do well, they look superb in a woodland setting, alongside water features, in borders and, of course, on the patio in containers.

They are shade tolerant and grow best in open woodland with high filtered shade. Their natural companions are acers, oaks, azaleas, and Solomon’s Seal. They often look remarkable in containers and growing them this way allows you to change your outlook whenever you wish without lots of digging!
 
The size of their leaves ranges from the size of a teaspoon to a dinner plate and the wide variety of blues, yellows and greens makes choosing rather difficult at times!

Flowers
All hostas flower, some spectacularly, through all shades of purple to those with white flowers. An increasing number of hostas have fragrant flowers. The flowers are sometimes held on distinctively coloured or tall scapes and can be quite an attraction in themselves!

Some people prefer to cut the flowers off when they appear, in order to keep the leaves looking good for longer. This does not damage the hosta.

Fragrant flowered hostas are specifically listed in the on line shop to make them easy to find, and the colour of flower is noted for each individual hosta.

More hostas have become available in the last few years that have wonderful variegation in their leaves. Please browse our Hosta selection for a fabulous examples for you to purchase.

For those who enjoy hostas, there is an opportunity to join the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society. Outings, friends, newsletters, information, new hosta plants, access to flower shows, and many other benefits, all for a small annual subscription.