Genus Hosta (Plantain lily)

Perfectly round, puckered, bright-gold leaves have a pattern resembling seersucker fabric. Pale-lavender flowers appear in early summer.

This large and vigorous mounding hosta reaches 20 to 24 inches tall and 36 to 42 inches wide. Heart-shaped, cupped, puckered, pale green leaves provide interesting and attractive texture. Bell-shaped, grayish white flowers are borne on 28-inch-long scapes from mid-July through early August.

'Blue Angel' makes a very large tiered mound of heavily textured blue leaves that can be as wide as 18 in. in diameter.

'Blue Shadows' is a medium-sized plant with coarse, deep blue, variegated leaves.

This upright selection reaches 24 inches tall and 44 to 48 inches wide. 'Fort Knox' has an elegant vase-shaped habit and radiant yellowish-gold leaves 10 inches long by 6 inches wide. Lavender flowers appear in midsummer.

Bold, large, shield-shaped leaves with a deep green center and creamy-white margins turn white with age. Funnel-shaped mauve flowers borne on leafy scapes 32 inches long appear in midsummer.

This hosta looks almost good enough to eat. A profusion of shiny, avocado green foliage with darker green margins forms large, dense clumps. ‘Guacamole’ does best in partial shade, where the sun can brighten the richly veined leaf centers. In late summer, the cooking really heats up as 3-foot-tall flower stalks emerge, sporting a plethora of sweetly fragrant, lilylike white blooms.

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'June' hosta has bluish leaves with irregularly shaped creamy gold centers. Pale lavender flowers bloom in late summer on 20-inch spikes. This medium-sized plant is a standout in shade or woodland gardens. It was the American Hosta Growers Association "Hosta of the Year 2001".

A fast grower, 'Little Aurora' has cupped, puckered leaves and a metallic sheen, with soft-lavender flowers from late June into early July.

Hostas are the first plants to come to mind when shade tolerance is required, but not all of them can take the heat in our region. ‘Patriot’ has proven to be one of the toughest, and its white margins and relatively large leaves make it a beacon of brightness in the shade. As a bonus, it will flower in midsummer with lavender trumpets on tall spikes.

A robust, clump-forming perennial, 'Piedmont Gold' has prominently veined, wavy-margined, bright-gold leaves 10 inches long by 7 inches wide. It reaches an average height of 18 to 25 inches tall and 40 inches wide. White flowers on 26-inch stems appear in midsummer.

A botanical giant, 'Sum and Substance' averages 30 inches tall by 60 inches wide, sometimes more. Upright, heart-shaped, flat leaves have a glossy chartreuse hue that changes to gold when exposed to more light. Near-white lilac blooms borne on leaning scapes 36 inches long appear from late July through mid-August.

'Sun Power' is a clump-forming perennial with oval to heart-shaped, yellowish green leaves below funnel-shaped, pale-lavender to white flowers in midsummer.

‘Halycon’ is a wonderful blue hosta. Unlike some others, ‘Halcyon’ retains its strong leaf color all season. Its textured, blue-green leaves are thick enough to be slug resistant. The bell-shaped, pale lilac-blue flowers are attractive, and the resulting seed heads are visited by birds late in the season. This cultivar is fairly slow growing but can be used as a ground cover as well as a specimen.

A clump-forming perennial with flat-spreading, blue-colored leaves, Japanese rock hosta bears funnel-shaped white flowers, sometimes flushed with purple, on arching, leafy scapes 24 inches long.