The Hosta hostas (heart leaf lilies) are a genus of plants from the subfamily of the lily family. They come from Asia and more specifically from Japan, China and Russia, but were named after the German-Austrian botanists HC Funck and NT Host. The plants have been selected several times to maintain their current characteristics and today more than 45 species are widespread in Central Europe.
These are not flowering plants. Nevertheless, they make your garden look lively and impressive. They grow as easy-care, perennial, herbaceous plants. The special thing about hostas is their decorative leaves. They form horizontal, large, strong and quite strongly branched leaves, which vary depending on the species and variety - longer to broad heart-shaped, wavy or smooth, thick or thin, large or small. The leaf color also shows many variations from light green to white or yellow, “patterned” with a white or yellow center in an irregular shape, rich green to blue-green. The height of the leaves is between around 5 and 100 cm, depending on the species and the corresponding age of the plant. Depending on the variety, they bloom from latespringuntil autumn, i.e. from June to September. They produce white or purple, bell-shaped flowers.
The plants need sufficient soil moisture, with good water drainage without stagnant moisture. Their natural habitat is the edges of forests and sometimes the moist meadows that run through afresh partial shadeto shady locations are marked. Under these conditions, the plant can better form its large, unusual and succulent leaves with their respective colors.
It is a very long-lasting and robust foliage perennial that can also be grown in flower containers. All you have to do is pick a few leaves and place them in a glass of water. After a few days, small roots will grow and as soon as they become a little stronger, you can plant the leaves directly into the soil. Gardeners recommend adding compost or fertilizer in spring to maintain strong leaves. At this time the pests typical of the plant also appear, namely the snails.
They are often planted in containers. The larger and magnificent specimens are often perennial and occupy imposing and eye-catching places outdoors such as the entrance to the yard or the area next to the front door in the garden.
Today there are over 1000 known varieties.
