Common Name: hosta
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asparagaceae
Native Range: Japan
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: August to September
Bloom Description: Lavender
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Tolerate: Heavy Shade, Black Walnut
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. Does best in a rich, moist soil in light, dappled shade.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hoasta rupafraga features a mound of wavy, leathery, ovate, shiny green leaves with racemes of lavender flowers on 20" scapes. A dependable and versatile perennial requiring little care. Grown primarily for its beautiful foliage which provides color, contrast and texture to the landscape. Dense foliage crowds out most garden weeds.
Genus name honors Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host (1761-1834) and was first established in 1812. The genus was subsequently renamed in 1817 as Funkia in honor of botanist Heinrich Christian Funk under the belief at that time that Hosta was an invalid name. Hosta was finally reinstated as the genus name in 1905 by the International Botanical Congress.
Specific epithet means growing in the clefts of rocks.
Funkia remains a popular common name today in some areas. An additional common name for plants in this genus is plantain lily (foliage is somewhat plantain-like and flowers are somewhat lily-like in some species).
Problems
Although slugs and snails can be serious problems, and leaf spots and crown rot lesser problems, hostas are otherwise virtually disease and pest-free and are ideal, low-maintenance garden perennials. No special culture is required.
Uses
Hostas are a mainstay of the shade garden. This small to medium hosta can be mixed with other perennials in the border or woodland garden, or used as an edging plant, or massed and divided to create a dense ground cover.