Hosta Plants

Named after the Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host, hosta plants are sturdy plants classified as herbaceous perennials. They come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes which are just perfect for the shady parts of the garden.  The best way to group hosta plants is by the color of the leaves as they come in green, blue, white, yellow and a blend of any two of the mentioned colors.

1. About Hosta: The American Hosta Society is an NGO that centers on anything and everything about hostas. It has members from all over the United States with local chapters in selected areas. This is their official website you can access publications and tips on how to select, plant, maintain hosta plants. (www.americanhostasociety.org)
2. Growing Hostas: Hosta plants originally came from China, Korea and Japan and were introduced in Europe in the 1700s then in the United States in the 1800s. These sturdy plants are highly popular as they are beautiful, thrive in the shades and are quite easy to grow.  There are more than 2,500 variants of hosta plants each capable of producing white or lavender flowers.  This website gives a short discourse on how to plant, care and maintain hosta plants. (www. ohioline.osu.edu)
3. Hosta Plant Categories Information and Listings: This website presents a comprehensive list of different hosta plants available in most nurseries. There are the blue foliage, green, gold, white foliage and gold variegated ones based on the color of the leaves. You can also choose hostas based on the shape or size of the leaves. With such names as Fringe Benefits, Alakazam and Hanky Panky, aren’t hostas interesting? (www.hostapatch.com)
4. Search for Hostas: This website has more than 7,000 varieties and sub-varieties of hosta plants in its database. It is interesting to note that the Hosta variety “Abba” comes in variants of Abba-Dabba-Do, Abba-Dabba-Don’t, Abba-Dabba-Darling and some 15 more Abbas. (www.hostadirect.com)
5. Hosta Planting and Care Instructions: When is the best time to plant hosta plants? Because hosta plants tend to die when the temperature is below 28°F, spring, late summer and early autumn are the best time to plant hostas. They thrive in acidic, well-drained soil with some organic materials. When a hosta plant is established it will be almost resistant to drought. (www.paradisegarden.com)
6. Hostas: This website sells more than 400 varieties of hosta plants online. From Alakazam to American Choo Choo to Bubbatini to Lollapalooza, it would be hard put to choose which ones to buy. An idea is to decide what leaf color you prefer. You can also decide on the hasta plant groupings based on the size and shape of the leaves, and the overall height of the plant. (www.hostasdirect.com)
7. Shop for Hosta Plants: Gold, blues, white, green, chartreuse foliage, you can find them here on this website. There are blue hosta plants pegged for as low as $5 per plant and there are the more expensive blue hostas pegged at $15 per plant. There are gold-centered hostas priced at $22 per, and gold-edge ones at $14 per plant. (www.thehostafarm.com)
8. Hosta: Hosta plants are perpetual or perennial plants. Once you plant them, they will thrive for years and years without replanting as long as you take care of them. Theses hardy plants can thrive out in the sun or in shaded areas. They have “mutated” and to date have more than 7,000 variants available. Of course not every hosta plant is ideal. This website has some of the best hosta variant for sale. (www.plantdelights.com)
9. Top Ten Hosta Myths: There are plenty of myths and hearsay relating to hostas. It has been said that hostas will turn even greener if they are fertilized. This could be true for green hostas but blue or gold hostas will not. Though hostas could tolerate drought, continuous drought will see the end of your hosta plant. (www.plantdelights.com)
10. Fragrant-flowered Hostas: Yes, there are host variants with fragrant flowers.  It would be a nice addition to your hosta garden to add some fragrant flowering hostas. Variants such as Aphrodite, Bette Davis Eyes, Flower Power and Hole Mole have sweet-smelling flowers. (www.hostalibrary.org)