(Hosta, Iron Gate Delight Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials prized for their leaves, mounding habit, tolerance of shade, and toughness. This one, ‘Iron Gate Delight,’ is a small to medium-sized hosta that forms neat mounds of long, oval leaves tapering to a point that are green with gold margins turning cream when mature. Fragrant, lavender funnel-shaped flowers appear on leafless stems held above the foliage in midsummer.

Like most hostas, ‘Iron Gate Delight’ grows best in full to partial shade and tolerates a wide range...

(Hosta, Jade Cascade Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their toughness, tolerance for shade, mounding habit and leaves. This one, ‘Jade Cascade,’ is a large hosta that forms cascading mounds of extremely long, lance-shaped leaves that taper to a point and are slightly ruffled. They are green, glossy and deeply pleated. White bell-to-funnel-shaped flowers appear on leafless stems held above the foliage in early summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Jade Cascade’ grows best in full to partial shade and tolerates a wide...

(Hosta, Janet Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas prefer shade, right? Yes, but this one, ‘Janet,’ needs a bit of sun to develop the glowing chartreuse color of its leaves. Variegated and heart-shaped, the leaves emerge chartreuse and turn creamy white by summer when grown in the sun. They are edged by narrow margins of green, and are ribbed. The flowers are pale lavender, funnel-shaped, and appear on leafy stems held above the foliage in midsummer. The plants form medium-sized spreading mounds.

Like most hostas, ‘Janet’ grows best in...

(Hosta, Julie Morss Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Julie Morss plantain lily is a clump forming, shade tolerant, herbaceous perennial that is primarily grown for its ornamental foliage. In spring, it produces a neat clump of small, heart-shaped, puckered leaves of yellow with blue-green margins. In late summer, upright, sturdy stems of bell-shaped, lavender flowers appear. This hosta prefers part sun to part shade and fertile, well drained soil. It is widely used in mixed perennial borders and massed as a large groundcover for shade. Most hosta are...

(Hosta, June Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials prized for their tolerance of shade, mounding habit, toughness and leaves. This one, ‘June’ has strikingly variegated leaves. They are cupped, thick, corrugated, heart-shaped, tapering to a point, and chartreuse with broad, streaky margins of blue-green and pale green. In late summer, deep-lavender bell-to-funnel-shaped flowers appear on leafy stems held above the leaves, which grow in a spreading mound.

Like most hostas, ‘June’ grows best in full to partial shade,...

(Hosta, Just So Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas need shade, right? Not always. This small one,‘Just So’ needs some sun for brilliant leaf color. Hostas are herbaceous perennials prized for their toughness, mounding habit, and leaves. This one has heart-shaped, slightly cupped, chartreuse to gold leaves that are edged dramatically with a narrow band of blue-green. In midsummer, bell-to-funnel-shaped lavender flowers appear on leafy stems held above the mound of spreading leaves.

Like most hostas, ‘Just So’ grows best in full to partial...

(Hosta, Karin Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials prized for their tolerance for shade, mounding habit, toughness, and leaves. This one, ‘Karen,’ forms a compact, upright clump of large, cupped, oval leaves that taper to a point. They are a deep black-green set off vividly by narrow, irregular, creamy- white margins. Fragrant, lavender bell-shaped flowers appear on leafless stems held above the foliage in mid to late summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Karin,’ grows best in full to partial shade but needs at least some...

(Hosta, Katie Q Plantain Lily)

Hostas are mound-forming herbaceous perennials grown mostly for their attractive foliage. The knee-high tall selection ‘Katie Q’ marries blue and chartreuse colors in a shade garden. This cultivar originated as a mutation of the hybrid hosta 'Marilyn'. Hybridizer Mark Zilis selected it in 2003. Forming a dense, leafy clump, 'Katie Q' has large, rounded, heart-shaped leaves. The leaf center is soft bluish green surrounded with a wide chartreuse or yellow-green edge. Lavender, tubular flowers appear...

(Hosta, Knockout Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

Like other hostas with yellow leaves, the petite ‘Knockout’ needs a bit of sun to develop its brightest colors. It is an herbaceous perennial, grown for its mounding habit and variegated, heart-shaped leaves that have blue-green centers and wide, irregular, creamy-yellow margins. They are also lightly puckered and ribbed. The flowers are pale lavender flowers and bell-to-funnel-shaped, appearing on leafless stems held above the spreading mound of leaves in midsummer.

Like most hostas, ‘Knockout...

(Hosta, Krossa Regal Plantain Lily, Plantain Lily)

This is a tried and true large blue hosta. Krossa regal plantain lily is a clump forming, shade tolerant, herbaceous perennial that is primarily grown for its ornamental foliage. In spring, it produces a large clump of lance-shaped, waxy leaves of blue-green. In midsummer, upright, sturdy stems of bell-shaped, pale lavender flowers appear. This hosta prefers part sun to part shade and fertile, well drained soil. It is widely used in mixed perennial borders and massed as a large groundcover for shade....