(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sugar and Cream Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Sugar and Cream,' has rippled, ovoid leaves that are green with a narrow margin of creamy yellow to white. It is a large hosta and forms a mound of upright and spreading leaves. The flowers are pale lavender and fragrant, and borne on leafless stems above the leaves in late summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Sugar and Cream’ grows best in partial shade to full shade, tolerates...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sum and Substance Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Sum and Substance,' is widely prized for its size and its huge, heavy, leaves that are chartreuse-gold and have a waxy sheen. It’s a massive plant, with the leaves rising high and spreading wide on long, stout petioles (leaf stems), forming an impressive clump. The flowers are pale lavender, and borne on leafless stems above the leaves in mid-summer.

Like most hostas,...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Summer Fragrance Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Summer Fragrance,' is a large plant with heart-shaped green leaves outlined by creamy-white margins. The leaves are held upright and spreading by stout petioles (flower stems) forming a sizeable clump. The flowers are lavender and fragrant, and borne on tall scapes (leafless stems) above the leaves in mid-summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Summer Fragrance’ grows best in...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Summer Music Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Summer Music,' is a medium-sized plant with slightly twisted, broadly ovate leaves that are pure white in the center, chartreuse on the margins, and yellow-gold in between. The leaves are held upright, forming a tuft-like clump. The flowers are lavender and borne on tall scapes (leafless stems) above the leaves in mid-summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Summer Music’ grows...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sun Power Plantain Lily)

Hostas need shade, right? Not always. The gold-leaved ‘Sun Power’ and other hostas with yellow leaves, tend to need more light for brilliant leaf color. Hosta are clump-forming herbaceous ornamentals grown mostly for their attractive foliage. The bright gold leaves of ‘Sun Power’ are broadly oval with pointed, twisted tips. They are very sun tolerant and have prominent veins. The plants are vase shaped, upright and clumping in habit. Lavender, bell-shaped flowers appear on leafless stems...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sundance Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Sundance,' is a medium-sized plant with broadly ovate leaves that are dark green outlined by wide margins of creamy-yellow to gold. The leaves form a cascading clumb. The flowers are lavender and borne on tall s capes (leafless stems) above the leaves in mid-summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Sundance’ grows best in partial shade to full shade, tolerates a wide range of...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Super Nova Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Super Nova,' is a large plant that forms a spreading clump of huge, thick, ovate leaves with a chartreuse center and wide blue-green margins. By summer the center turns from chartreuse to gold. The flowers are near-white to white and bell-shaped, appearing in clusters on stems held above the leaves.

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

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sweet Dreams Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Sweet Dreams' is a medium-sized plant that forms a spreading clump of narrow leaves tapered at both ends with near-white centers and dark-green edges. The flowers are lilac to white and are borne in clusters on stalks that rise above the leaves in late summer.

Like most hostas, ‘Sweet Dreams’ grows best in partial shade to full shade, tolerates a wide range of well-drained...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Sweet Susan Plantain Lily)

Hostas are herbaceous perennials grown for their attractive leaves, tolerance for shade, toughness, and mounding habit. This one, ‘Sweet Susan,' grows as a dense, mounded clump of medium green, heart-shaped leaves. It is a robust medium-to-large hosta and blooms with a profusion of fragrant, funnel-shaped lavender flowers borne in clusters on stems that rise above the leaves. The plant often reblooms after the first flush of flowers.

Like most hostas, ‘Sweet Susan’ grows best in partial shade...

(Hosta, Plantain Lily, Tattoo Hosta)

Arguably, there is no better perennial for shade. Hosta is a clump forming herbaceous ornamental grown mostly for its attractive foliage. The genus originates from Asia and is comprised of approximately 40 species and thousands of hybrid cultivars.

Throughout the growing season they present clumps of foliage in various shades of green, blue, blue-gray or gold. Some also have variegated markings of white, cream or gold. Their flowers are variable, but are generally trumpet, funnel or bell-shaped...