Here's an amazing plant that can transform a damp, shady, neglected corner of the garden with its great beauty. 'Great' is an appropriate description as this is the largest of all the blue Hostas. It will slowly grow to form enormous clumps with grey-blue leaves up to 40cm (1'4) long. In early summer it produces white flowers on erect stems which grow up to 1m (3'3) high. Hosta 'Blue Angel' holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit for its excellent garden performance. Plantain Lilies prefer moist soil and a shady location. Height: 90cm (3'0). Spread: 1.2m (4'0).
Hosta 'Minuteman' well deserves its popularity as it quickly grows to form a dense clump of large, cup-shaped leaves, bottle green in colour, deeply veined, and splashed with margins of creamy-white. The attractive foliage contrasts well with the pretty, lilac flowers which are borne on tall stately stems throughout July. This Plantain Lily holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and it is a good, reliable performer, providing ground cover in moist, shady borders. It looks great among woodland planting and at pond edges. Height: 55cm (1'10). Spread: 1m (3'3).
Grey-green in colour, and splashed with wide margins of pale gold, the neat oval leaves of Hosta 'Carnival' look superb all through the growing season, forming a large, spreading clump as the plant matures. Unlike many Hostas, this variety has the advantage of slug-resistant leaves. In June and July this Plantain Lily produces lavender-coloured flowers. Although, like most Hostas, it prefers shady conditions, Hosta 'Carnival' will tolerate sunshine. Height: 45cm (1'6). Spread: 1m (3'3).
Hosta 'Sum and Substance' is a great plantain lily that has been awarded the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). This bold and beautiful Hosta has huge, deeply corrugated deep green leaves which make a good backdrop for tall stems bearing pale lilac flowers which appear in July. This is the Hosta for a shady courtyard or border, where it makes a bold statement. It looks good with ferns and provides really effective ground cover in areas where many other plants prefer not to grow. Give it shade and moist conditions and it will reward you with lush foliage which looks as good in large pots as it does in the border. 'Sum and Substance' will tolerate some sun, but give the foliage shade during the hottest part of the day and shelter it from cold winds.
This Hosta Olive Bailey Langdon is a RHS AGM award winning perennial which will thrive in shady areas blooming with large, corrugated leaves and white bell-shaped flowers in the summer.
Hosta ?Frances Williams? is an RHS AGM award winning hardy perennial. The
Host ?First Frost? is an RHS AGM winner which holds on into the late Autumn ? hence the name!
A smaller leafed Plantain Lily which gets its name from the smooth blue-green foliage and produces pale purple bell-shaped flowers in the summer between June and July
Damp, dry or shaded areas are not the ideal place for a great many plants but Hostas are the ideal solution. They are easy to grow and will provide ground cover in the shaded border or you can make a feature of them in a container if you have areas of the patio that don't catch the sun. Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans is clump forming and has strong blue-green foliage with deep ridges that give texture to the display and during the summer months you can expect stems of pale lilac flowers too. The Giant Blue Hosta is a worthy RHS Award of Garden Merit holder and is the perfect plant for moist, damp, dark borders or difficult, dry shady borders.. Height: 100cm (39). Spread: 120cm (48).