Hosta - A Shade Loving Perennial

The real beauty with Hosta is its foliage. The plants come in various shades of beautiful, huge solid green or variegated white and green leaves. Hosta will flower for around two weeks late in the season, sending up light lavender trumpet-shaped blooms on tall spikes.

One of the most attractive features of Hosta is the beauty it offers in shade plantings. Hosta grows in light sun to full shade and also flourishes in containers -- it will even do well on the north side of a house. 

Hosta does best with one feeding early in the season. Snail/slug bait should be used, as the plants are very attractive to this garden pest. All Hosta varieties go dormant in the winter, with fresh growth showing in the early spring.

While much of the information in this tip is applicable in several gardening zones/climates, some of the plants and timing suggested are best suited to the Northwest, generally in the mild/wet growing regions found along the I-5 corridor. You should make appropriate adjustments or consult local gardening experts in regions whose climates differ from this area of the Northwest.