HOSTA 'BIG DADDY' HARDY PERENNIAL SHADE PLANT BEST BIG BLUE LEAF PLANTAIN LILY
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1 ROOT * 3 ROOTS * 5 ROOTS OR 10 ROOTS
Healthy, single eye, bare root plants! We wet wrap our roots to ensure that they always arrive healthy and ready to plant in your garden or container!
Common Name: hosta
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asparagaceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Colorful
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Tolerate: Heavy Shade, Black Walnut
Culture
Easily grown in evenly moist, organically rich,
well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. Best in part shade (some
morning sun or sun dappled conditions). Established plants have some tolerance
for dry shade (particularly plants with thick leaves), but soils should never
be allowed to dry out. Full size and quality form are best achieved with
consistent moisture. Water is best applied directly to the soil beneath the
leaves. Divide plants as needed in spring or autumn. Division is usually
easiest in early spring before the leaves unfurl. Plant in locations protected
from wind. Hostas are generally considered to be low-maintenance perennials.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hosta is a genus of about 70 species of shade-loving,
rhizomatous, clump-forming, herbaceous perennials which are native to open
woodlands, woodland margins and glades in Japan, Korea, China and eastern
Russia. Hostas are primarily grown for their ornamental foliage. Stalked,
conspicuously-veined, often dense, basal leaves in a variety of shapes, sizes,
colors and textures rise up from a central rhizomatous crown to form a rounded
to spreading mound of foliage. Bell or funnel-shaped flowers in terminal,
mostly one-sided racemes bloom in late spring or summer atop vertical,
unbranched, usually leafless but frequently bracted scapes which rise upward
from the crown or rootstock to a point often well above the foliage mound.
Genus name honors Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host
(1761-1834) and was first established in 1812. The genus was subsequently
renamed in 1817 as Funkia in honor of botanist Heinrich Christian Funk under
the belief at that time that Hosta was an invalid name. Hosta was finally
reinstated as the genus name in 1905 by the International Botanical Congress.
Funkia remains a popular common name today in some areas.
An additional common name for plants in this genus is plantain lily (foliage is
somewhat plantain-like and flowers are somewhat lily-like in some species).
Problems
Slugs and snails are attracted to the foliage, chewing
jagged holes in the leaves, and if left unchecked, can cause serious damage
over a fairly short period of time. Watch for foliar nematodes which feed on
the leaves causing interveinal browning. Leaf spots and crown rot are less
frequent problems. Plants infected with Hosta Virus X (HVX), tobacco rattle
virus, or tomato ring spot virus should be immediately removed from garden
areas and destroyed. Leaves, particularly of exposed plants, can be severely
damaged by hail storms. Leaves are commonly eaten, often voraciously, by deer
and rabbits.
Uses
Hostas are a mainstay of shade gardens. Notwithstanding
the often showy flowers produced, hostas are primarily grown in shady areas for
the ornamental excellence of their foliage. Very effective in groups or massed.
Good background plant. Shady borders, shade gardens or woodland gardens.