Hostas are among the most planted ornamental perennials in the United States, but they must surely top the list in Minnesota. Each time I visit friends in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, as I recently did, I remember how impressed I was on previous visits by their prevalence in the landscape. This can in no small part be because many hostas are hardy in Zone 3, which extends into southern Canada.
Hostas grow in mounds of overlapping leaves, attractive foliage that serves as the plants’ main event because the lily-like white or lavender blooms that rise above the plants on thin stalks are often not significantly showy, though they are the source of their common name — plantain lilies — and are occasionally very fragrant. Few plants rival hostas in the foliage category, and within the genus, there are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars in a huge diversity of size, leaf shape and foliage coloring.
Miniatures with leaves as small as an inch across might grow in mounds of only 6 inches in height, but the largest species can reach up to 3 feet in height with huge leaves a foot or more across. Foliage varies from narrow lance shapes to fat heart shapes, and it can be smooth or puckered. A few varieties have leaves that look twisted or ruffled.
Foliage coloration is extremely diverse with some seriously handsome variations. Besides shades of green, yellow, gold and blue, there are a great number of variegations that are a mix of those colors and also some with shades of cream and white.
In general, hostas grow in shade or partial shade with morning light. Too much sun will burn plants’ leaves, turning them a crispy brown. A hosta rule of (green) thumb holds that varieties with gold-colored leaves are a little more light tolerant, and blue-leaved varieties are less so.
Hostas are native to Japan, Korea and China and were first brought to the attention of Western plant enthusiasts in the 1690s by Engelbert Kaempfer of the Dutch East India Co. In 1812, an Austrian botanist, Leopold Trattinick, named the genus for his countryman, botanist Nicholas Thomas Host, the name that eventually stuck. Another — Funkia — also was proposed as a generic name, and though it was rejected, it is still sometimes used in reference to the lovely leafy plants.
Though hostas made appearances in American gardens as early as the mid-1800s, their popularity is much more recent and is on the rise.
Landscape architect Frances Williams was the first great American hosta hybridizer, working her magic in the 1930s. British breeders Bob and Anne Savory, who developed yellow and gold cultivars in the 1940s, and Eric Smith, who perfected the blue-leaved Tardania hybrids in the early 1960s, also are responsible for increasing hostas’ popularity.
The American Hosta Society, which formed in 1968, spread the gospel of hostas, with literally hundreds of area societies forming since that time.
Since the early 1970s, the University of Minnesota has served as the International Registration Authority for the genus Hosta, and in 1980, AHS designated the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s MacMillan Hosta Glade as its first national display garden with 300 varieties on view. A visit to the arboretum was one of the highlights of my visit to the Twin Cities.
Closer to home, Missouri hosta enthusiasts can join with other devotees of the genus in a variety of hosta societies.
The Midwest Regional Hosta Society — midwesthostasociety.org — publishes two newsletters and hosts both an annual summer convention and a winter scientific meeting.
The St. Louis Hosta Society — stlouishosta.org — features monthly events and meetings. Membership benefits include four newsletters per year and presentations by well-known speakers.
In the Kansas City area, hosta fans who join the Heartland Hosta and Shade Plant Society — heartlandhostas.org — will receive a society newsletter and gain access to society events. Its Sept. 11 meeting features North Carolina hybridizer Bob Solberg, who will have plants for sale.
The Greater Ozarks Hosta Society — gohs.org — draws members from southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. This group has constructed and maintains a hosta garden located in Close Memorial Park in Springfield. The garden features more than 300 hosta varieties along with other shade plants. Take a peek at ozarksgardens.com, or better yet, plan a trip.
It’s a lot closer than the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.