Hosta or Funkia

Family Hyacinthaceae. Name: named in honor of the Austrian physician and botanist N. Hosta. The plant received its second name from the German pharmacist H.G. Funk.

In decorative gardening, alongside showy-flowering species, foliage ornamental types are widely used. Effectively contrasting with flowering plants, enhancing or softening their coloration, foliage-ornamental species bring harmony to garden compositions. Among such plants the most popular perennials are hostas. Elegance, refinement, magical leaf colorings — all this we associate with hostas. Blue, gray-blue, green, golden hosta leaves with contrasting margins and stripes form lush, long-lived clumps, adding extraordinary colors to the garden palette and brightening its shady corners. In autumn the magic continues — hosta clumps change leaf color to exotic yellow tones that persist until the first frosts. It is not accidental that the hosta is called the "queen of shade". Interestingly, in the last three years in North American countries hostas have been the most popular and purchased even among showy-flowering perennials. According to American specialists' forecasts, they are unlikely to lose their top status in the near future. This is explained by the growing demand for shade-tolerant plants for gardens where, as trees grow, the area of shaded spots increases. The popularity of hostas is explained not only by their high ornamental value but also by their longevity. Hostas are long-lived among perennials. Their clumps, unlike many other plants, become lusher and more beautiful with age and retain their decorative appeal for 20–25 years or more.

Another reason for the wide distribution of hostas is their undemanding nature. Even a beginning gardener can successfully grow this plant. For busy people, perennials like hostas allow garden work to be minimized. Mature hosta clumps form thickets that are difficult for weeds to penetrate. It is also important that some species and cultivars grow well not only in shaded areas but also in sunny ones, which significantly expands their use in landscape design.

Hostas are also popular with florists. Their leaves have long been used in bouquets and floral arrangements. If your garden still lacks beautiful hostas, consider whether it is time to adorn it with them.

Description: the genus includes about 40 species distributed in the Far East and countries of East Asia and numerous hybrids united under the name хоста гибридная (Н. hybridum).

Perennial plants with a compact or short-branched rhizome. Leaves basal, on petioles, relatively large, of various colors and shapes: green, bluish-gray, variegated, from narrowly lanceolate to broadly ovate. Flower scapes almost leafless, large, in some species up to 120 cm tall. Flowers funnel-shaped or funnel-bell-shaped, lilac, purple, more rarely white, gathered in racemose, often one-sided inflorescences. Fruit — a three-angled, leathery capsule. Seeds numerous, black or dark brown, flat, somewhat winged, retain viability up to one year.

Grow on rocks, along riverbanks, often right at the water, or near springs, on mountain slopes, along forest edges by streams, sometimes on sandy dunes and marshy areas in the temperate zone of East Asia (China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula), the extreme southwest of the Far East, as well as on Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. Flowering occurs in summer and autumn. The genus includes about 40 species (including species of cultivation origin).

The systematics of the genus is extremely confused; there is probably no other group of ornamental perennials with such complex and contradictory synonymy. Many species were described from cultivated specimens, and a number of garden clones have been given species names. Numerous new species were described by Japanese botanists. We follow (as do most modern guides to ornamental plants) the review by Hylander (1954).

An elegant garden cannot consist of only showy-flowering plants. It also needs some number of decorative-foliage plants, among which the hosta is justly considered the queen. The plant reached Europe in the early 19th century from Japan and for a long time was present only in botanical garden collections until florists noticed its luxurious foliage. Thus, from the florists' podium the hosta found its way into private gardens. Spectacular flowerbeds are created from hostas. In many countries there are hosta societies that promote this culture, trial new cultivars, organize exhibitions, and award prizes. It is hard to believe that not long ago these plants were little known.

Hostas have many virtues. They are undemanding, cold-hardy, shade-tolerant, and exceptionally ornamental. The plants are not prone to diseases. The decorative appearance of hostas can be spoiled only by slugs, but dealing with them is not a very serious problem. Mostly hostas are valued for their foliage. In addition to the common green color, it can be blue, chartreuse, yellow, striped, with various marginal patterns up to white, and even tricolored. The surface of the leaf also varies: glossy, wrinkled, puckered, with a waxy coating or metallic sheen. Plants also differ greatly in size. Alongside giants up to 120 cm tall there are dwarfs not exceeding 5 cm. Mature specimens of tall cultivars create an impression of tropical plants. No wonder people unfamiliar with this culture often mistake them for houseplants placed outdoors for the summer.