Hosta flowers.

Quick Hosta Growing Guide and Facts.

Hosta flower in the summer months and common names include the Plantain lily and Funkia.

 Common Names: Hosta, Day Lily, Corfu Lily, Funkia, Plantain Lily, Giboshi.
Life Cycle: Hardy perennial.
Height: 3 to 48 inches (8 to 120 cm).
Native: Northeastern Asia. 
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 9.
Flowers: Summer.
Flower Details: White, violet, lavender. Terminal raceme.
Foliage: Herbaceous. Waxy. Blue, green, gold; variegated. Lanceolate. Oval.
Sow Outside: Roots: 3 to 5 inches (8 to 12 cm).Cover seed (best grown from root divisions). Spring and summer. Spacing: small 12 inches (30 cm); large 20 to 48 inches (50 to 120 cm).

 Sow Inside: Germination time: two weeks to three months. Temperature: 50°F (10°C). Seven or eight weeks in advance. Transplant outdoors before the last frost.
Requirements and care: Full to light shade. Soil pH 5.5 to 7.0.  Moist soil for best results, can survive in dry soils if pushed. Regular watering. Twice yearly feed. Protect from slugs. Propagate: by dividing in the spring or the autumn; do not do this too often, perhaps two or three years between divisions.
Miscellaneous: Commonly consumed in Japan where they are known as urui. Very attractive to deer.

 Plantain Lily can be grown from either seeds or roots. These can be sown/buried in either spring or summer. Simply cover the seeds with topsoil and bury roots at about 10cm. They like to grow in a shaded area of the garden that has a moist slightly acidic to neutral pH of 5.5 to 7.

 You can start Plantain lilies off indoors but it is fairly hit and miss. They take from two weeks to three months to germinate at 10 degrees centigrade. Once growing transplant out at the beginning of spring with a spacing of 45cm (small Plantain lily varieties) or 90 to 120cm (larger species).

Caring for Plantain Lilies

Once growing Plantain lilies should be watered frequently and fertilized a couple of times a year. If you require more plants then this can be done by division in at the beginning of spring or in the autumn; it is important not to do this too frequently, always grow for at least two years in between dividing Hosta plants.