Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Plantain Lily, Funkia

Description:

Attractive mounds of heart shaped dark green leaves, variegated with a white margin, and gray-green markings; soft white flowers emerge in mid-summer; provides beautiful texture and contrast to the garden and border

Ornamental Features

Barbara Ann Hosta features dainty spikes of white tubular flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer. Its attractive large textured heart-shaped leaves remain dark green in color with distinctive white edges and tinges of grayish green throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Barbara Ann Hosta is a dense herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Barbara Ann Hosta is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover

Planting & Growing

Barbara Ann Hosta will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 4 feet apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.