Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Plantain Lily, Funkia

Description:

This variety displays medium green leaves with a chartreuse margin that changes to a creamy yellow in time; provides beautiful texture and contrast to other plants; lavender spikes of flowers in mid-summer

Ornamental Features

Ice Cream Hosta features dainty spikes of lavender tubular flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer. Its attractive textured heart-shaped leaves remain green in color with distinctive chartreuse edges and tinges of buttery yellow throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Ice Cream Hosta is a dense herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

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

Ice Cream Hosta is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Ice Cream Hosta will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. 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.