August lilies

Hosta plantaginea is more romantically known as the "August lily" because that's when it blooms and its flowers look like small lilies. It is also one of the few Hostas that is fragrant. I grow ‘Royal Standard,’ a hybrid introduced in 1965, whose flowers are a crisp white. It's easy to ignore these Hostas since they don't have fancy leaves; but they flower just when my garden needs them most. 

For Hosta drama in August, nothing beats H. 'Spritzer'. First, this Hosta has pointed, downward drooping leaves making it a great plant for a slope. But the flower buds are explosive.

There are few Hostas that are as visually interesting in bud and early bloom stages as 'Spritzer'.

'Royal Standard' and 'Spritzer' are among the few Hostas I grow whose flowers I leave in place. 

Though it was Klehm's Song Sparrow nursery that suggested planting H. 'Spritzer' on a slope, I bought my original plant more than twenty years ago at Flower Factory and I see that it is still listed in their catalog. 

Comments

[Kris P]

*SIGH* Hostas are also plants I wish I could grow. I tried them in my former, shadier garden and they didn't survive long even there - I expect they'd curl up and die even before I got them out of my car trunk here.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

My August Lily is blooming now too. I love the smell and so do the bees and hummingbirds. I like these small lilies of the hosta family.

[Linda Brazill]

Locally gardeners have been complaining about them dying back from too much sun. They do like moisture and shade. Even the ones that can take sun would not be happy where you live.

[Linda Brazill]

The flowers on the August lilies seem more elegant than the flowers on many of the other ones. Plus I like the fact that they are white.