Get the loveliest leaves with Heavenly hostas

A must for foliage fans, plantain lilies are easy to grow, adaptable and varied – some even have fragrant flowers. So don’t let the slugs put you off, says Phillip Markham

- Phillip Markham

DID you know that some hostas are edible? H. lactifolia, in particular, is added to salads in Korea, while some people harvest the rolled-up leaves when they emerge in spring, for use in stir-fries.

The idea is likely to fill fans of these foliage favourites with horror. And growing them as a food crop does seem a dreadful waste of the potential of what is an incredibly useful decorative plant.

Just as at home in beds and borders as they are in patio planters, hostas look great in vase arrangements – a few even feature beautifully scented flowers. Available with leaf sizes from tiny to huge, with a wide range of shapes and patterns, they are, quite simply, essential in any garden. They’re also easy to grow! Tolerant and adaptable, these hardy perennials have no problem shrugging off even a bad British winter and will come back year after year, bulking up steadily (many make excellent ground cover).

We tend to think of them as shade plants, but there are varieties that will thrive in the sun, just so long as the soil is not too dry. They also hate boggy conditions. Outside of those two extremes, however, they’re happy in any well-drained soil.

There are thousands of varieties, with new ones being added each year. Some of these are superb, yet certain well-established old favourites remain among the best perennials you can buy. They’re also far cheaper than many of the choice newcomers.

Slugs and snails