Hosta The King

Hosta 'The King' is a very beautiful plant with exceptional foliage: it forms a large clump of large, thick, slightly wavy green leaves in the centre, with a wide irregular margin that ranges from pale yellow-green to cream in summer. Very ornamental from spring to autumn, the plant comes alive in July-August with its delicate flowering, consisting of stalks bearing long lavender-coloured bells. This variety, which withstands attacks from slugs well, is an excellent shade and semi-shade perennial, in moist soil.

Hostas are perennial plants with deciduous vegetation that disappears in winter. They belong to the lily and hosta families. Hosta 'The King', registered by Jim Schwartz (USA) in 2007, is from a superb seedling of the 'Sir Richard' variety. This variety forms a clump that is wider than it is tall after a few years. It will reach a height of approximately 50cm (20in) and a diameter of 90cm (35in). It is a very hardy and long-lived plant, with foliage being its main asset. The leaf blades, measuring approximately 22.5cm (9in) long by 20cm (8in) wide, are traversed by 12 to 15 pairs of parallel veins. Their shape is ovate, ending in a tapered point, slightly cup-shaped. Their colour is a fairly light green, displaying an irregular margin of 2.5 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in width, yellow-green in colour in spring, radiating towards the centre and surrounded by a grey halo. The margin becomes cream-white in summer. This thick foliage withstands gastropod attacks very well. Flowering takes place in July-August, in the form of spikes 70cm (28in) in height bearing tubular and pendulous bells, mauve-lavender in colour.

Native to China, Korea, and Japan, Hostas are very cold-resistant plants. They are most commonly found as ground cover under deciduous trees, in moist beds or in rockeries and borders, especially near ornamental ponds. The hybrid Hosta 'The King' will blend well in semi-shade with the purple foliage of bugbanes, the beautiful chartreuse-green leaves of lady's mantle, as well as with Claytonia sibirica, with which it forms lovely colourful duos that require little maintenance. This perennial will also thrive alongside corydalis, tall foxgloves, or small violets. All hostas grow well in pots, and can remain in the same container for several years. Choose a special geranium potting soil to use during the growing season. As long as the foliage is not too dense, you can water from the top of the pot. Then place a saucer under the pot where you will pour water, maintaining a constant level in summer.