Common Name: hosta
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asparagaceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 0.25 to 0.50 feet
Spread: 0.25 to 0.50 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Description: Purple-striped
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Colorful
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Tolerate: Heavy Shade, Black Walnut
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. Does best in a rich, moist soil in light, dappled shade.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hosta venusta features a dwarf mound of slightly wavy, heart-shaped, medium green leaves with racemes of funnel-shaped, violet flowers on 10" scapes. A dependable and versatile perennial requiring little care. Grown primarily for its beautiful foliage which provides color, contrast and texture to the landscape. Dense foliage crowds out most garden weeds.
Genus name honors Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host (1761-1834) and was first established in 1812. The genus was subsequently renamed in 1817 as Funkia in honor of botanist Heinrich Christian Funk under the belief at that time that Hosta was an invalid name. Hosta was finally reinstated as the genus name in 1905 by the International Botanical Congress.
Specific epithet means handsome or charming.
'Variegated' has variegated leaves with creamy white centers and two-tone green margins, and with racemes of funnel-shaped, purple-striped flowers on 10" scapes. The Royal Horticultural Society list this cultivar as synonymous with Hosta 'Masquerade'.
Problems
Although slugs and snails can be serious problems, and leaf spots and crown rot lesser problems, hostas are otherwise virtually disease and pest-free and are ideal, low-maintenance garden perennials. No special culture is required.
Uses
Hostas are a mainstay of the shade garden. This dwarf hosta can be mixed with other perennials in the border front, rock garden or woodland garden, or used as an edging plant, or massed and divided to create a ground cover for small areas.