Funkia or Hosta is an ornamental and beautiful plant. Distinctive feature: large and fleshy leaves with different shapes and sizes, depending on the variety. The plant adapts well to new growing conditions, so the function can be grown on depleted and moisture-free soils. It tolerates a short-term decrease in temperature and fits perfectly into the overall landscape.

If you look at the funky that grows in natural conditions, then we can say that this is a giant plant. The leaves are very large and thick, spreading. The host looks somewhat mysterious. Only in one place you can see several plant species, because they quickly intersect and as a result new variations are formed.

Host Flower Description

The plant is not large, so the host can be grown at home. There are many varieties of this plant, adapted varieties - which can be grown on open ground and plants that are intended for growing in pots.

There are more than 60 species of herbaceous perennials. They belong to the “Asparagus” family, but earlier this species of plants was attributed to another family: “Liliaceae”.

The name of the host is unusual, thanks to the name of a botanist from Austria, who paid much attention to the reproduction and development of this plant. Previously, the flower was called funky. The homeland of this plant are the countries of eastern Asia, as well as the south-western part of the Far East, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. Despite the excellent survival rate, even in conditions of lack of fluid, the host can be found more on soils rich in moisture. The plant feels great near the banks of ponds and on the slopes of the mountains. Also, the host grows on the edges.

In Japan, this plant is worshiped and even considered sacred; some parts of the plant are used by the Japanese in cooking to prepare delicacies.

The plant is low, rosette type, grows in the form of small, but rather dense bushes with basal large and fleshy leaves. Rhizomes thickened with branches - the roots of the filaments.

Since there are more than 60 varieties of this plant and more than 4 thousand varieties (!) In nature, the leaves can differ not only in size but also in shape. You can find miniature samples, with small leaves, no larger than 5 cm, with different shapes and colors. Leaf color can be either light green or dark with a transition to a grayish-blue tint.

In some species, the leaves may not be monotonous, but with patterns: with white stripes, light stripes or strokes. Patterns can be varied in shape and length. Interestingly, depending on the plant variety and growing conditions, the shape of the leaves may vary: the edge may be smooth, sharply outlined or, on the contrary, wavy.

The flowers of the hosts are beautiful, somewhat reminiscent of lilies, of various colors. Despite the attractiveness of the colors, the hosts still attract more eyes with their dense rosettes. In diameter, they can reach up to a meter!

The plant is unpretentious and hardy, is stable - from the moment the leaves unfold (this happens in late spring) and to the end of October, the plant pleases with its unusual beauty.

Varieties and types of hosts

In landscape design, plants are very popular, there are more than 4 thousand hybrid varieties, but only a few deserve special attention, since they served as the basis for the creation of new plant varieties.

Types of hosts:

  • Curly, up to 60 cm in height, the leaves are very wide and dark in color with a white, clear and beautiful border.
  • High - in growth reaches almost a meter, the same large and dark leaves.
  • Forchuna - in height, the adult plant grows only up to 50 cm, the rim is soft-cream color, the leaves are juicy, bright green.
  • Siebold - plant growth a little more than half a meter, large leaves with veins.
  • Wavy - up to 75 cm, beautiful wavy leaves with a white middle and patterns.
  • Plantain hosta - large bright and glossy leaves, the plant is low, only 50 cm.

All varieties are classified by type:

  1. Coloring plants.
  2. Leaf size

If we consider the first group separately, then it includes 5 plant species that differ in leaf color: blue, yellow, green, variegated (with a border around the edge of leaves of light shade) and vice versa, the leaves are bright and the border is dark green.

Plant sizes in groups:

  • Group 1: dwarf. It is a room flower of the host, grows up to a maximum of 10 cm. The leaves are gray-blue, the shape of the leaves is similar to the ears of a mouse;
  • 2 group: miniature, 5 cm more dwarf with leaves of green, yellowish or blue shades;
  • Group 3: small, reach 16 cm in height and reach a maximum of 25 cm. Leaf color is saturated green with a white or yellowish stripe. There are also varieties with blue leaves;
  • 4 group: average hosts, height up to 50 cm maximum. The leaves are dark in color with a bright middle. There are varieties with white leaves, but over time they darken;
  • Group 5: large plants, up to 70 cm with leaves of various shapes and colors: smooth, compressed, with a bright border and strokes;
  • Group 6 - huge, giant plants, more than 70 cm in height with different color leaves and shape. Distinctive feature: thick and large leaves. Along the edge there can be a wide strip of gold color, there are hosts with bluish leaves along the edge and a green center.

How to grow a host at home

Khosta home - the plant is unpretentious, well adapts to any conditions and this flower can be called a plant for the lazy.

Breeding methods:

  • seeds;
  • grafting;
  • division of the bush.

Consider all the methods of breeding hosts at home

If you seriously decide to start breeding this plant and grow a host from seed at home, special attention should be paid to seed preparation.

Seed preparation and cultivation of hosts at home:

  1. Before sowing the seeds in pots, they need to soak for 30 minutes in aloe juice or any other growth stimulator. For example, suitable root or epine. The fact is that the seeds are very weak and they have poor germination. Therefore, experts advise to do so, or harden the seeds with cold: soak for 4 weeks in the cold.
  2. A sterile substrate is also an important moment, there should not be any microorganisms and fungi in the soil, as the seedlings, although they rise, will be weak and painful. For this reason, experts recommend to buy ready-made substrate in the store. In it you need to add vermiculite, peat or perlite. Or immediately buy a substrate with these components.
  3. Pot handling is a must-have procedure. The pot should be wiped with a solution of potassium permanganate or alcohol. After that, you can begin to fill the pot with a previously prepared substrate (moistening). At the bottom you need to pour a little drainage and place the moistened soil. Sprinkle the seeds on top and cover with a small layer of earth, about 1 cm thick or less. Light compaction is allowed so that moisture from the soil does not evaporate too quickly. But for the preservation of moisture, you still need to cover the pot with a package or a glass flask, you can cut the plastic bottle.
  4. The temperature of the soil at this stage should not be below +18 degrees, and even better - up to +25 degrees. Then shoots appear faster. It is necessary to wait for the emergence of the first shoots within 2-3 weeks.
  5. Seedlings are still weak, so they need to be protected from direct sunlight. It is necessary to remove condensate in a timely manner and ensure timely watering.
  6. Seeds feel great in a shaded place until the first shoots, then they need more light.
  7. Host picking - as soon as the first pair of leaves appears. Then you can plant the seedlings in separate pots.
  8. Pour drainage into the pots, a layer of store soil and fine sifted sand on top.
  9. The seedlings should be moistened for the first time with bottom irrigation: pour water into the pan, put the pot in it and wait until the soil layer is thoroughly wet.
  10. Hardening of seedlings: during the day, the film can be removed for 1-2 hours, the plants should be left outdoors if the temperature outside is optimal (not lower than +18 degrees and there is no gusty wind).
  11. House host flower develops slowly, so you need to be patient, and also take into account the factor that the host seeds can lose varietal characteristics. Therefore, you should not rely on the shape of the leaves, color and patterns.

One of the most common and simple ways of reproduction of this plant is the method of grafting and dividing the bush. If this is an adult plant, at the age of 4 years, it perfectly tolerates the division and this procedure will not affect the development and growth. If you perform the manipulation at an early age, growth inhibition may occur. But it all depends on the type of plant and climate. Some hosts will be well tolerated procedure division, and some will need a long recovery period for 1-2 years.

Features breeding hosts by grafting:

  1. Terms: end of summer or spring. But you can multiply the host with the onset of spring and until mid-autumn, that is, the entire warm period. As soon as shoots appear, in early spring the host should be carefully digged with a pitchfork in order not to damage the rhizomes and carefully cut it into several parts with a sharp knife or a shovel.
  2. How to divide the rhizomes with a pitchfork: you need to insert a pitchfork, reduce it and move it apart - this method will allow you not to injure the plant as much as when dividing with a sharp knife.
  3. Some gardeners do not rush to dig up the bush entirely, and carefully separate a small triangle from an adult plant. The resulting hole is filled with fertile soil.
  4. If by chance, when you divided the bush, the roots broke off, but the shoots still have a piece of rhizome, do not worry. It is necessary to place the cutting in a greenhouse, plant it in the shade and cover it with a plastic bottle (transparent). After a few weeks, the young plant should be rooted.
  5. In order for the host to take root faster, the cuttings need to cut the foliage in half.

Planting hosts in a pot at home

In order to plant a sapling or cutting separated from an adult plant, it is necessary to prepare the soil and the pot. Capacity should be capacious and fit the size of the plant. Therefore, at the initial stage it is necessary to know which sort you are dealing with. Not all varieties of the host can be grown at home in pots and vases. There are special varieties adapted for growing indoors.

Preparation for landing:

  1. Pot or take a pot of medium size, given the fact that with the growth will have to transplant the plant in a larger pot. In the pot should be a hole for drain.
  2. Prepare a fertile mix, drainage. Soil requirements: optimum moisture, slightly acidic or neutral, so that there is good drainage. Plants do not like heavy soil and sand.
  3. At the bottom of the pot you need to pour drainage, then fill it with half of the soil and insert the rhizome with a handle or plant a seedling in the center. Carefully fill all free space around with earth, lightly tamping it with your fingers. The soil is used for planting pre-moistened (2 hours before planting we water thoroughly).
  4. If this planting with the division of the bush, then you need to remove all damaged and dry roots.
  5. Choosing a place: the host needs to be put in a place so that the pots are not heated by direct sunlight. Rhizomes do not withstand heat and may even get burned. The plant will feel great in the penumbra and in the place where there are no drafts.
  6. When choosing a place to grow, be guided by the fact that if the leaves are bright and with a strip / ornament, the plant will need more light. If the colors are variegated, then it is part shade, but in the morning and in the evening the sun illuminates the host. If this is a view with blue leaves, then the landing hosts only in a shaded place. These types of sun need only a couple of hours a day.
  7. Watering is moderate as soon as you notice that the soil has begun to dry out.
  8. In the warm season, the pots can be taken out on the balcony or loggia, and with the onset of cold weather, put into the room. Hosts will feel good in a dry and cool room.
  9. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum, but drying out of the soil is unacceptable. Therefore, check the soil 1 time in 4 weeks. Watering is easy.
  10. With the onset of spring, the hosts will quickly wake up at home than those who have remained to spend the winter in the open field. If you see that the plant does not wake up at all and does not grow, leave the host indoors until it gets warmer. During the day, you can take the pots with plants to fresh air, and take them back at night, as the nights in spring are still cold.

Khosta - home care

In fact, it is not difficult to care for a flower at home, but here the opinions of experts and gardeners differ, as some believe that the host will wither over time, as it is more suitable for outdoor cultivation, while others believe that for all favorable conditions, the plant can please for 10-15 years.

Hosta flower - how to care:

  • for growing on the windowsill are suitable medium-sized plant varieties. And although the host does not refer to evergreens, it’s still worth a try;
  • experts recommend cleaning the flower in the basement, where the temperature will not be lower than +2 degrees. This is necessary in order for the plant to go through the same phases of development, also in open ground;
  • do I need to repot the host in a large pot? If it is a dwarf plant, then it is sufficient to immediately plant the seedlings in a spacious pot. And if the plant is medium in size, you will need a larger pot as you grow older. Khosta tolerates transplantation, but there have been cases when the plant did not take root well in a new place. Because of this, weight was lost, flowering was not so long;
  • adult plants feel well on shaded windowsills, but they occasionally need sunlight. But it should not be direct sunlight;
  • if some rare variety of dwarf hosts was purchased, then it is undesirable to divide the bush into several elements in order to plant the plants and thus propagate. The host does not accept this and may not settle down or will take a long time to take root. If you purchased a host in a container, then you need to grow it in it until a strong root system develops. And then decide what to do next: leave as is or transplant in open ground;
  • when growing in pots, every gardener wants the bush to look neat and not sprawled to the sides. Therefore, flower stalks need to break out. Otherwise, when flowering is over, the plant may fall apart. And yet: after a few years, the host will still grow strongly, so it needs to be divided: separate the young cuttings from the root and plant them in a new place.

Khosta home: diseases and pests

Since the plant is grown at home, the pests of the host are not terrible. But the disease of this plant is susceptible not only when grown in open ground, but also in pots. The host is very susceptible to the X virus - small yellow dots or spots appear on the leaves. If the plant is sick, it will have to be thrown away, because neighboring hosts in the pots may become infected. You also need to get rid of gloves and all the tools that were used in the work. Disinfect the instrument, but better to replace the pots with new ones.

Another disease of the host is follisticosis, when large brown and yellow spots appear on the leaves. Over time, they will begin to merge with each other, plaque forms on the surface. Spores affects the whole plant, including flower stalks. The soil also becomes infected, so you need to completely get rid of such a plant and throw away the pot.

Spraying with fungicides will help protect the plant from infection.

Revive your garden with colorful greenery, and take the host as an assistant. It is unpretentious when landing, in leaving and cultivation. This plant is popular in landscape design, because its leaves have different shapes and colors, depending on the variety.

Description, varieties and varieties

The beauty of this plant is in the leaves, not the flowers. From green to golden and white, from long to round and heart-shaped - this is what a host is like. Planting and care in the open field for it is very simple - another reason to pay attention to this perennial.

The host will be a wonderful garden decoration from early spring to late autumn.

Having decided to start growing hosts, see how it looks in the photo. Choose the type you like from about 3000 varieties. According to the colors of the foliage, they are combined into 5 groups:

  • green;
  • blue (with a gray tint);
  • yellow;
  • variegata (this includes hosts motley and bordered with light color);
  • media indigate (leaves are bright, with green edges).

There is a huge variety of types of hosts.

For those who grow the host in open ground, familiar and classification of varieties by size:

  • dwarf (up to 10 cm);
  • miniature (10-15 cm);
  • small (16-25 cm);
  • medium (30-50 cm), the most numerous group;
  • large (55-70 cm);
  • giant (from 70 cm).

The main species, which, including used for breeding:


There are among the host varieties of chameleons that change color during the summer season. Some species of this plant are difficult to classify, since their leaves have a blurred color. And foreign breeders bred tricolor hybrids. There is something to choose from!

Landing hosts

The optimal time for planting hosts in the open field - early spring or late August-early September. At a later time transfer is not worth it. Material for planting choose carefully. The roots should be elastic, 10-12 cm long. It is best if the sprout has 2-3 buds.

Council If you bought a host, but it’s too early to plant it, store the sprouts in a cool and dark place at t + 5-10 ° C. The basement, the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or the warmed balcony will approach.

Traditionally, the host is considered shady perennial. But there is a pattern: the lighter the foliage, the more sun the plant needs. Dark green and blue varieties must be planted in the shade. For the cultivation of light host suitable partial shade or even sunny place. Make sure that the plant is not under direct rays, otherwise you can not avoid burns on the leaves.

The host can be planted in the shade or partial shade

Good for planting and breeding in open ground suitable light, drained, wet soil. The holes should be made wide, about 30 cm deep. The distance between them should be between 30 and 100 cm (depending on the size of the plant).

Each hole about 2/3 fill with compost, peat, form a mound. Place the roots of seedlings on it, but so that there are no empty places. Straighten them, cover them with fertile soil, compact them. Complete the planting with abundant watering. Grate the roots with chopped bark or peat. This will help retain moisture. Repeat the irrigation procedure several times every 3-4 days.

Council The buds of the plant during planting should be at ground level. If necessary, add additional soil under the root.

Plant Care

Although not demanding of the host, landing and caring for it require compliance with the rules.


Fertilizer and dressing hosts

How plants look in your garden depends on the care, including the intensity of fertilizer application. More decorative looks host, which is fed 3 times per season:

  • during growth;
  • during flowering;
  • after him.

The host needs additional feeding several times a season.

For these purposes, fertilizers with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus are most often used. Compost and humus are also helpful. They are best brought in the fall. Organic fertilizer is preferable to mineral. The “golden rule” of care is not to overdo it. Too frequent or heavy feeding may cause a burn.

Plant propagation

There are 3 ways to breed hosts:

  • division;
  • grafting;
  • growing from seed.

Bushes are usually divided in May or at the end of summer. The smaller the split part, the more time it will take to grow. Another method of reproduction, grafting, involves the separation from the adult shrub sprout with part of the rhizome. Cuttings in the open ground is planted immediately, they are watered and shaded.

Dividing the bush hosts

Growing a seed host is a laborious and time consuming process. Germination of material is 70-80%, so before sowing it needs to be treated with growth stimulants. Another way - for 30 days to hold the seeds in the cold. It is also important to ensure the sterility of the soil and tanks for planting. Before sowing the hosts, the pots must be disinfected with potassium permanganate or alcohol.

Seed multiplication should begin in April or May. Pour drainage into containers, then mix it, pour it. Spread the seeds, sprinkle them on top of the soil (layer thickness - 5-7 mm). Lightly apply it, cover the container with glass or film and place it in a shady place. Germination temperature hosts - + 18-25º C. In such conditions, seedlings appear after 2-3 weeks.

Seed hosts

At this time, the care of young seedlings consists in moderate watering and removal of condensate. Keep sprouts on a lighted place, protecting from direct sunlight. When the first pair of leaves appears, swoop down the seedlings. The soil in new tanks should be ¼ covered with sand. To water, place the pots in a deep bowl and wait until the top layer is wet. Harden sprouts: temporarily remove the glass or film, and after about a week remove them altogether.

If the air temperature is already above + 18º C, leave containers with seedlings in the open air for a short time. Experienced gardeners warn: despite the right care, the host develops very slowly. In addition, she often loses signs of variety.

Diseases and pests hosts

Hosta rarely gets sick, but one of the most characteristic ailments for her is phyllostiktosis. Yellow-brown spots appear on the leaves. The affected plants must be burned and the soil must be disinfected. If you notice a gray rot or sclerotinia on the leaves, apply fungicides.

Phyllosticosis hosts

Pests that make big holes in the beautiful foliage of the hosts - slugs. To scare them away, bark the ground with something caustic: rubble or broken shells. Help and beer bait. Place containers with this drink around the bushes, and in a day choose slugs from them. To fight insects (caterpillars, grasshoppers) use insecticides.

Hosta: combination with other plants

The leaves of the hosts create harmonious combinations with Brunner, Geyher and ferns. These plants look advantageous against the background of conifers. Also try the composition with primrose, geraniums, Goryanka. Make a beautiful landscape with lungwort, anemone, foxglove, astilba.

Hosta on a bed

It is believed that it is not necessary to combine the cultivation of roses and hosts. This is explained by the fact that they have different requirements for illumination. However, in landscape design, this combination is quite common. In these cases, gardeners recommend planting a host on the north side of the bush.

Khosta in landscape design

Applications of this perennial in landscape design a lot. First of all, the host is a ground cover plant for shady places. She creates comfort in the gardens, stylized as natural nature. If, however, decide to combine the cultivation of roses and hosts, decorate them, for example, the shore of the reservoir.

Khosta in landscape design

Use this plant for decoration garden paths, framing lawns. Growing a host in pots, decorate her patio or gazebo. It is also good for vertical beds. A successful addition in this case will be phlox or daylilies.

Whichever way you like to decorate a garden, the host is unlikely to disappoint you. Rather, on the contrary: seriously and permanently conquer with its charm and unpretentiousness.

Growing hosts: video

Kinds of hosts: photo




Unpretentious shade-tolerant perennial with decorative foliage - the host, planting which is carried out in compliance with some nuances, is of considerable interest among gardeners. Decorative leaves, their shape, size, color, the preservation of unique varietal characteristics depend on the growing conditions of the flower.

Choosing a landing site host

On comfortable sites hosts grow to 20 years. Their seedlings, gradually gaining strength, turn into beautiful spreading bushes. The ideal place for planting host - the corners of the garden with penumbra, sheltered from drafts. However, a thick shadow does not suit every kind of flower.

Plants with bright foliage, white and yellow patches need more light. They are planted in places where a light shadow falls at noon, and in the morning and in the evening enough sunlight penetrates. This allows you to save varietal characteristics of plants. The shape, color and size of the leaves they remain unchanged.

Under the landing of blue varieties, the host assign zones with thick shadow. They are well developed in areas illuminated by the sun only 2 hours a day. In highly shaded areas, perennials grow slowly. Growing up, they turn into rather tall, spreading bushes with large, intensely colored leaves. In sunny areas, the foliage of these varieties becomes shallow, changes color. Beautiful bluish-blue or purple hues turn green.

The soil

Hosts prefer to grow on fairly moist, humus-enriched, drained soils. Neutral light loams are ideal for their development. Depleted soil before planting this perennial enrich with humus, sand, fertilizers and drugs that activate the growth of flowers.

Permissible landing host in areas with sandy soils. In this case, there are two features in plants. They have a slow growth and poor development of the bushes. But the foliage becomes more intense color.

Heavy loams and wetlands are unsuitable for cultivating these flowers. In areas with stagnant water, the root system rots. Plants are affected by disease.

Landing host

Gardeners practice 3 ways to breed a host. The flower is grown from seeds. By autumn, cuttings are cut and planted in flower beds. In the spring and autumn the bushes are taken apart in delenki. Select healthy sockets and put them in a permanent place of growth.

Growing a seed host

Planting hosts seeds - troublesome occupation. Seeds of this flower do not germinate well (no more than 70-80% of planting material grows). Therefore, gardeners before sowing, which is produced in early April, the seeds are subjected to stratification and treated with growth stimulants (kept in a solution of epin, zircon, or other means).

For growing seedlings need a sterile substrate (a mixture of perlite, peat and vermiculite), not affected by fungi and pathogens. Otherwise, the seedlings grow frail and painful.

Planting containers are kept in a solution of potassium permanganate. At the bottom of the disinfected containers fall asleep drainage and substrate. The soil is abundantly watered, seeds are distributed over it, and 7 mm of soil mixture is poured over them. The earth is slightly tamped, which contributes to the preservation of moisture.

Containers covered with PVC film. Seeds at a temperature of + 18-25 0 C germinate for 14-21 days. Seedlings are protected from direct sunlight, moderately watered, prevent condensation.


Dive seedlings in pots begin when a pair of leaves appears. Sprouts are placed in a nutrient mixture sprinkled with sand. Moisturize the soil by the method of bottom irrigation. Pots of flowers are placed in a container with high sides, leave them there until the soil is completely wet.

After diving, the seedlings are quenched, removing the PVC film from it. After 7 days, they stop covering her completely and start to take out onto the street if the temperature reaches +18 0 C.

Seedling development is slow. Bushes become decorative only 3-4 year. If seeds are planted, the host often loses the inherent characteristics of the variety.

How to plant seedlings, delenki and cuttings

Before planting, the flower bed is dug up, it is raised above the ground level by 10-15 centimeters, which allows to improve soil aeration. The wells are filled with drainage material and a layer of humus with the addition of mineral fertilizers.

The root system of flowers expands horizontally. The larger the size of the hole, the better the bush will grow. Sockets or seedlings of small and medium-sized species are planted at a distance of 30-60 centimeters. Delenki large varieties planted, retreating 80-100 centimeters.

By landing host start in May, when the threat of frost has passed. Seedlings before planting plentifully watered. A lump of earth is carefully transferred from the containers into the hole, gently sprinkling the substrate from its sides, freeing the roots. Deepen the seedlings by 2-3 cm relative to the ground level. Sprinkle with soil, crush it and water well. Spread the mulch around the seedling.

Bushes are divided into rosettes in May or September. A quality seedling is considered a 1-2 year old delenka with developed leaf buds. The sockets remove dried, rotten and damaged roots. Disinfect the root system in a solution of potassium permanganate. The roots of delenok gently straighten the hole, sprinkle them with earth, which is slightly compacted. Ensure that the tip of the kidney remains above the ground.


Cherenko hosts in May and July. Cuttings are cut from young, easily detachable shoots. To reduce evaporation, the foliage is cut in half. Cuttings transplanted into the ground, first fade. But after 2-3 days they come to normal.

Caring for hosts

Decorative flowers - hosts, planting and care, which are simple, look great in various garden arrangements. Well-groomed lush bushes form harmonious compositions. To perennials grew well, gardeners monitor their development.

In the fall, the soil around the host is mulched. Mulch fills nutrient deficiencies. Compost 5-6 centimeters thick raises flower beds above ground level, improving their drainage properties and aeration.

Top dressing

Hosts are responsive to fertilizing. With proper nutrient input, plants grow quickly, forming lush bushes with large foliage. Perennials are fed with mineral fertilizers and organic matter.

When applying mineral fertilizers are not zealous. They play the role of vitamin supplements. Bushes are fed with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Primary dressing with minerals is done in April, when foliage grows intensively in the bushes. Re-fertilizers are applied at the end of May. In mid-July, the final dressing of mineral supplements.

Fertilizers are applied, abundantly watering the bushes, or after precipitation. Water dissolves trace elements, which helps the flowers to easily absorb and quickly assimilate. The fertilizer crystals are distributed around the root system, not allowing them to fall on the foliage.

Organic - the basis of nutrition host. It is added in the fall when mulching is performed. Organic additives enhance the structure of the soil and enrich it with nutrients.

Khosta (funky - the second name of the shrub) - winter-hardy, shade-tolerant and moisture-loving plant, the flowers of which are collected in racemes. In the article you will find information about the rules of cultivation, planting in open ground and about the care in the spring, summer and autumn, as well as photos and descriptions of different varieties of this plant.

Characteristics and properties of the flower

Hosta - perennial deciduous plant of the host family with elliptical leaves collected in a dense bush. It comes from the Far East.

Leaves hosts - basal, lanceolate, rounded and petiolate.  Petioles have a different shape - this is one of the signs of the species. The leaves are dense, which allows them to tolerate drought well.

The surface of the sheet may be grooved or smooth. There are varieties whose leaves are no more than 6 cm, while others have more than 100 cm. Some species have spiral leaves. Each variety has its own peculiarities of care.

Photos of the most popular varieties

The most common types of garden host:

  1. Hosta white-haired- A small shrub with weakly grooved petioles and ovoid green leaves with a white border.
  2. Hosta swollen- A small plant with deeply grooved petioles and widely ovate green leaves with a shiny bottom side.
  3. Hosta high- large shrub with arcuate petioles and dense green leaves with a lower matte side.
  4. Khosta decorative- a small plant with flat broad petioles and broad-oval green leaves with a white border.
  5. Zibold hosta- medium bush with grooved petioles and elongated heart-shaped gray-green leaves.
  6. Hosta Elegans Elegans- Medium shrub with wide heart blue-gray leaves.
  7. Hosta beautiful  –Small sized plant with small oval green leaves.
  8. Hosta curly- small bush with ovate-heart-shaped green matte leaves with a white border at the bottom.
  9. Hosta wavy -medium bush with wavy grooved petioles and oval-pointed leaves with wavy veins.
  10. Hosta Plantain  - a large plant with ovoid-heart-shaped thin green shiny foliage.

By leaf colorhosts are distinguished into the following types:

  1. Hosta yellow -shrubs with yellow leaves. Yellow hosts include the following varieties: “Gold Standard” (Gold Standard, Gold Standart), “Tortilla Chip”, “Golden Sunburst”, “Lakeside Cha Cha”.
  2. Hosta green -leaves of all shades of green. The most common varieties: “Honey Belz” (Honey Bells), “Royal Standard” (Royal Standard, Royal Standart), “Big Boy” (Big Boy, Big Boy), “Empress Wu” (Empress Wu).
  3. Hosta blue -bushes with blue, blue, bluish leaves. Grades: Blue Cadet, Canadian Blue (Canadian Blue), Abiqua Drinking Gourd, Big Daddy, Blue Angel ), “Bressingham Blue” (Bressingham Blue), “Halcion” (Halcyon).
  4. Hosta Variegata -the leaves of this species are motley, framed by a bright border. Popular varieties: “Full Bowl” (Brim Cap, Brim Cup), “Patriot” (Patriot), “Carnival” (Carnival), “Golden Tiara” (Golden Tiara), “American Halo” (American Halo), “Robert Frost ”(Robert Frost),“ Albarginat ”(Albomarginata),“ Moerheim Hybrid ”(Moerheim),“ Pizzazz ”(“ Pizzazz ”),“ Christmas Tree ”(“ Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree ”),“ Black Jade ”(Black Jade),“ First Frost, Time Tunnel, Stiletto, Antioh (Antioh), Aureomarginata, Ivory Coast, Way Brim (Vide Brim, Wide brim), “Karin” (Karin), “Minuteman” (Minuteman), “France” (Frans, France).
  5. Hosta Mediovariate- this type is characterized by bright leaves with a green border around the edge. Grades: “Fire and Ice” (Fire and Ice, Fire and Ice), “Saint Paul” (Saint Paul), “Chameleon” (Albopicta, Albopicta), “Undulata”, “Magic Island” (Magic Island) , “June” (June), “Univitata” (Univitata), “Guacamole” (Guacamole), “Orange Marmalade” (Orange Marmalade), “Sharman” (“Sharmon”), “Free Wind”, “Cherry Berry” ).

It is worth to emphasize the hybrid variety “White Feathers” (White Feather, White Feather), the leaves of which are creamy-white in color, over time, green veins appear on them that fill almost the entire leaf.

Growing seeds from home and taking care of seedlings

Seeds hosts have a very bad germination rate - 70-80%. The sowing period is calculated, taking into account the number of days required for pre-treatment and seed germination at home and the time when you will plant the plant in open ground.


Before sowing for better germination of seeds, they must be treated with growth stimulants.

To improve germination, you can resort to stratification. Pthe process consists of 2 stages:  swelling and cooling of seeds.

  1. Prepare the substrate: sifting dry sphagnum moss or peat through a 0.5 cm sieve. Warm up in the water bath for 1.5 - 2 hours, you can also add some of the sand that has been preheated.
  2. Add water to the substrate - 4: 1.
  3. In the same ratio mix the substrate with the seeds.
  4. Mix the mixture in a plastic bag and keep it warm for no more than 2 to 3 days to swell the seeds.
  5. Package placed in the refrigerator, taking into account the fact that the temperature will be from + 1 ° to + 5 °. Package periodically shake and turn to improve air circulation.
  6. Seed stratification takes 1 month.

Prepare containers and soil for sowing:

  1. Capacity is better to take shallow and wide. In the tank must be openings for water flow.
  2. The soil for sowing should be loose, without lumps. If there is no ready substrate, prepare a mixture: turf and leaf soil, sand in the ratio 1: 2: 1.
  3. To prevent diseases, the soil must be heated in a water bath or spilled with boiling water.
  4. To sow the seeds at the rate of: 1 cm - one seed. Lightly sprinkle with earth, gently seal and shed water.
  5. After watering, cover the crops with paper and on top of it with plastic wrap. Paper is needed to absorb excess moisture.
  6. Film daily to remove for airing.

After 20-30 days, the first shoots will appear  for which you need special care .   Dive seedlings, when there will be 2-3 leaves, into the soil, consisting of a third of sand and, preferably, in a container with high sides.

Moisten plants through lower watering. For 10 days, take shelter from crops for several hours so that the seedlings adapt to the new conditions.

Timely water the seedlings.  Monitor the temperature, optimal from + 18 ° to + 20 °. Take out for hardening to fresh air when the temperature reaches + 20 °. Starting from 30-40 minutes, gradually increasing exposure to air.

Despite the careful care of the host from seed, it grows very slowly and will become a full-fledged bush for 3-5 years.  A plant grown from seed often loses its varietal characteristics.

How to grow a host in a pot

The pot should fit in size and contain the required amount of substrate.


As the plant grows, repot it into a larger pot.subject to the following conditions of care and landing rules :

  1. At the bottom of the pot pour drainage, on top - a layer of rotted manure. This will provide the plant with additional nutrition.
  2. The top layer of the substrate - mulch, it will help avoid excessive evaporation of moisture.
  3. The potted plant needs careful care: frequent watering and feeding.
  4. Outdoors, the pot should be placed so that the sun does not heat it to prevent root burn.
  5. In winter, keep the plant pot in a cool dry place.
  6. Once a month, check the condition of the soil to prevent drying.
  7. After the winter, the host, growing in a pot, wakes up much faster in the spring than in the open field.
  8. Out on the street to make the host after the threat of frost has passed. You can make the day on the street, and at night to enter the room.

Planting in the open ground in spring

At a suitable site with proper care, the host grows to 20 years, gaining strength, turning into a beautiful spreading bush.

1. How to choose a landing time

Host is better to plant in the spring, so she had time to take root. Replant - as soon as the young shoots. It is possible to make landing in an open ground and during the whole summer.

When planting in the fall - until mid-September.The host of the pot is planted in June, when the threat of spring frosts is over.

2. The choice of a place for planting and soil preparation

An ideal site for a host is partial shade and lack of strong wind:

  1. A host with bright foliage and colored patches requires more light, but not direct sunlight. This will help preserve the varietal characteristics.
  2. Blue varieties need a thick shadow. They need 2 hours of sunlight. In the shade, they grow slowly and turn into sprawling bushes with lush colored leaves. In the sun, these varieties become smaller and change color.

To soil plants are undemanding. The best is loamy soil with neutral acidity. On a sandy soil, plant growth will slow down, but color qualities improve significantly.


Place for landing in autumn:  pick up a suitable site and distribute a thick layer of 8-10 cm of organic fertilizer on the ground. Dig a plot with fertilizer to a depth of 30 cm. Everything is ready for spring planting.

3. The process of transplanting in open ground

Plant the plant in the open ground only after the threat of spring frosts.

Seedlings or potted plants before planting water:

  1. To prepare the wells, taking into account the type of plant, leave a gap for large plants - 80-100 cm, for small ones - 30-60 cm.
  2. Before landing, pour water into the well.
  3. Carefully flatten the roots of the seedling and place in the hole.
  4. Cover with soil, leaving 2-3 cm from the edge of the soil, lightly pour and pour in plenty.
  5. Cover the soil around the seedling with mulch. Well bark, sawdust or needles.

Breeding

Propagated by host seeds, bush division and cuttings:

  1. Seeds are planted in the open ground in spring.  Sit in rows. Subsequently, the plant dives and grows for 2-3 years.
  2. Grafting is a quick way to breed. Small shoots with a heel and small leaves to land on a shaded garden bed, the gap between the plants 10x10 or 10x15 cm. Cut the apex to a third or half. Variegated varieties breed very easily. They are immediately planted in place. The plant takes roots for 2-3 weeks. Plant 6 cuttings per 1 m2.
  3. Old bushes divided into parts with 3-4 shoots.  This can be done in the fall and spring. The socket will be restored in the year of landing.

Care

  1. Plant periodically weed. Remove old and dried leaves.
  2. Loosen gently and shallowly, as the roots of the host are close to the surface.
  3. Remove flower stalks, then the bush will be neat, and will not fall apart in different directions.
  4. In autumn, before frosts, cut the bush under the root. Cover the plant with compost.

1. Feeding

  1. Feed the plant 3 times per season: in spring, during flowering and in autumn. Top dressing to carry out after watering.
  2. Feed the mullein, diluted 1:10 with water, superphosphate and saltpeter.
  3. In the spring - with urea and humus mulch.
  4. Organic and mineral fertilizers should be alternated.
  5. Fertilizer granules should be used with care so that the leaves do not get burned.

2. Watering


In dry weather, irrigate by sprinkling.  Spill the soil up to 15 cm deep. Water in the morning or in the evening. Shrubs on sandy ground water daily.

3. Diseases and pests

  1. The main "enemy" of hosts is slug.  To get rid of it will mulch the soil. Well suited mulch of pine needles or sharp small pebbles. Water only in the morning.
  2. Yellow spots on the leaves indicate the appearance of nematodes. If small leaves are put in water for 10-30 minutes, they will be visible in water. The infected plant is removed from the site.
  3. From overwetting the host affects the fungal disease.  Sick plant will have to be removed. For prevention, it is recommended to disinfect the instrument, since the disease is transmitted within the site. It is difficult to detect the disease, but the blue varieties are most susceptible to it, and the host is curly-headed.

Hosts are great in rock gardens, water and group plantings. At observance of all the features of care and planting rules, this plant will delight you with its lush bush at dachas and in gardens, both as a curb along the paths, and in single plantings. And some miniature species can be grown as an indoor plant.

In natural conditions, the host plant grows on river banks and damp rocky forest areas in the Far East, in Japan and Southeast Asia. In the nineteenth century, for a long time, it was only a part of collections in European botanical gardens. Then florists began to make out bouquets of her luxurious leaves and only then she appeared in private gardens. Decorative leafy plants give the garden aristocracy and elegance. Among them, one of the leading places rightfully began to occupy the host. The article will discuss the cultivation of hosts and the proper care of it.

  Khosta in landscape design

The popularity of plants around the world is growing day by day. Culture is widely promoted by host amateur societies, which also test new varieties and organize exhibitions. The increasing popularity is largely due to the fact that lovers of country life turn their gardens into parks, where tall shady trees grow and few sunny areas remain. Not many flowering crops like to grow in the shade. This is where luxury shade-loving hosts come in handy, which create unique landscapes.

  • Beloved by gardeners in many countries of the host (Hosta), sometimes called funky, is a perennial ornamental herb. Its beauty is mainly provided by the numerous leaves growing from the basal rosette and having the most different shapes, colors, sizes and textures.
  • The shape of the leaves, depending on the variety, may be rounded, elongated oval, triangular. There is also a large range of foliage sizes, from a tiny 5 cm to a large 40 cm in length. But most striking variety of colors. There are all shades of green and cream, there are bluish, golden and motley varieties, varieties with fringed foliage. The texture of the leaves can be matte, smooth, slightly embossed, velvety.
  • It does not bloom as gorgeous as, for example, roses, but it is quite attractive - on high peduncles growing from the center of the rosette, there are flowers of a host resembling bells of blue, lilac, purple or white. Fruits trihedral seed pods with flat winged seeds.

  • The ability to grow perfectly in the shade, endurance to adverse climatic conditions, unpretentiousness and, of course, high decorativeness - all these qualities have made the host very popular for creating magnificent landscape designs. It is often placed in flower beds, rabatki, used for borders or in single landings - everywhere it is good.
  • The plant has the ability to grow with its powerful rhizomes. Therefore, its dwarf varieties are often used as a ground cover culture. In such cases, at the time of flowering, tall peduncles with bell-shaped or racemose flowers look large in large areas covered with green or multi-colored foliage.
  • There are giant varieties, reaching almost two meters in height, they often play a solo role in designs. But in areas with short summers and long, cold winters, such hosts do not have time to grow to large sizes.

  Hosta landing

  • Professional gardeners consider early spring, when the roots start to grow, and the foliage has not developed, as the optimal time for planting new and separating old overgrown bushes. Only Siebold and Tokudama varieties do not tolerate the spring division.
  • Seedlings choose healthy with live elastic rhizomes of about 10 cm in length, with 2-3 growth buds. Planting material with dried roots is not worth buying, because it is likely that growth buds died. Until planting in the ground, plants can be stored in a cool dark place, for example, on the bottom shelf of a refrigerator or in a basement.

  • Varieties with green or bluish foliage are planted in partial shade, protected from the wind, but variegated varieties can be settled in the sunny area, but always with shading from the midday heat, as in most cases the leaves begin to burn out in the sun, which makes the planting unattractive.
  • Although the culture is undemanding to the ground, it gives its preference to permeable neutral or slightly acid soils, which contain a lot of humus. The host is a long-lived, it can grow in one place for several years, so before planting the earth is enriched with rotted humus and compost, you can add peat, wood ash and mineral complex fertilizers.
  • The landing pit must be of sufficient size so that the plant will be comfortable for many years:
    1. recommend digging a hole at least 35 cm in diameter and in depth. At the bottom of the poured a 5-centimeter layer of drainage of expanded clay, gravel or broken brick;
    2. then the pit is half (or more) filled with nutrient soil mixture, it depends on the size of the seedling root system, and is watered;
    3. in the middle they make a small hillock on which the roots are carefully straightened and covered with the remaining fertile soil. The plant is planted so that the growth buds are not buried below ground level. After planting, they water it again and mulch it with peat or humus by 2-3 cm.
  • Given that the culture grows heavily over time, with group plantings or design of borders, saplings of large-leaved varieties are placed no closer than 40 cm from each other. Dwarf varieties can be planted more often.

  • In the first year you should not wait for miracles. Only in two or three years the young plant will gain strength and begin to delight with its large and beautiful leaves.

  Bushes division

  • Plants that have reached the age of five can be divided for reproduction. To do this, with the help of the fork, the curtain is carefully dug out and carefully divided into parts, so as to injure the roots as little as possible.
  • There should be at least three stems in the delenka. On the resulting delenka pruned foliage, leaving the stalks. The roots with a sharp pruner are also slightly shortened. This is done to stimulate the formation of young roots.
  • Then they are planted in prepared landing pits, watered and mulched. Planting depth should be the same as that of the mother plant.

  Seed planting

  • You can grow the host and through the seedlings. Why in the first week of April, the seeds are sown in pots with a nutritious mixture. Shoots appear after 2.5 - 3 weeks. Pots should be in a semi-shaded place. In August, the seedlings are transplanted to the ridge at the same depth.

  • Some people sow seeds in May on a shady piece of land in the garden and cover it with a nonwoven covering material. The soil should be kept wet and covered with mulch on top.
  • The method of propagation by seeds requires a great deal of patience from the gardener, since the plant needs about four years to gain strength and become decorative. In addition, there is no certainty that the seed will turn out to be a plant that looks like a plant. Therefore, this method is like a little.

  Hosta care

  • This culture, as if specially created for those who do not particularly like to delve into the earth, who prefer to enjoy passive recreation in the country. She simply surprises with her unpretentiousness. True, young plants still require some attention. They need to be watered regularly, but adult hosts have drought tolerance. Weeding is almost no need for weeding, since the dense foliage of the host and their extensively growing root system simply prevents them from growing.

  • Water is usually watered in the morning or evening. If the foliage at the ends begins to darken, it means that the plant is not enough moisture. The soil should be kept wet all the time. It is better to water under the root, not wetting the foliage, especially varieties with a waxy bluish bloom on the leaves. Since the water will wash it off and leave ugly stains.
  • Hosts are very responsive to feeding, although they can do without them. Adult plants are fed three times over the summer - in early spring, before and after flowering. For fertilizing apply ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium sulphate. Give fertilizer, strictly dosing, avoiding overfeeding. Especially it should be taken into account when last feeding, because otherwise the plant is poorly prepared for winter and can freeze. If at planting the soil is well prepared, then start feeding in the second or third year.
  • Since the roots are located shallowly, in order to avoid their damage, it is better to refuse loosening, and to do mulching with peat or humus, which retains moisture.
  • Autumn frosts leaves partially damaged, but it does not matter, as the plant enters a period of rest. To cut or not to cut the leaves must decide the owner of the garden. There are no clear recommendations on this. Some cut off the foliage, in order to restore order and cleanliness, as well as explaining this procedure by the fact that the larvae of harmful insects and pathogens remain on the damaged leaves for the winter.

  • Others leave the leaves under the snow, suggesting that they provide additional root protection from the cold weather. There is an opinion, and not without reason, that cutting the plant is not necessary at all, since the overwintering dry leaves in the spring undergo very rapid decomposition, and serve as additional nutrition for the soil, thereby increasing its fertility.
  • Basically, diseases and most pests of hosts are not terrible. With the exception of the voracious slugs that can pass through the leaves to holes. In order to combat these pests, some gardeners scatter a layer of sharp pebbles, broken shells, fine wood chips, and small cones under the plants. Good results are obtained with dry mulch needles. Slugs do not like to crawl on a caustic surface, and they will annoy less.
  • Those who do not like to use chemistry in their garden, spray the hosts from the inside of the leaf with infusions of strongly smelling plants - garlic, lavender, rosemary, mustard. After irrigation and mulching, sprinkle the root area with red pepper or dry mustard.
  • Sometimes plants are affected by phyllostiktosis, a fungal disease that causes brown spots on the leaves. In this case, remove the diseased leaves and burn them, and spray the plant with preparations containing copper.

  Khosta varieties

  • Sort Magicieslandhas a medium size. The foliage is blue-green with a yellow center spot. Over time, the stain expands and gradually becomes creamy-white. Slugs and snails do not like this variety. It grows well in sunny places with light shading.

  • Sort Hosts Moonsplit  rounded bright light yellow leaves of medium size. The middle of the leaf is decorated with a narrow green stripe.
  • Unique beauty is the variety Whitefeather  with white leaves, on which stripes of green are formed in summer, and by autumn the foliage is completely green. In height the adult plant grows up to 45 - 50 cm.
  • Spectacular host Rainforest Sunrise  recognized as one of the best in 2013. It grows up to 40 cm. Bright lemon leaves having a heart-shaped shape are framed with a blue border. Curtains grow very slowly.
  • Will give the garden an elegant look Dancing in the Rain. This variety has original wave-shaped leaves of blue-green color with a white center. Bushes grow average size. Photos of the hosts in this class are shown below.

  • AbbaDabbaDo  possesses elongated green foliage, decorated with a bright yellow border. The leaves have cramped texture and slightly curved at the ends, which gives the plant elegance and charm. Flowers lavender color.
  • One of the most contrasting is the variety Patriot. Bright contrast is achieved by the white edging of dark green leaves. Decorated with lilac flowers.
  • Hosta Riskybusiness appeared not so recently in Russia, but has already won the hearts of many lovers of its beauty. Its dark green leaves are decorated with a white stripe in the middle, which gives the bush a festive sparkling look.

Labor breeders derived a great many varieties of hosts. Having carefully studied their characteristics, each gardener will be able to choose plants to his taste, which will fascinate with their beauty for many years.