floralartmall.com

The Genus Hosta/Giboshi Zoku
a comprehensive and instructive reference for Hosta.

The Hosta Book ~ informational and wonderfully illustrated with gorgeous coloured photographs throughout

The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas~ expert advice on cultivation, propagation, and garden uses of the hosta as well as an A-Z plant directory listing some 400 cultivars and forms.
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Hosta, Plantain Lily plant information for growing and its use in flower arranging

Common Name: Hosta, Plantain Lily
Family: Liliaceae 
Country of Origin: Hostas originally came from Japan, China, and Korea. They were first introduced to Europe in the late 1700s and then  the United States in the middle 1800s. 
Description: Hostas are extremely popular, hardy herbaceous perennials grown primarily for their beautiful foliage. They are easy to grow, shade-tolerant plants. Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures and may be solid in color or variegated in different combinations of blue, green, white, and gold
Winter: All hosta varieties go dormant in the winter. They wither to almost nothing after a few cold nights. In cold winter areas, cover the withered plant with about 3 inches of  mulch to insulate the roots from the severe cold. When spring rolls around, new leaves grow from the roots and the hosta quickly returns to its full leafy glory. Snails and slugs love to eat hostas. Apply Slug and Snail Bait to the area around your hostas 2 to 3 times a year during the growing season. 
Growing Hostas: Hostas love the shade out of the direct sunlight. Most varieties will grow best with just a few hours of morning sunlight. Blue varieties will keep their colour longer if grown in open shade, with no direct sun. Green and Gold varieties will tolerate more sun with adequate amounts of water. Hostas are hardy in growing zones 3 through 10. The plants tend to grow larger and produce more intense, bluer and greener colouration in cooler climates. 
With just 2 strelitzia leaves,  9 hosta leaves and a few daisies you can make an elegant, modern design with the hosta leaves as the stars. Inside the glass bowl, around the pin holder, I added water and daisies to add dimension and a view for the closer look.More hosta also were encircled around the inside of the bowl.
The hosta leaves  look wonderful  as a foil  to delicate fine ferns or  the shape of sweet peas. 
To condition the hosta leaves, they were soaked overnight in fresh water, fully submerged. They will last well over two weeks in a cool place out of draughts.The flowers are also long lasting and are great in pastel designs as they help to establish height.
A  wise florist and floral artist once told me,"Tricia, always grow foliage  in your garden, even it is a tiny area, you can always buy flowers but foliage is harder to find!" I have a tiny garden at the moment and  she was right.  I grow foliage for my designs and I can make a design with the minimum of flowers as in the example I made for this page! So have a go, and buy a few hosta plants !