Hosta crispula

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −34.4 °C

Cultivation

Thrives in most fertile soils if they are rich in humus. A very slow-growing plant. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. Plants are very attractive to slugs and snails, the young shoots in spring are especially at risk[111, K]. This plant is not recognised as a species by some authorities, who see it as a garden hybrid H. 'Crispula'. Especially when grown in less than ideal conditions, this species is easily confused with H. 'Thomas Hogg' and H. fortunei 'Albomarginata'. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. This species is prone to virus disease.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 10°c. Make sure you keep the compost moist. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division is possible at almost any time of the year so long as there is sufficient moisture.

Edible uses

Leaf stems - raw or cooked[K]. Crisp and sweet but rather fibrous and chewy[K].

Material uses

A good ground cover plant.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation, it is probably of garden origin.

Native range

E. Asia - Japan.