Swamp Hosta (Hosta longissima)

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. Plants are in general fully hardy in Britain, but young leaves in spring can be destroyed by frost. New leaves are only produced in the spring and very early summer, so any damage at this time has a deep effect on the plant. The rhizome creeps extensively. 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]. A polymorphic species, it hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

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

Young leaves and leaf stems - cooked.

Habitat

Swampy grassland and other wet places, often exposed to full sun in the spring but then shaded in the summer by the long grasses it grows amongst.

Native range

E. Asia - Japan.