Fragrant hostas give you something most hostas cannot: scent. Late in summer, when much of the garden is past its best, they open large, trumpet-shaped flowers in white or pale lavender, with a sweet perfume that is strongest in the evening.
Fragrant hostas
Royal Standard and So Sweet are classics, and the double-flowered Aphrodite is one of the most unusual. Grow one by a door or a window and you will often notice it before you see it.
Most descend from Hosta plantaginea, the August lily, and many share its fresh, glossy leaves and its liking for more light than other hostas. A few hours of sun bring more flowers; in deep shade they still grow well but bloom less. The collection also includes patterned and blue-leaved varieties, from Guacamole to Fragrant Blue. Their leaves look good from spring onwards, so the flowers come as a late bonus.
Every pack contains 2 plants of the same variety and comes with our 100% growing guarantee. We ship from 1 March to 1 July.
Hosta plantaginea grows wild in China and owes its common name, the August lily, to its flowering time. Unlike most hostas, it opens its flowers in the late afternoon, and they stay fragrant through the night. Breeders have crossed it with other hostas to combine the scent with coloured and patterned leaves. In these hybrids the fragrance is often lighter than in the species and varies from one variety to the next, which is why the old forms are still worth growing.
Plantaginea Grandiflora is the August lily itself, in a form with extra-large flowers. Royal Standard is one of its best-known hybrids, and Venus and Aphrodite are among the most strongly scented. For a smaller space, Invincible stays compact.
Guacamole and Stained Glass pair bright centres with scented flowers in August. Fragrant Bouquet has light green leaves edged in cream, Cathedral Windows is a large gold-centred variety, and Tea at Bettys, new in our range, stays compact. Avocado and Emerald Charger have yellow centres with green edges, Fragrant Dream reverses the pattern with a yellow margin, and Sugar and Spice edges dark green leaves in white.
Fragrant Blue is a compact blue with scented flowers, Blue Perfection a large one with very fragrant flowers, and Tortilla Chip a large yellow.
Plant fragrant hostas where you spend summer evenings: beside a terrace or a bench, along the path to the front door or under an open window. In a large pot they can be moved close to the house when they flower. Give them a bright spot with a few hours of sun, ideally in the morning, and soil that stays moist.
Because they flower so late, usually in August and September, fragrant hostas need warmth to flower well. In cooler, northern gardens give them the warmest, most sheltered spot you have, as an early autumn frost can cut flowering short. Established clumps flower more freely than young plants, so expect the best show from the second or third summer.
Because most fragrant hostas descend from a species that tolerates heat well, they are among the best hostas for a brighter spot: Royal Standard, So Sweet, Fragrant Bouquet, Sugar and Spice and Venus all cope with more sun than most. Give them morning sun and moist soil, and they flower more freely too.
Water well in late summer, when they flower: a dry spell in August can mean fewer flowers and a weaker scent. Once a flower stem has faded, cut it off at the base to keep the plant tidy. Like all hostas they die back after the first frosts; remove the old leaves then, and the clump will flower again the following summer.
Most flower in August and September, later than other hostas. A warm summer and a few hours of sun help them flower well.
In the evening and at night, especially on warm, still days. The flowers of Hosta plantaginea and its close relatives open in the late afternoon, so plant them near the places where you sit outside after work.
No. Many hostas have white or near-white flowers without any scent. Fragrance comes mainly from Hosta plantaginea and the varieties bred from it, which is why we gather them in this collection.
Order and pay now, and your bare-root hostas ship from 1 March. Here is how pre-ordering works and what to expect when your plants arrive.
3 min read
Bare-root or potted hostas? An honest comparison of price, choice, timing and how well each grows, so you can pick the right one for your garden.
4 min read
Problems & pests
Crisp brown edges on hosta leaves are usually scorch: the leaf loses water faster than the roots can supply it, because of dry soil, hot afternoon sun, wind or competing roots. Check the soil moisture and the light first. If the brown streaks stop at the veins, or the stems collapse at the base, look for foliar nematodes or crown rot instead.
4 min read
