Hosta 'HALCYON' plantain lily
size/type
low or groundcovering,low perennial
usual height
0,4-0,6m
usual width
0,5-1m
leaves
deciduous broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
showy
colour of flowers
blooming time
July-August
location
full to partial sun
soil type
any (acidic to alkaline)
soil moisture requirements
evenly moist (dislikes drought)
USDA zone (lowest)
3 (down to -40°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
Plantain lilies are reliable perennials from East Russia, Korea, China, and Japan. In the wild they grow in various locations – along rocky streambanks, in alpine meadows, as well as in not too shaded woodland. They are cultivated for their bold foliage, often variegated, and bell-shaped flowers in summer.
Description of the plant:
Halcyon is a mythical bird which was supposed to announce the arrival of happiness and serenity after winter solstice. It is also a popular plantain lily variety cultivated for its unique colour and superb garden performance. It makes mid-sized, about 16x10 cm large, thick, heart-shaped, distinctly ribbed, frosty blue-green leaves with a sharp tip. From midsummer rise strong, 40-60 cm tall stems topped with profuse, upright racemes composed of openly funnel-shaped, pale lilac to almost white flowers with lilac-pink veins inside. Grow it as a clump or divide young plants and plant them nearby to create a dense groundcover. Halcyon plantain lily shows excellent resistance to slugs and vine weevils, and is best grown in a location with filtered sunlight or even in full sun for profuse flowering and for best foliage colour. It thrives in planters.Hostas need constantly moist, fertile soil that never dries out – keep it always mulched. They respond well to fertilizing and produce stronger foliage and denser tufts. Ideal location is partial shade, or full sun with some shade during the day. Full shade is fine but plants may not flower as freely or at all. Drought can result in weakened plants that will be prone to diseases, and combination of drought and full sun will damage most variegated cultivars. Beware of slugs and snails who come to feast on their leaves without an invitation. Being deciduous, remove all wilted foliage from previous year in early spring and make sure not too damage emerging bourgeons. They cope well with polluted environment in cities. Hardy to about -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
Last update 27-02-2022
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GLOSSARY
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
