Hosta ‘Lancifolia’
Hosta Lancifolia is an old and very common hosta. Some sources say it was the first hosta ever grown in this country. The medium green, lance-shaped leaves arch to form dense mounds of foliage, and for me the shape of the mound is this hosta’s most attractive feature. Although Lancifolia is an extremely easy hosta to grow, the leaves are thin and slugs can be a huge problem. This is one hosta that seems to thrive in almost any growing condition, although I have noticed that the leaves become a darker green in shade. All of my Lancifolias are several years old and average around 44 inches in diameter, much larger than the size standard for this hosta.
- Information Specific to Lancifolia:
- Leaves:
- 9 inches long
4 1/2 inches wide
medium green, somewhat shiny
8 vein pairs - Flowers:
- dark purple
blooms mid to late August
35-inch high scapes - Mound Size:
- 12 inches high
30 to 32 inches wide
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Hosta, Plants in my Gardens, Voluntary Simplicity
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Comments
Comment by Jeri McC:
I have one of these, but mine sure doesn’t look as good as yours. How do you get it to be that nice a shape? Love your hosta photos!!
Comment by Tish:
You have some very nice looking hostas. Your hosta garden must be beautiful. I have about 50 hosta’s but some don’t grow so good for me and I think the soil isn’t very good. I like your site. Its very interesting.
Comment by Brian G.:
I’ve been looking at your garden pictures. Your gardens look like what I want my gardens to look like when I get done with them. Thank you for encouraging me by showing what can be done.
Comment by Shirley:
Such nice comments… thank you! I’m always glad to hear from people who love hostas. I’ve been growing hostas for quite a while, but I never get tired of them. Jeri, I think the shape comes from the hosta getting an even amount of light on all sides. I don’t do anything special… the hosta just grows that way, but I have found that when parts of my hostas are shaded, the part that is in the shade doesn’t grow as well as the areas that get more direct light.
Comment by debby bennett:
This is the first time I have heard about the vein count…is it always 100% accurate ? We are looking at a dead ringer for lancifolia but it only have 5 veins plus a mid-rib on either side.
Comment by Shirley:
Most vein pair numbers are more of an identifying indicator than 100% accurate because the numbers given are not always for mature hostas. An immature hosta will have fewer vein pairs. Sometimes a range is given… for Lancifolia, the range is 6 to 9, I believe. The numbers I give on my site are for my own hostas. My Lancifolia has eight vein pairs, but it is a mature hosta that has not been divided for many years. Perhaps yours is a younger Lancifolia?
Comment by Jillian:
I have this variety of hosta that I received about 25 years ago from a neighbor. The neighbor’s hosta has a similar environment but are a fraction of the size of mine. I factually attribute that to all the peat moss I amended the soil with, annually, when I had impatiens adjacent to the hosta. It has made a HUGE difference in the size of all of my hosta, along with watering them when needed. They really don’t like to be dry that long….they don’t complain, but are much happier and showier when given drinks!!
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