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A great plant for shady locations. Hosta can be grown as ground cover, in the border, as edging plants or specimens. They are grown mainly fo their foliage, but they produce beautiful spikes of 
flowers.
Flowers range in color from lilac blue to white. Hosta foliage is extermely variable in color, texture, shape and size. They are strong growers and do well in any moist soil in part or full shade. They require little care and have few problems other that slugs and chewing insects that can disfigure the leaves. Most bloom mid-August to September. They are propogated by division and are hardy to USDA Zone 3.
WHAT IS A JUDGE LOOKING FOR?
from the Judges Handbook
The American Hosta Society
FORM
Is the leaf graceful, attractive, true to variety, fully developed, not frail or immature. Is it crumpled, creased, crimped, sagging or abnormally twisted? Since the skill of the exhibitor in selecting, and in preparing the leaf is evident here, torn, chewed edges, malformed stem, or an overly short petiole will detract.
SIZE
The leaf is, or is not, normal for a well grown specimen of a particular variety.
COLOR AND PATTERN
Pattern is a part of color, and is listed to emphasize its importance. Mottling and streaking must be uniform and attractive. Folding, sunburn, discoloration due to disease, damage, insects, old age -- all of these are faults. Dry edges affect the color. 
Color and pattern should be typical of the variety, properly grown. Gold should be attractive, brilliant, fresh, clear, sparkling. “Bloom” should be undisturbed on both sides of the leaf.
TEXTURE
Texture is the surface quality of a leaf such as ribbed, puckered, waffled, and fairly smooth. Texture also included the appearance of the surface, the dullness, silken gleam, the “bloom” seen on the glaucous varieties. Any lack of normal feel or appearance is a fault. The texture of the particular variety being judged should be known by the judge. Rough textures darken colors, adding richness. Smooth textures make color glow and give it vividness.
CONDITIONING AND GROOMING
Health, good development, and maturity without being over age, with firm substance, no signs of disease or insect damage; all these indicate good condition. Wilting, flabbiness, disease, insect holes are faults, as is dirt or other foreign matter on the leaves and spray residue. Much care must be taken in washing to avoid damage to the “bloom” of some varieties or the delicate surface of others. 
Cleanliness, a neatly trimmed stem and general spruced up appearance of container and specimen would indicate good grooming. A dirty wilted leaf will loose many more points than a pin prick hole.
SUBSTANCE
This is the quality of firmness and rigidity of the leaf and petiole which enables it to retain its characteristic form, overall freshness and color. The leaf should be: strong, firm, crisp. Substance varies with varieties and species within a plant family. Turgidity will be high when the specimen is in its prime and has been well conditioned or hardened off for showing. 
Limpness, wilting, thinning may be due to a lack of attention to horticultural needs such as water, fertilization, and shading.
LABELING
The exhibit should be correctly labeled and the entry tag correctly filled out.
