Garden plant: Funkien: heart leaf in the garden

The Funkie (Hosta), also known as the heart leaf lily, inspires more and more garden enthusiasts. Because the frugal perennial with the picturesque foliage offers an incredible variety of colors and shapes.

They come from Asia, belong to the agave family and are known for their decorative foliage: Funkien or Hosta (named after the Austrian botanist Nicolaus Thomas Host). They are also popularly called heart-leaf lilies, and whoever looks at the swing of their leaves immediately understands why.

Lush variety

The lavish foliage with its graphic appearance fascinates with an immense variety of shapes and colors. It makes Funkien ideal ground cover, but also magnificent soloists.

Funkien are lovers of shadows

Plants feel most comfortable in cool, shady locations. For a long time they were therefore mainly used as cast for shady places where nothing else grows. But that has changed. There are now varieties of all sizes and for every location in the garden, even for sunny places. The more yellow the foliage, the more sun it can take. In contrast, varieties with white-green or blue-gray-green leaves prefer shade, they "burn" easily in direct sunlight.

From Funkien there are now numerous cultivations up to blue-violet leaf colorations

Photo: BGL

Image change

The flowering period lasts from June to August. But in the past, the rather inconspicuous, light purple flowers received little attention. Until new varieties with an often fragrant gauze were grown, in many distinctive color moods from white to lavender.

Summer joy: thanks to new varieties, the flowers are also increasingly in the spotlight. They sit in bunches on long stems - here at the small garden radio Hosta Sieboldii

/ Mr_Coffee

Even in the decoration area, hostas are a great eye-catcher. Even in floristry, sparks are often used as foliage in bouquets

Photo: flower office

Funkien are easy-care beauties

Funkias can be planted all year round as container perennials. The soil should be loamy, humus-rich and not too dry. Maintenance is easy - only work mulch or compost in the ground in spring.

Eye-catcher

As container plants, Hosta come out big in decorative giant pots. Too wide for the terrace or balcony? Then plant miniature radios like bonsai in a bowl!