Hosta: The Shade Garden Favorite

Type: Foliage perennial. Zones: 1-10, 12-21. Exposure: Shade. Water: Regular.

Hostas are beloved for shade gardens. Hundreds of cultivars range from 6-inch dwarfs to 5-foot giants, with tremendous variation in leaf shape (heart, lance, oval, rounded), texture (smooth, quilted), and color (all greens, chartreuse, gold, blue, plus white, yellow, or cream variegation).

Grow in rich, well-drained soil; never let roots dry out in summer. They're carefree in preferred zones but difficult elsewhere. Where slugs and snails are a problem, hostas are a favorite target and nearly impossible to protect—in those areas, containers offer the best refuge.