Check out this cute miniature hosta. 'Stiletto' can grow up to ten inches in height, although mine typically stays around eight inches tall.  It is perfect for the front of a shade border. Dainty purple striped flowers appear in summer, which I remove after the bloom. Stiletto can be used as a singular plant as seen in my garden photos, or it can also be allowed to spread and used as a showy ground cover. The narrow, ripply leaves with a small creamy-white margin are a nice contrast when used as a companion plant. My plant gets about three hours of early morning sun and it tolerates that amount with no problem.

I've had Stiletto for many years, but I periodically divide it to maintain the pictured size. I recently divided mine in half. Unlike most large established hostas, it divides quite easily, and without the use of a saw :)

Usually when I visit Roger and Carol (Eastbrook Gardens) I'm all about their daylilies. But last time, when I stopped over on my way home from work, I was completely bowled over by this insane hosta Roger grows named Jurassic Park. What a grand specimen plant! When I took this photo, I placed an oak leaf on the hosta to give you a sense of its size.

Roger planted this hosta in a flower bed and over time has had to move most of what was growing in the near vicinity to make more room for this bruiser. He joked that the entire flower bed may one day belong to Jurassic Park. The leaf substance is so thick that slugs are nonexistent. Mature leaves can measure up to 14" x 16" wide, and the plant itself can grow up to 4 feet tall by 6 feet wide. With abundant watering, this hosta can grow even larger! So, if you happen to have a L.A.R.G.E. space that is screaming 'hosta!' Jurassic Park is the way to go.

Well, okay - yeah, I did manage to look at some daylilies...

Pictured are: 'Entwined in the Vine,' 'Highland Pinched Fingers,' 'Concrete Blonde,' 'Free Wheelin', and 'Fear Not.'

Shade is at a premium in my yard, so I'm very picky about what hostas occupy the little that I have. If I could only have one hosta, "June" is the one I would choose. June is stellar. This hosta is small-to-medium sized  (12-16" tall x 30-36" wide) so it is perfect for the front of the flower bed. Not only is it sun tolerant, but it is incredibly slug resistant. Each leaf is unique and it colors up depending on how much sun it is exposed to. My June (pictured) gets morning sun, so it looks yellow-ish and green. When grown in complete shade it looks dark green with darker green margins. The leaves are waxy and thick, plus I love the crepe texture they have. June gets purple flowers in July, but I have to admit that I cut all the scapes off before they flower. In my opinion the scapes/flowers take away from the tidiness of the plant and the beauty of the hosta leaves.

June was awarded the American Hosta Growers 'Hosta of the in Year' in 2001.