Marian Name: Assumption Lily
Common Name: Hosta
Botanical Name: Hosta plantaginea "Royal Standard"
Hosta plantaginea sends up its flowering stalks around the time of the Assumption, hence its Marian Name. Most Hosta flowers are rather common; the plant is usually grown for its beautiful leaves which add form and substance to any shady garden. But the flowers of Hosta plantaginea are the exception. The gorgeous lily-like, pure white flowers on very sturdy stems are not only a delight in the mid-August garden but are sensational in a vase as well.
The photos of the hostas pictured here are from my own garden. I had begun a shade garden at The Mary Garden at the Barn earlier this year but it is still in its infancy stage and only one puny flower stalk has been sent up from the hostas planted there.
