August Lily. We have always held a special place in our hearts for Hosta plantaginea, so we were thrilled to find this double-flowered selection. Like the old favorite, Hosta plantaginea 'Aphrodite' has large, pure white, intensely fragrant flowers that open in late summer on 2ft stems. Try it along a sheltered path where you can take in the heady fragrance.

The genus Hosta has 70 species, all of them from China and Japan, and hybridizers have produced hundreds of exciting crosses. Hostas have many handsome leaf colorations and lavender or white Lily-like flowers, which show between late spring and late summer on graceful stalks.Hosta plantaginea likes a moist location but also tolerates dry shade; plants have thrived for more than 30 years under a row of Sugar Maples near our house. (Evenly moist soil is required in the South and West.) Because Hostas are grown primarily for their foliage, we give the height of the leaves, not the flowers.