This interesting plant was planted at HortPark by one of our industry partners Dow Flora. According to them, they brought it in from China. That was my first encounter of this plant in Singapore.
Before that, I have only come across Hosta in calendars and books, where you see a whole range of beautiful clusters of their variegated leaves. And I have not even mentioned the flowers.
Then at SGF 08, this japanese stall (I cannot remember the name but it was not a plant stall) carried a few pots of it. As usual, my sharp-eyed colleague spotted it and bought 2 of the best pots. In the end, I managed to buy 2 pots of it too.
After months of growing it, it flourished and there were a few rosettes of leaves but frankly, they never looked as large a clump as those in books etc. But the leaves were definitely a sight with its parallel veins and striking variegation and it is not difficult to understand why this plant was grown predominantly for its amazingly handsome leaves.
Apparently, there is a whole variety of cultivars bred by horticulturists out there, as evident from the never-ending range shown in books. In fact, during my Thailand trip in Jan 09, I purchased a book on Hostas from Chatuchak Market.
On the other hand, the more obscure 5-8 light lilac-white flowers opened in succession and emitted a light fragrance. I have not yet seen 2 opened flowers at the same time. Though non-lasting, the flowers do add an air of elegance to this plant.
However, this plant went into decline after I neglected it for some time and eventually succumbed to scales and mealy bugs a few months ago. It was such a pity and I didn't quite realize what I lost until I looked at these photos.
If I come across this plant in our local nurseries, I would definitely buy it and give it more attention as it is really a plant that is hard to come by.
By the way, the top photo was taken on 27 Nov 08 and the latter 2 photos on 2 Dec 08.
