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Plant of the Week
Frances Williams Hosta
Latin: Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams'
When I first saw Frances Williams, I had to have her.
After searching for her in various nurseries around my corner of the state, I
finally brought her home, but she wouldn’t stay.
Like most gardeners, I firmly adhere to the rule that, until you have killed a
plant three times, you should never give up. Well, my third Frances Williams
finally took hold and is now flourishing in my garden.
Frances Williams is a large-leafed hosta growing to 18 inches high and 36 inches
across. The heart-shaped leaves grow to the size of a salad plate. They have a
greenish-yellow marginal variegation and are borne on 12-inch long petioles that
emerge from the slow growing crown. The leaf is glaucous with the blade
conspicuously corrugated, giving the plant a quilted look. Whitish bell shaped
flowers appear in early summer on leafy stalks that are just taller than the
foliage.
Hostas are members of the lily family.
The plant is named after the hobby breeder who developed it, Frances Williams,
who has 17 hostas to her credit. Frances Williams was registered with the
American Hosta Society in 1986.
It is slow to produce offsets and has tended to be more expensive in the trade
than many of the fast growing sorts. It has been a favorite of hosta growers,
ranking fifth in overall popularity in 1996 among the members of the American
Hosta Society.
Of the variegated hostas with yellow margins, Frances Williams is definitely not
the best, but she was one of the earliest of the big-leaf type so she holds a
special place in the hearts of
many gardeners. The main shortcoming of this cultivar is bad parents. As a
selection of H. sieboldiana, she tends to have poor tolerance of summer heat. By
August of most years the foliage that excites even the most jaded gardener in
May will begin to develop marginal burning as the heat of August rolls around.
"Wide Brim" with its wide creamy-yellow margin is not as large but holds up well
to the summer heat.
Hostas are creatures of the shade. They perform best in a fertile, reasonably
moist site, but if they are not so lucky as to receive the best planting
location, they usually do very well anyway. Depending on the size of the plant
when mature, hostas should be planted 2 to 3 feet apart. They make excellent
groundcovers for shady areas even though they do die to the ground in the
winter.
Variegated selections such as Frances Williams will brighten up the darkest
corner in the shady garden. Hostas respond very favorably to fertilization, but
like most perennials, over doing it will lead to weak growth. I get the best
results by fertilizing in a ring around the plant just as the leaves are
emerging in the spring.
Hostas usually should not be divided too often as it takes a few years growth
before plants attain their full size and form. The major pests of hostas are
things that damage their beautiful leaves -- hail stones, slugs and deer being
the most common.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
May 7, 1999
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