Siebold's plantain lily

Hosta sieboldiana

(Hook.) Engl. Species

Hosta sieboldiana
謝麗霦 via iNaturalist — CC BY 4.0
Hosta sieboldiana photograph 1 Hosta sieboldiana photograph 2 Hosta sieboldiana photograph 3 Hosta sieboldiana photograph 4 Hosta sieboldiana photograph 5 Hosta sieboldiana photograph 6
Botanical name
Hosta sieboldiana
Family
Asparagaceae
Genus
Hosta
Flowering period
June to July
Height
60–90 cm
Spread
90–120 cm
Hardiness
Fully hardy (RHS H7)
Reference
World Flora Online

How to grow Siebold's plantain lily

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight
Partial to full shade
Watering
Generous; keep the soil consistently moist through summer
Soil
Deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but not stagnant
Soil pH
Neutral to slightly acid

Planting

Plant in spring as the buds break, or in autumn, in ground improved with plenty of compost or leaf mould. Give it room from the start; a mature clump is far wider than a young plant suggests. It is grown for the heavily puckered blue-green leaves, so put it where the foliage will be seen against something darker.

Pruning

No pruning as such. Cut the flower stems out after flowering if you dislike them, and clear the collapsed yellow foliage in late autumn, which also removes slug shelter.

Propagation

Divide in early spring just as the shoots appear, cutting the crown through with a spade or knife. Each piece needs at least one growing point and some root.

Pests and diseases

Slugs and snails are the main issue and can shred the leaves before they fully unfurl in spring. Protect from the moment the shoots emerge rather than after damage shows; the leaves do not recover and stay holed all season.

Value to wildlife

The pale lilac-white flowers are visited by bumblebees, and the dense foliage gives cover to frogs and beetles in a damp shady border.

Notes

The thick, waxy leaves stand slug damage rather better than thin-leaved hostas, but they scorch in direct afternoon sun and in dry soil. Container plants need watering far more often than you would expect.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Hosta sieboldiana but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Funkia cucullata Funkia glauca var. cucullata Funkia latifolia var. sinensis Funkia ovata f. latifolia Funkia ovata f. marginata Funkia ovata var. albomarginata Funkia ovata var. albopicta Funkia sieboldiana Funkia sieboldiana var. bracteata Funkia sieboldiana var. condensata Funkia sieboldiana var. marginata Funkia sieboldii Funkia sinensis Funkia umbellata Hosta aoki Hosta aurea Hosta caerulea f. albomarginata Hosta caerulea f. latifolia Hosta cucullata var. gigantea Hosta fluctuans f. parvifolia Hosta fortunei f. aurea Hosta fortunei f. marginata Hosta fortunei f. viridis Hosta fortunei var. albopicta Hosta fortunei var. gigantea Hosta fortunei var. hyacinthina Hosta fortunei var. marginatoalba Hosta fortunei var. robusta Hosta fortunei var. rugosa Hosta fortunei var. stenantha Hosta japonica var. aurea Hosta lancifolia f. aureomarginata Hosta lancifolia var. aurea Hosta latifolia var. albomarginata Hosta latifolia var. aureomaculata Hosta sieboldiana f. fortunei Hosta sieboldiana var. amplissima Hosta sieboldiana var. aureomarginata Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans Hosta sieboldiana var. fortunei Hosta sieboldiana var. gigantea Hosta sieboldiana var. glauca Hosta sieboldiana var. hypophylla Hosta sieboldiana var. mira Hosta tokudama f. aureonebulosa Hosta tokudama f. flavocircinalis Hosta tokudama f. flavoplanata Hosta tokudama f. mediopicta Niobe sieboldiana Saussurea sieboldiana Saussurea sieboldiana

Others in Hosta

Hosta albofarinosa
Hosta alismifolia
Hosta capitata
Hosta clausa
Hosta hypoleuca
Hosta jonesii
Hosta kikutii
Hosta kikutii var. caput-avis

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.