Hosta venusta

Fairy Hosta, Handsome Plantain Lily, Miniature Hosta, Plantain Lily

One of the smallest hostas in the world, Hosta venusta is a compact, deciduous perennial endemic to Jeju Island off the southern coast of South Korea, with a few outlying populations in central Japan. It forms a perfectly shaped, dense clump of tiny, glossy, dark green, heart-shaped leaves — each barely 5 cm long — on reddish-spotted petioles. In late summer, slender 30 cm scapes rise above the mound and carry clusters of funnel-shaped violet flowers. It does best in partial to full shade in fertile, consistently moist but well-drained soil, and requires a cold dormancy period each winter to perform reliably the following year.