Back in the 1970s when I was a teenager, we had a few hosta plants in our garden, and honestly, I thought they were pretty boring. They were the ubiquitous green and white variety, with a rather plain, short-lived flower. I preferred more old-fashioned plants with flowers back then — foxgloves, hollyhocks, delphinium, lily of the valley, coral bells.

Every year my mother and I would attend the Boston Flower Show to celebrate our March birthdays, and I remember one year being astonished at an exhibit of a garden with 80% hosta plants. They were planted in great masses, with every color and shape and size intermingled to showcase their amazing variety. And suddenly, I became a hosta fan.

June is a great month for hostas — their foliage is dense and healthy, and they are just beginning to send up flower stalks. I have many hostas in my garden now, and one shady bed in particular where they thrive.

This week I’ve been capturing some of their unique colors and shapes:

Here’s to hostas!

Happy summer! —lucy