Hostas are the most popular perennial world-wide, and are native to Japan, Korea and China, where they grow in moist woodlands, open grasslands, and along stream banks and rivers. These versatile shade garden plants require very little maintenance. They are grown mostly for their foliage, which comes in multiple variations of blue, green, gold, white, and even red. The flowers--purple or white depending on the variety--should not be overlooked, however. Many of them  have an intoxicating fragrance similar to jasmine or gardenia.