Hosta 'Royal Standard' bears sweetly scented white flowers on 2-3' stems in August and September above cool, pale green foliage, and is an excellent cut flower. 'Royal Standard' is far too good to treat solely as a foliage plant. This genus of shade lovers has 70 species, all of them from China and Japan, and hybridizers have produced hundreds of exciting crosses. Hostas have many handsome leaf colorations and lavender or white lily-like flowers on graceful stalks. Plants prefer a moist location.