THE HOSTA - ONTARIO'S NEW PROVINCIAL FLOWER?

DO YOU GROW HOSTAS?

Dusty's Digital Digest Gardening Page | September 2013

Hosta

You may have something funky growing in your garden right now! 'Funkia', or more commonly known as Hosta is a plant that even non-gardeners will know. A recent survey of Ontario households showed that a whopping 92.7% of respondents have, or had at one time, Hostas growing in their garden - which is no surprise to one North York resident, Louise Blyn-McMaster.
Louise is gathering signatures by the hundreds to petition the Ontario government to change the official provincial flower from the Trillium to the Hosta. This may sound ludicrous, as the Hosta is not even native to Ontario, but, she does bring up some good arguments in favour of the change. Being both trained in botany and working for the province's land survey ministry she has a very unique perspective on the current plant situation. Her research has shown that as more and more of the countryside is being developed, urbanize, sub-urbanized, which is causing the local flora to be replaced with its domesticated cousins. Trilliums are being replaced by Hostas at an alarming rate.

Trilliums in their ideal habitat

Louise, although a lover of the Trillium, is of the view that we need to move with the times and embrace the new 'plantscape', as she calls it. She argues that Ontario is not the wild mature forests (the ideal growing grounds of Trilliums) that it used to be, but, it is now an urban sprawl of close cut lawns and Hosta filled gardens. As well, the make up of Ontario's human population is changing. Where once almost everyone was a White Anglo Saxon, that is not the case anymore. What would be more fitting, Blyn-Master argues, than having the official flower be an imported plant? And she is not the only one who believes this. Thousands of virtual signatures adorn her online petition and are increasing daily.
Blyn-Master's campaign has almost reached enough signature to take some action and when it does she plans on having her Member of Provincal Parliament make an official motion in the legislature.

Add your opinion to this growing debate - comment below.