Rain has made this a banner spring for hearty hostas

In an already notable garden year influenced by a mild winter and remarkable for the speed at which plants have sprung to life, there is one plant in my garden that is pulling focus from everything else. The hostas are the best they’ve ever been.

Hostas always look their best in late spring, before their foliage gets tattered by weather, slugs or nibbled on by deer, but they have outdone themselves this year. They are the biggest I’ve ever seen, some hitting at thigh height and boldly taking over pathways they have only ever skirted the edges of.