There are many different kinds of hostas, and the bloom time varies from late spring to early fall. In my yard, a previous home owner must have planted many hostas around the house. They come out every spring but usually all get eaten by deers before flowering. 2020 was an unusual year by all means! In late summer, I noticed that hostas started to grow again. Among the overgrown tiger lilies were new leaves of hostas and strings of long purple buds. One by one, each bud opened and turned into a lavender trumpet.

Hostas’ name in Chinese is 玉簪, literally “jade barrett”, a decorative ornament for the hair made of jade. Ancient poets left many beautiful verses for the hostas flowers, depicting their tenderness and fragility.

花中闲远风流。一枝秋。
只枉十分清瘦不禁愁。
人欲去。花无语。更迟留。
记得玉人遗下玉搔头。
-- 元好问 “古鸟夜啼 玉簪”